4.2 Operating Without Spare Drives
The following are guidelines for disk failure recovery when a spare drive is not available:
Depending on the design of the system, it may be possible to remove a defective drive and replace it with a new drive without shutting down the system (hot-swapping). Alternatively, the system can be shut down at a convenient time and the failed drive replaced.
If the replacement drive is installed on the same channel and SCSI ID, you can then proceed with data rebuilding.
If the replacement drive is installed on a different channel or SCSI ID, you need to scan in the new drive first then assign it as a spare drive of the logical drive. Data rebuilding will have to be manually initiated.
IMPORTANT:
Although the RAID system provides uninterrupted disk access even after a disk failure, do not leave a failed drive unattended to. Without replacement, the system will not survive a second physical drive failure on the same logical drive. A defective drive must be promptly replaced and data rebuilt.
CAUTION:
When performing hot-swapping, be sure to remove only the defective drive. Removing the wrong drive will result in complete, unrecoverable data loss. Use the Enclosure window or Physical View to locate exactly which physical drive has failed.