mdadm/md-check how to check array integrity without rebuilding

This doesn't seem to be widely known (maybe it's in some documentation that none of us read though) but there's an easy way to check the integrity of any mdadm array:

sudo echo check > /sys/block/md0/md/sync_action
-bash: /sys/block/md0/md/sync_action: Permission denied

sudo will never work, this only works as root since echo is not actually a binary/command.  It is built-into bash.


/sys/devices/virtual/block/md0/md# echo check >sync_action
 cat /proc/mdstat
Personalities : [linear] [multipath] [raid0] [raid1] [raid6] [raid5] [raid4] [raid10]
md_d1 : inactive sdc2[1](S)
      20490816 blocks
      
md0 : active raid1 sda1[0] sdc1[1]
      943730240 blocks [2/2] [UU]
      [>....................]  check =  0.0% (424768/943730240) finish=111.0min speed=141589K/sec
     
unused devices: <none>

 

In dmesg you'll see the following:

[ 1761.813250] md: data-check of RAID array md0
[ 1761.813257] md: minimum _guaranteed_  speed: 1000 KB/sec/disk.
[ 1761.813263] md: using maximum available idle IO bandwidth (but not more than 200000 KB/sec) for data-check.
[ 1761.813273] md: using 128k window, over a total of 943730240 blocks.
[11451.021752] md: md0: data-check done.
[32917.662549] md: data-check of RAID array md0
[32917.662556] md: minimum _guaranteed_  speed: 1000 KB/sec/disk.
[32917.662562] md: using maximum available idle IO bandwidth (but not more than 200000 KB/sec) for data-check.
[32917.662571] md: using 128k window, over a total of 943730240 blocks.
 

When it's done you'll see this:

[11451.021752] md: md0: data-check done.

 

When there's corruption I have no idea what you'd see, maybe in mdstat you'll see a bad disk is off-line and marked as failed and an entry in dmesg/messages that the check is failed or completed with errors.  Just a guess, I've never seen any example of reference on the net about what happens or what is said if there is an inconsistency found.  Distributions like Ubuntu have a cronjob/script that check the array once a week though.

Latest Articles

  • failed to IDENTIFY (INIT_DEV_PARAMS failed, err_mask=0x80)
  • pcnet32: eth0: transmit timed out, status 97fb, resetting - NIC card problem solution
  • Linux Screen How To Scroll Up and Down
  • Directadmin Install Segfault Error
  • Could not display "trash:///". Error: DBus error org.freedesktop.DBus.Error.NoReply: Did not receive a reply. Possible causes include: the remote application did not send a reply, the message bus security policy blocked the reply, the reply timeout
  • SSH error slow login debug1: An invalid name was supplied Cannot determine realm for numeric host address - Solution
  • How To Install CPanel
  • LOG: MAIN PANIC failed to expand condition "${if eq {$authenticated_id}{}{0}{${if eq {$sender_address}{$local_part@$domain}{0}{${if match{$received_protocol}{N^e?smtps?a$N}{${perl{checkbx_autowhitelist}{$authenticated_id}}}{${if eq{$received_prot
  • Firefox 11 closes/quits without saving Open Tabs Prompt Solution/Fix
  • Firefox 11 stop hiding http:// and https:// solution fix
  • The Importance of a High Quality Power Supply/Power Supplies To Prevent Overheating/System Crash/Hardware Damage
  • Asus VE247H 23.7" Inch LCD/LED Backlit Monitor Dead/Stuck Pixel Policy Complaint
  • Firefox Error ./firefox-bin: error while loading shared libraries: libxul.so: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory
  • Linux Ubuntu Nvidia GT430 Lockups/Errors/Freezes NVRM: os_schedule: Attempted to yield the CPU while in atomic or interrupt context
  • Xen how to mount disk images off-line and access data
  • Xen non-HVM container won't work/boot anymore
  • how to exit xen console session from xm
  • Skype Linux/Ubuntu Sound Echo/Distortion Poor Quality Problem Fix Solution
  • Ubuntu 10.04 Flash Videos have tearing/lines Solution
  • File /etc/vz/conf/ve-vps.basic.conf-sample not found: No such file or directory - Openvz Error solution