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I have a central server with a Raid-1 system where all project files are stored.
Raid-1 means two identical harddisks attached to a controller that mirrors the contents of one disk to the other.
this should protect your data if one drive fails.
in windows the disc-array looks just like an ordinary drive.
two days ago the server didnt start anymore.
it crashed during windows boot with a bluescreen.
even safemode didnt work.
the RAID-BIOS showed two working drives,
so i thought that just windows (on the raid-drive) is somehow damaged.
i installed a new single ATA-harddisk and installed a new windows x64 on it.
it worked, but the RAID didnt show up under windows.
the last real (non RAID) backup to a LAN harddisk was two weeks ago
so now i was getting afraid.
i called an IT guy and asked if i could simply take one of the RAID disks
and install it on another PC. He said that wont work since each RAID controller writes some information into the bootsector of the drives.
so if your controller breaks you need the EXACT same controller model to get your data back.
if the controller is older than 1 year its difficult to get a replacement.
maybe from ebay but that takes time.
in the end we where able to get the data back.
one of the drives broke in a way that was not detectable by the RAID controller.
so the drive showed up as healthy but it was broken.
i pulled one of the drives out and the other RAID-disk was accessible again from windows.
some of the newer files are missing-
maybe the controller tried to mirror parts of the broken disk onto the healthy one.
i could have easily lost two weeks of work from several people and blown the deadline of our current project.
but i will never trust a RAID again, i do daily backups to an external drive from now on.
(apologies for length)
Raid-1 means two identical harddisks attached to a controller that mirrors the contents of one disk to the other.
this should protect your data if one drive fails.
in windows the disc-array looks just like an ordinary drive.
two days ago the server didnt start anymore.
it crashed during windows boot with a bluescreen.
even safemode didnt work.
the RAID-BIOS showed two working drives,
so i thought that just windows (on the raid-drive) is somehow damaged.
i installed a new single ATA-harddisk and installed a new windows x64 on it.
it worked, but the RAID didnt show up under windows.
the last real (non RAID) backup to a LAN harddisk was two weeks ago
so now i was getting afraid.
i called an IT guy and asked if i could simply take one of the RAID disks
and install it on another PC. He said that wont work since each RAID controller writes some information into the bootsector of the drives.
so if your controller breaks you need the EXACT same controller model to get your data back.
if the controller is older than 1 year its difficult to get a replacement.
maybe from ebay but that takes time.
in the end we where able to get the data back.
one of the drives broke in a way that was not detectable by the RAID controller.
so the drive showed up as healthy but it was broken.
i pulled one of the drives out and the other RAID-disk was accessible again from windows.
some of the newer files are missing-
maybe the controller tried to mirror parts of the broken disk onto the healthy one.
i could have easily lost two weeks of work from several people and blown the deadline of our current project.
but i will never trust a RAID again, i do daily backups to an external drive from now on.
(apologies for length)
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