I have a Dell server with the disks in RAID 10, using the PERC RAID controller in the server. I maintain the data data on the drives, but I'm worried about what would happen if there was an error with the disk controller or the configuration of the drives.
I read that the controller configuration is copied to the disks by default, but when I delete the configuration from the controller and try to retrieve it I can't.
Does anyone know how to backup the disk configuration for a Dell PERC RAID card, or recover it form the disks if it's been damaged or erased form the controller?
Best Answer
Did you perform this configuration deletion while the disks were still seated? If so, this does not simulate the config "going missing" from the controller - this action actually clears the config from the controller and from the drives.
To test this accurately, you'd need to remove the disks before clearing the config on the controller. Then reboot with the drives re-added, and you should get a prompt regarding a "foreign" configuration having been detected on the drives.
In answer to your question, no - you cannot create a backup of the RAID configuration using any functionality built-in to the controller. The config is saved to both controller and each disk, and it should never go missing from all the drives unless you explicitly delete it (which includes "clearing" a foreign config - something that numerous people mistakenly do in an attempt to recover before contacting support).
Trust the controller to do its job with saving the configuration internally and to the drives. Trying to go further than that is focusing on the wrong risks. If you experience an issue that leaves you with a completely missing or corrupt RAID config on the drives, your recovery plan should involve a full validated backup of the data on the virtual disk. Anything else would be straying far from industry standard best-practices, and even farther from wisdom.