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I have a working IBM serveraid-8k .

My problem is that I need to read files from a HDD taken from another machine (not raid).

ServeRAID Manager sees the disk, but I found no way to access it from windows.

If I ask to create a new Logical Volume so I can see it on windows, will the controller erase the disk?

Thanks in advance.

UPDATE: To clarify the question, let me explain that, although Windows Disk Manager doesn't see the disk, the ServeRaid Manager (software to control the raid controller) sees it.

What I need to know (and haven't found yet) is how one makes the serveraid 8k controller expose a drive to Windows 2008 R2 without erasing all data already in the disk.

motobói
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  • so you don't see it within disk manager? Also what OS was the disk used with before? My gut feeling is that its already been wiped. – tony roth Jan 27 '12 at 23:04
  • This drive was being used on a Windows 7 workstation. I can still access files if I plug it back on it again. It doesn't appears on Windows Disk Manager, although ServeRaid shows it as online. – motobói Jan 27 '12 at 23:11
  • quick question how would you create a new logical volume if disk manager doesn't see it? What does diskpart show? – tony roth Jan 28 '12 at 02:56
  • another question is it a sata or sas disk, if sata what speed? – tony roth Jan 28 '12 at 03:02
  • is the controller in the win7 workstation an on board controller? – tony roth Jan 28 '12 at 15:45

2 Answers2

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This is a constant problem with raid controllers. They normally don't provide any way to expose a drive without it being part of an array.

I've had loads of fun recently with a couple of lower end hostraid (adaptec) sata controllers on small servers. The array suddenly 'disappears'. You then cannot access the disk through the controller but both disks (mirror raid) are valid images.

Three solutions: 1) buy a low end controller to let you access the disk while attached to the system in question 2) Put the disk into an old server and copy the data accross 3) USB adapter which lets you see the disk as a usb disk.

With scsi disks I done 1 and 2 in the past. USB adaptors should exist out there.

Ian

Ian Murphy
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I'm not sure how to set it up on that particular kind of raid controller, but often there is a setting to use it as a single drive somewhere in there.

You would probably have an easier time putting the drive in a hard drive enclosure and accessing it through USB, or connecting it to a regular PC and copying whatever files you need over the network.

Grant
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