I had a working RAID-1 array, but then my PC crashed, and now I only have the two drives from that array. I want to know if I can use an external USB enclosure to access the data on one of those drives. I've previously connected this array to a different PC using mdadm, and everything went smoothly until the SSD in that PC failed. I'm looking for options to retrieve my files without having a functional computer right now.
3 Answers
No need to panic! You should be fine when retrieving your data. Many people have been in your shoes, and I can tell you that mdadm makes it fairly straightforward. When you set up your RAID, it stores crucial info in a header file, so as long as you use a Linux system with mdadm installed, you can access your data just fine.
You can definitely access your data with an external enclosure, but there are some things to keep in mind. It sounds like you're using a hardware RAID controller. The type of controller matters because some of them configure the RAID in a way that not all enclosures can handle. Do you know what kind of controller you had? Without that info, I can't guarantee it will work with just any enclosure.
Just a heads up, SSDs can be a bit tricky for important data. If you're dealing with anything ultra-critical, consider using HDDs or the cloud for backups instead. But for your current setup with RAID, you should be okay accessing everything as mentioned!
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