Is It Safe to Reformat 2 Harddisks (Configured as RAID1) Without Removing the RAID First?

Question

Hi. My server runs CentOS 5.3 with 2 harddisks. The harddisks were configured as RAID 1 (software-based RAID). The operating system also use the RAID.

I would like to reinstall the server. I don't mind loosing the data. I already backup the data elsewhere.

Do I have to remove the partition first? Or can I just reinstall the CentOS and format both harddisks?

Thanks.

Answer 1

It is safe to install over the partitions of the RAID array. There is nothing special about a software RAID partition.

However, for "clarity" you probably want to make sure that the partition "type" value, set in the partition table, is changed from "Linux RAID" (0xFD) to "Linux" (0x83). That is assuming you are not going to continue running a RAID array.