Arch Linux RAID - ryzendew/Linux-Tips-and-Tricks GitHub Wiki

Arch Linux RAID Guide

Complete beginner-friendly guide to RAID configuration on Arch Linux, including software RAID setup, RAID levels, and RAID management.

Table of Contents

  1. Understanding RAID
  2. RAID Setup
  3. RAID Management
  4. Troubleshooting

Understanding RAID

RAID Levels

Common RAID levels:

  • RAID 0: Striping (performance)
  • RAID 1: Mirroring (redundancy)
  • RAID 5: Striping with parity
  • RAID 6: Double parity

RAID Setup

Install mdadm

Install RAID tools:

# Install mdadm
sudo pacman -S mdadm

# Load module
sudo modprobe raid456

Create RAID Array

Create RAID 1:

# Create RAID 1
sudo mdadm --create /dev/md0 --level=1 --raid-devices=2 /dev/sda1 /dev/sdb1

# Check status
cat /proc/mdstat

Format and Mount

Format RAID:

# Format
sudo mkfs.ext4 /dev/md0

# Mount
sudo mount /dev/md0 /mnt/raid

RAID Management

Monitor RAID

Check status:

# Check status
cat /proc/mdstat

# Detailed info
sudo mdadm --detail /dev/md0

Add Disk

Add to array:

# Add disk
sudo mdadm --add /dev/md0 /dev/sdc1

# Grow array
sudo mdadm --grow /dev/md0 --raid-devices=3

Troubleshooting

Failed Disk

Replace disk:

# Mark as failed
sudo mdadm --fail /dev/md0 /dev/sda1

# Remove
sudo mdadm --remove /dev/md0 /dev/sda1

# Add new
sudo mdadm --add /dev/md0 /dev/sdd1

Summary

This guide covered RAID setup, management, and troubleshooting.

Next Steps

This guide is based on the ArchWiki. For the most up-to-date information, always refer to the official ArchWiki.