I recently upgraded the Operating System on my Dell R510 Server. I installed two brand new SATA Drives and built a new PERC H700 RAID 1 Array for the OS and Data. I removed the existing RAID 1 Disks and put them in the cupboard for a rainy day.
When I had everything up and running for a few weeks, I decided to see if I could refit one of the old data Arrays to provide a bit more storage. I really didn’t want to power down the server to do this. However, it turns out that this can be done very easily using the Dell OMSA (OpenManage System Administrator).
Before proceeding, ensure you have a full backup of the server, and that there are no RAID Controller or Drive Errors.
Here is the process I used:
| [1] Refit the Original SATA Drives (containing the RAID 1 Data Array) into the R510. |
| [2] Fire up OMSA on the R510. |
| [3] From the Menu, choose “Storage”. You should see the H700 Controller (with a yellow warning triangle at the side) |
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| [4] Choose “Foreign Configuration Options”, and click “Execute”. |
| [5] On the next screen, you will see the Foreign Array that will be imported. Click “Import”. |
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| [6] You will receive a final chance to cancel. So, if you wish to continue, click “Import Foreign Configuration”. |
| [7] After a few Moments, you will see the Imported Array within OMSA (Virtual Disks). |
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| If the Array doesn’t show up, restart OMSA. |
| That’s It! |
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