How to Externally Connect RAID Controllers?

[DataMedics]

So I'm looking for a way to be able to externally connect RAID controllers to a computer without having to shut down, reboot each time.

I don't care about speed, throughput, etc. as this is only for testing purposes. I just need a way to connect different RAID cards to a computer to test them set up a test RAID, and then analyze it.

The purpose of this project is to analyze RAID metadata of various common controllers for purposes of streamlining data recovery from these array types. So I'll be connecting drives to the array, changing one setting, taking it offline, checking the changes to the data on the individual drive members, re-connecting, changing again, etc. etc. and rebooting a million times will take forever to do this.

I've tried using a PCIe express external adapter like this one plugged into an ExpressCard adapter in the computer, but the RAID cards never seem to be recognized. I assume this is due to the fact that the cards are expecting to install a RAID BIOS at bootup and it never happens.

I'm just curious if anyone else has ever tried this and knows if it's even possible to do it.

 

[MichaelBits]

Not really any experience with this... but the first thing that popped in my head was...

Because I'm thinking they will need rebooted for the raid to be recognized.
What about doing it in a VM? To where you only need to reboot a VM instance instead of the entire machine?

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

I know on higher end servers there are hot swap RAID controllers....I've never worked on a server that had them.
You'd need a motherboard with the BIOS designed to support it...and likely a RAID controller that is designed to work with that motherboard. Double motherboard of the month club parts do it, rather focus on higher end Dells or Lenovos or HPs.

 

[Alexey]

What about doing it in a VM?

That's not going to work. I can't tell you specifically why (that depends on a setup), but there will be something wrong. See, what virtual machine primarily does, it abstracts the very hardware he needs to work with and test. You cannot really test something you have abstracted away. Now if he was trying to figure out md-raid or some other software RAID, VM would have been the way to go, but for md- one just needs to read the documentation.