is it possible to migrate a raid 5 to a rai6 without data loss in powershell ?

Question

i'm trying de find a way to change my raid 5 to a raid 6 but i cannot find a command for changing the parity without save my data elsewhere...is it possible or do i have to create an another raid and migrate the data ?

Answer 1

Considering that RAID 6 stores parity on two disks, and RAID 5 stores parity on one disk (distributed over all disks in the RAID), you can't simply "convert" RAID 5 to RAID 6 without the help of RAID controller firmware (some let you add an additional disk and the migrate the data). Otherwise, you can make a backup of the RAID, add a new disk and create a new RAID -- then restore your data. Depending on your storage, you could also use a new LUN and migrate the data.

FYI, PowerShell has nothing to do with this.

Answer 2

Hello,

Unfortunately, there's no straightforward PowerShell command that can directly change a RAID 5 array to a RAID 6 without risk of data loss. This kind of operation is constrained by the RAID controller capabilities and the storage management software you are using.

RAID 6 requires additional parity data compared to RAID 5, which often means rearranging and recalculating parity across the array. Therefore, creating a new RAID 6 array and copying the data over is the most common and safest approach.

Here's a general safe approach:

1. Backup your data: Always ensure your data is backed up before performing any RAID operations to prevent data loss in case something goes wrong.
2. Create a new RAID 6 array: Use your RAID controller's management tools or software to create a new RAID 6 array.
3. Transfer the data: Copy the data from the existing RAID 5 array to the new RAID 6 array.
4. Verify data integrity: Confirm that all data has been successfully copied and is intact.
5. Decommission the old RAID array: Once the data has been verified, you can remove the old RAID 5 array if desired.

I hope the information above is helpful.

Best Regards,

Yanhong Liu

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