If a raid controller changes, are the drives still usable without re-formatting? [closed]

I've been wanting to do a raid 1 setup in my home with a pair of sata drives. Someone told me that if the controller fails, you can't just get a new controller because you'll have to reformat the drives.

Or is that true only in some implementations? I was originally just looking at an onboard raid controller, or an entry level nas drvice like the intel SS4200-E, but If the hardware (controller) ever fails, will I be out of luck accessing the data if I can't get the exact same hardware to replace it?

Solution 1:

Maybe, maybe not. That's *exactly* why I use software raid. I could care less about performance, in exchange for guaranteed compatibility. I know it's a religious issue, but that's a no-brainer in my world.

Solution 2:

Typically yes the config is per controller type. So if you have a failed controller and can't replace it with the equivelant you'll probably be SOL.

As long as it's the same kind though, I've never seen one which wasn't able to import the config from the drives. This is usually stored on each drive.

Solution 3:

If you're using RAID-1, then the controller is usually not relevant. In fact, you SHOULD be able to take a drive from a RAID-1 pair, and plug it into a normal controller and it should work. I've done it in the past.

The only thing you will need to be careful of is which controller you replace it with. Some controllers (the ones in our Dell blades, for example) will only make a RAID-1 array by destroying both disks. Some controllers will let you choose a Source, or Primary disk will not be wiped when creating a RAID-1 array.