Hey folks! I'm in a bit of a bind and could use your expertise. Three years ago, I set up a Mediasonic Probox 4-bay with four 12TB drives in RAID 5, primarily for storing movies and running a Plex server. Recently, one of the drives failed, and I only noticed when transfers slowed down. After testing, I discovered the faulty drive, replaced it, and now it seems to be rebuilding. But here's the kicker: it's been running for three days with no clear idea of how long it'll take to complete. I'm curious about what kind of wait times are realistic here—is it going to take a week, a month, or longer? I know many folks have opinions on RAID 5, but I'm sticking with it for now, especially since I'm planning on upgrading my setup to RAID 10 with better hardware once I can afford it. For now, though, I'd love any insight on how long a RAID 5 rebuild should typically take and any other tips you might have! Thanks a ton!
3 Answers
Rebuilding a RAID 5 array can really take some time for a couple reasons. For starters, when the rebuild is happening, it often prioritizes normal operations to keep things running smoothly, which can slow down the process. Plus, every sector has to be recalculated, which also eats up time. If you can check the management interface, look for a completion percentage—it could give you a better idea about how long’s left. Hang tight!
You might want to check out the Mediasonic forums to see if anyone has suggestions on how to check the status of the rebuild. Sometimes others have faced similar issues and have insights that could help you out!
Is this a hardware RAID enclosure, or did you set it up using software? If it’s software RAID, it can take much longer because your CPU has to handle all the calculations. A hardware RAID controller would speed things up since they have dedicated processors for this. I recently pulled a drive from my RAID 6, and it took around 23 hours to rebuild. If you’re interested in later switching to hardware RAID, it might be worth the investment!
Good to know! I’m not totally thrilled with the Mediasonic Probox, and I’m planning to move to a better setup as soon as I can. Hoping this rebuild completes smoothly for now!
I actually have the same problem with my RAID 5. The rebuild often isn't visible until it’s done, making it tougher to gauge progress. I’d check if there’s any way to access management software that might provide more info. Good luck!