[ale] Questions on Linux software RAID

[Greg]

I am somewhat confused about Linux software RAID.  Suppose I have 2 disks in
a RAID 1 (mirrored) setup.  hda and hdb are the disks.  hda dies and I need
to get to the data on disk hdb.  Is the following true ?

1. I can still get to the data on hdb, even though the raid array is broken
(a status of _ for hda and U for hdb in /proc/mdstat).  My research leads me
to believe this is true.

2. If I break the array, I cannot get to the data on hdb, since the
partition table is written to show hdb as part of an array.

3. Can I re-do the partition table of hdb to make it a single disk (no RAID)
that has the data on it still?


Now for 3 questions:

1. Is there anything besides constant checking /proc/mdstat that would tell
someone that the array is broken ???

2. Would rsync on an hourly basis be better ?

3. Would rsync on an hourly basis be better ?


I am trying to use Linux software raid for a friends pc.  They want to be
able to take one of the disks away when they leave so if the house burns
down, they won't lose all of their data.


TIA for any pointers and tips.

Thanks,

Greg