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Difficulty: MediumStorage Drives and RAID Array Issues

A graphic designer reports that saving large project files on their workstation has become noticeably slow. Upon opening the storage controller utility, a technician observes that one of the two SATA SSDs in a hardware RAID 1 array is displaying a high count of S.M.A.R.T. read errors, though the array status remains active. Which of the following is the most appropriate initial action to prevent data loss and safely restore array performance?

  1. Perform a verified backup of the workstation's data, replace the failing SATA SSD, and rebuild the mirrored array.Answer
  2. B
    Break the RAID 1 mirror immediately and format both drives to reset the S.M.A.R.T. error counters.
  3. C
    Replace the failing SATA SSD with an M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD to improve array throughput.
  4. D
    Delete the RAID 1 volume configuration and convert the two drives into a RAID 0 striped array.

Answer

Perform a verified backup of the workstation's data, replace the failing SATA SSD, and rebuild the mirrored array.
When a S.M.A.R.T. alert indicates a drive is failing within a RAID 1 array, the proper procedure is to back up data to prevent loss in case the remaining drive fails, swap out the failing drive, and allow the controller to rebuild the array. This preserves data integrity and restores fault tolerance.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the failing storage component
Determined that one SATA SSD in the RAID 1 array is generating S.M.A.R.T. errors.
S.M.A.R.T. errors indicate impending physical drive degradation, which causes latency due to repeated read retries.
2
Secure data redundancy
Created a current verified backup of all critical workstation data.
Best practices dictate backing up data prior to hardware replacement in case the remaining functional drive fails during the repair process.
3
Replace hardware and restore array redundancy
Replaced the failing SSD with a compatible unit and initiated the RAID 1 rebuild process.
Rebuilding the mirror restores full drive redundancy and resolves the system performance slowdown.

Key Concept

RAID 1 Degradation Diagnostics and Drive Replacement Procedure
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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Topics

Storage Drives and RAID Array Issues

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