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From: Robert Wegner on 20 Jan 2008 18:49
Hi there,

i've got an old storage server here, running W2k, with a promise pci-card
raid controller. The controller hosts a raid 5 array and it is 4 or 5 years old,
so i guess it isnt built any more.
So, i wonder, what if the controller fails and i can't buy exactly the same one?
Can i simply build in any new raid5-capable controller-card? Or does the
controller has to be compatible in some way (to the old card)?
Or is the data lost?

Thanks and best regards, rob
From: Folkert Rienstra on 20 Jan 2008 19:21
Robert Wegner wrote in news:YtSdnTQnaZtoQA7anZ2dnUVZ8s6inZ2d(a)giganews.com
> Hi there,
>
> i've got an old storage server here, running W2k, with a promise pci-card
> raid controller. The controller hosts a raid 5 array and it is 4 or 5 years old,

> so i guess it isnt built any more.

Right, why check if you can guess, right?

> So, i wonder, what if the controller fails and i can't buy exactly the same
> one? Can i simply build in any new raid5-capable controller-card?

Sure, why not?

> Or does the controller has to be compatible in some way (to the old card)?

Nope.

> Or is the data lost?

Very likely.
Which is why you have backups that you can roll back.

>
> Thanks and best regards, rob
From: Odie Ferrous on 21 Jan 2008 00:27
Folkert Rienstra wrote:
>
> Robert Wegner wrote in news:YtSdnTQnaZtoQA7anZ2dnUVZ8s6inZ2d(a)giganews.com
> > Hi there,
> >
> > i've got an old storage server here, running W2k, with a promise pci-card
> > raid controller. The controller hosts a raid 5 array and it is 4 or 5 years old,
>
> > so i guess it isnt built any more.
>
> Right, why check if you can guess, right?
>
> > So, i wonder, what if the controller fails and i can't buy exactly the same
> > one? Can i simply build in any new raid5-capable controller-card?
>
> Sure, why not?
>
> > Or does the controller has to be compatible in some way (to the old card)?
>
> Nope.
>
> > Or is the data lost?
>
> Very likely.

Not at all likely, actually. But your answers are always designed to be
helpful and sympathetic, aren't they, Folkert?

Rob - any reputable data recovery company should be able to recover your
array without any problems.


> Which is why you have backups that you can roll back.
>
> >
> > Thanks and best regards, rob


Duncan
--
Retrodata
www.retrodata.co.uk
Globally Local Data Recovery Experts
From: mscotgrove on 21 Jan 2008 05:03
On Jan 21, 5:27 am, Odie Ferrous <odie_ferr...(a)hotmail.com> wrote:
> Folkert Rienstra wrote:
>
> > Robert Wegner wrote innews:YtSdnTQnaZtoQA7anZ2dnUVZ8s6inZ2d(a)giganews.com
> > > Hi there,
>
> > > i've got an old storage server here, running W2k, with a promise pci-card
> > > raid controller. The controller hosts a raid 5 array and it is 4 or 5 years old,
>
> > > so i guess it isnt built any more.
>
> > Right, why check if you can guess, right?
>
> > > So, i wonder, what if the controller fails and i can't buy exactly the same
> > > one? Can i simply build in any new raid5-capable controller-card?
>
> > Sure, why not?
>
> > > Or does the  controller has to be compatible in some way (to the old card)?
>
> > Nope.
>
> > > Or is the data lost?
>
> > Very likely.
>
> Not at all likely, actually.  But your answers are always designed to be
> helpful and sympathetic, aren't they, Folkert?
>
> Rob - any reputable data recovery company should be able to recover your
> array without any problems.
>
> > Which is why you have backups that you can roll back.
>
> > > Thanks and best regards, rob
>
> Duncan
> --
> Retrodatawww.retrodata.co.uk
> Globally Local Data Recovery Experts- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

RAID 5 is a standard http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAID Therefore it
will not be hardware dependant and so someone will always beable to
recover the data

Michael
From: Arno Wagner on 21 Jan 2008 09:43
Previously Robert Wegner <robweg(a)gmx.net> wrote:
> Hi there,

> i've got an old storage server here, running W2k, with a promise
> pci-card raid controller. The controller hosts a raid 5 array and it
> is 4 or 5 years old, so i guess it isnt built any more. So, i
> wonder, what if the controller fails and i can't buy exactly the
> same one? Can i simply build in any new raid5-capable
> controller-card? Or does the controller has to be compatible in some
> way (to the old card)?

The problem is that the RAID superblock is not standardized and hence
it it unlikely to work with a different controller, unless the
manufacturer specifically claims compatibility with your present
controller. In fact not even the place the RAID superblock is found
in, is standardized. That is also the reason why, when using hardware
RAID, you should have a spare controller of the same model.

> Or is the data lost?

RAID5 is easy to recover for professionals. There is also an other
option: dmraid (part of Linux software RAID) can assemble and use
arrays from several different fake-RAID (software-RAID on a card,
which is likely what you have) controllers. This may allow imaging the
RAID under Linux, regardless of filesystem on it.

My advice is to replace the controller after a full backup and
to recreate with a new controller, of which you get two in
order to have redundancy. Or to move to software-RAID, which does
not have this limitation.

Arno
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