Question

Difficulty: MediumStorage Drives and RAID Array Issues

A enterprise database server hosting critical business records triggers a S.M.A.R.T. threshold alert indicating that one drive in a hardware RAID 1 array has accumulated excessive uncorrectable read errors and is predicting imminent hardware failure. Which of the following initial actions should the system technician perform to safely resolve the issue while preserving array availability and data integrity? (Select TWO.)

  1. Perform an immediate verified backup of the critical data stored on the array volume.Answer
  2. B
    Re-format the failing physical drive using a low-level format utility to clear the uncorrectable sector table.
  3. Replace the degrading drive with a compatible new drive and initiate the array rebuild process.Answer
  4. D
    Break the RAID 1 volume set and initialize the remaining active disk as a dynamic JBOD volume.

Answer

The technician should perform an immediate verified backup of the critical data stored on the array volume and replace the degrading drive with a compatible new drive, followed by initiating the array rebuild process.
When responding to S.M.A.R.T. alerts predicting drive failure in a RAID 1 array, best practice dictates securing a fresh backup first to mitigate data loss risks during repair. Next, the failing drive must be replaced with a healthy disk of matching or greater specification and the array rebuild process initiated to reinstate full volume mirroring.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Secure array data before hardware modification
Recent verified backup created in case secondary drive issues manifest during rebuild strain.
RAID rebuilding places extra operational stress on remaining disks, so creating a fresh backup minimizes data loss exposure.
2
Replace degraded physical drive
The failing drive is swapped out for a healthy drive of equal or greater performance and capacity specifications.
Physical drive failure warnings indicated by S.M.A.R.T. require hardware replacement rather than software repairs.
3
Rebuild RAID 1 array redundancy
The RAID controller synchronizes data onto the new disk, restoring full mirror protection.
Initiating the rebuild action mirrors the active disk data onto the newly inserted drive.

Key Concept

RAID 1 Degraded State Recovery & Best Practices
Rate this question