Replacing and Resizing a Linux Software Raid, Live

In my case, I had to replace the disks in my md5 array. If you don't remember the disks in your array, you can use the `cat /proc/mdstat` command to see each volume. Once you've identified the disks, you can proceed with the replacement process.

To begin, I stopped the sync action on the affected disk by running the command `echo check > /sys/block/mdX/md/sync_action`. This allowed me to perform the replacement without any issues.

Since my server was not a high-end machine and I didn't have easy access to the disks, I had to move some cables around to remove the case. The entire process took about 10 minutes, during which I made sure to back up all my work before proceeding.

I did have to reboot the server once during the replacement process, as the Linux kernel and SATA controller needed to recognize the new disk configuration. This was a relatively straightforward process that didn't require any special hardware or software.

To replace the old disks with new ones and increase the size of the RAID 5 volume, I had to make sure not to unmount the volume or reboot the machine during the process. This required some careful planning and execution, but it's definitely possible with consumer-grade hardware that doesn't support hot swapping.

In my case, I replaced four disks, each with a capacity of 2TB, which were part of a larger Linux software RAID (created using mdadm). On top of this, I have LVM volumes and LUKS-encrypted partitions. The process was surprisingly easy to accomplish live, without any issues or data loss.

If you're facing a similar situation where you need to replace old disks with new ones in your Linux software RAID setup, don't be discouraged by the complexity of the task. With some careful planning and execution, you can complete the replacement process without any downtime or data loss.

Softraid serial number already in use