<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2 Final//EN"> <HTML> <HEAD> <META NAME="GENERATOR" CONTENT="SGML-Tools 1.0.9"> <TITLE>The Software-RAID HOWTO: Related tools</TITLE> <LINK HREF="Software-RAID-HOWTO-11.html" REL=next> <LINK HREF="Software-RAID-HOWTO-9.html" REL=previous> <LINK HREF="Software-RAID-HOWTO.html#toc10" REL=contents> </HEAD> <BODY> <A HREF="Software-RAID-HOWTO-11.html">Next</A> <A HREF="Software-RAID-HOWTO-9.html">Previous</A> <A HREF="Software-RAID-HOWTO.html#toc10">Contents</A> <HR> <H2><A NAME="s10">10. Related tools</A></H2> <P>While not described in this HOWTO, some useful tools for Software-RAID systems have been developed. <P> <H2><A NAME="ss10.1">10.1 RAID resizing and conversion</A> </H2> <P>It is not easy to add another disk to an existing array. A tool to allow for just this operation has been developed, and is available from <A HREF="http://unthought.net/raidreconf">http://unthought.net/raidreconf</A>. The tool will allow for conversion between RAID levels, for example converting a two-disk RAID-1 array into a four-disk RAID-5 array. It will also allow for chunk-size conversion, and simple disk adding. <P>Please note that this tool is not really "production ready". It seems to have worked well so far, but it is a rather time-consuming process that, if it fails, will absolutely guarantee that your data will be irrecoverably scattered over your disks. <B>You absolutely <EM>must</EM> keep good backups prior to experimenting with this tool</B>. <P> <H2><A NAME="ss10.2">10.2 Backup</A> </H2> <P>Remember, RAID is no substitute for good backups. No amount of redundancy in your RAID configuration is going to let you recover week or month old data, nor will a RAID survive fires, earthquakes, or other disasters. <P>It is imperative that you protect your data, not just with RAID, but with <EM>regular</EM> good backups. One excellent system for such backups, is the <A HREF="http://www.amanda.org">Amanda</A> backup system. <P> <P> <HR> <A HREF="Software-RAID-HOWTO-11.html">Next</A> <A HREF="Software-RAID-HOWTO-9.html">Previous</A> <A HREF="Software-RAID-HOWTO.html#toc10">Contents</A> </BODY> </HTML>