What happens if I plug out one hard drive from RAID 1 ...

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hinic1999

May 19, 2018
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(i would make a RAID 1 with 2 external hard drives)
What happens if I plug out one external hard drive from RAID 1 and take it with me to work and add files and change data on a laptop at work and then plug it back in to the PC where the RAID 1 is set up. Will the external hard drive that stayed at home synchronize with the one that i took to work?
 
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A
This is not a good plan.

A RAID disk need to be considered as one disk.

The behavior will depend on whether the PC has been powered on with one disk missing. If so it will mark the array as degraded and you will have to add a replacement disk (old pair partner), at that point the two disks will synchronize and you will lose your new data as the disk that stayed with the PC will be the master.

If you return the disk before the next PC boot, then it may take some time for the system to realize that the array i corrupt.
You will end up with a problem as both disks are supposed to be a mirror. You will lose data in the long run.

Also you may find that the disk partitioning will prevent the external disk from being recognized as being...
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J_E_D_70

J_E_D_70

Splendid
Mar 21, 2012
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This a real raid controller of some kind or windows-based?

I’d make a backup of the array to a 3rd disk since raid 1 isn’t a backup.

Then, I’d take that backup disk to work, copy the new data to it, then bring the backup home and copy to the array.

Breaking an array is always iffy.
 
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asoroka

Distinguished
Apr 19, 2009
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This is not a good plan.

A RAID disk need to be considered as one disk.

The behavior will depend on whether the PC has been powered on with one disk missing. If so it will mark the array as degraded and you will have to add a replacement disk (old pair partner), at that point the two disks will synchronize and you will lose your new data as the disk that stayed with the PC will be the master.

If you return the disk before the next PC boot, then it may take some time for the system to realize that the array i corrupt.
You will end up with a problem as both disks are supposed to be a mirror. You will lose data in the long run.

Also you may find that the disk partitioning will prevent the external disk from being recognized as being valid on another machine.

Why are you building a raid disk with external drives?
You would be better off mounting the disks internally and having a separate portable drive.

Once you commit your disks to a RAID array, they are no longer available for individual use.

Alternately do you just want to back one up to the other on a daily basis, do you really need RAID?

Raid on two external drives that an be unplugged individually is a problem waiting to bite.
 
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USAFRet

USAFRet

Titan
Moderator
Mar 16, 2013
171,455
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Really, really bad idea, for multiple reasons.
 
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