220-1101 Question 410
Single answerArray missingA technician is dispatched to a small office server after users report that a shared folder is unavailable. During POST, the server displays the message: "Array missing." The server previously used a hardware RAID controller with two drives configured for redundancy. Which action should the technician take FIRST to restore access while minimizing the risk of data loss?
- A
Open the RAID controller utility and verify whether one of the original member drives is offline or disconnected
- B
Initialize a new array in the RAID controller BIOS so the operating system can detect storage again
- C
Format both drives and reinstall the operating system to rebuild the file share quickly
- D
Replace both drives with larger disks and create a RAID 0 array for better performance
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
The best first action is to inspect the existing RAID configuration in the controller utility and confirm the status of the original member disks. In A+ Core 1, troubleshooting storage issues emphasizes identifying the problem and preserving data before taking invasive steps. With hardware RAID, messages such as "Array missing" often point to a disconnected drive, failed disk, backplane issue, or controller not seeing expected RAID metadata. Industry best practice from major RAID vendors is to avoid creating or initializing a new array until the original configuration has been documented and the drive states have been verified, because initialization can overwrite metadata. In a real-world support scenario, the technician would typically check physical connections, drive LEDs, controller logs, and array status before considering rebuild or replacement.
- A. Correct.
Correct. An "Array missing" message on a system using hardware RAID commonly indicates the controller cannot detect one or more expected member disks, or the array metadata is not being read correctly. The safest first step is to enter the RAID controller utility and confirm drive status, cabling, backplane connectivity, and whether a member disk has dropped offline. This aligns with best practice: assess the existing array state before making any configuration changes that could destroy metadata or overwrite data.
- B. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Initializing a new array is a destructive action in this scenario because it can overwrite existing RAID metadata and make data recovery more difficult or impossible. A common misconception is that recreating the array is required just to make storage visible again, but on a production system the first priority is preserving the current configuration and identifying why the original array is not detected.
- C. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Formatting drives and reinstalling the operating system is not an appropriate first response to an array detection problem. This would cause unnecessary data loss and ignores standard troubleshooting procedure. A technician should first determine whether the issue is a failed drive, loose cable, controller problem, or degraded array that can be recovered.
- D. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Replacing both drives and switching to RAID 0 would remove redundancy and would not be appropriate for a server hosting shared business data. RAID 0 improves performance by striping data, but it provides no fault tolerance and would increase the risk of complete data loss. It also does nothing to preserve the existing data on the current array.