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Difficulty: MediumStorage Drives and RAID Array Issues

A graphics designer reports that their specialized desktop workstation, which uses two identical 1 TB NVMe SSDs configured in a hardware RAID 1 array, is showing a system notification that the storage volume is running in a degraded state due to a predictive S.M.A.R.T. failure alert on Drive 1. The operating system is fully accessible, and applications are currently functional. Which of the following actions should the technician perform first to address this issue while ensuring data protection?

  1. Verify that a full system backup exists, then replace Drive 1 with a healthy drive of equal or greater capacity and rebuild the mirror.Answer
  2. B
    Format Drive 1 using the operating system drive management utility to clear the S.M.A.R.T. errors before re-adding it to the active array.
  3. C
    Convert the existing array from RAID 1 to RAID 0 to clear the predictive error logs while retaining drive data across both drives.
  4. D
    Immediately delete the degraded volume in the RAID configuration utility and initialize a new array across both existing drives.

Answer

Verify that a full system backup exists, then replace Drive 1 with a healthy drive of equal or greater capacity and rebuild the mirror.
When a RAID 1 array enters a degraded state due to a predictive hardware failure on one drive, the best immediate action is to confirm data backups, replace the faulty drive with a functional equivalent, and initiate an array rebuild. This restores redundancy without risking existing volume data.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Ensure data security by verifying or creating a full data backup.
Protects against catastrophic data loss if the remaining functional drive fails during heavy read operations during array rebuild.
RAID is not a replacement for backups, and disk rebuilds put additional stress on surviving drives.
2
Remove the failing drive (Drive 1) and install a replacement drive of matching or larger capacity.
Prepares the array hardware infrastructure with a healthy storage device.
S.M.A.R.T. failure warnings indicate imminent physical hardware failure that cannot be fixed with software formatting.
3
Initiate the RAID rebuild process through the controller interface.
Restores full RAID 1 redundancy across both drives.
Copies data from the surviving functional drive onto the replacement drive.

Key Concept

RAID 1 Degraded Array Recovery and Disk Replacement
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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Topics

Storage Drives and RAID Array Issues

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