[Solved - actually!] Potential new RHEL9 install with RAID1 mdadm drives

[lightman47]

I have a 'very capable' RHEL8 machine on which, during an attempt at a email server, I've 'clobbered' it's emailing capability (lotsa edited files - not worth 'fixing' , though I probably could). It'd be easier to clean install.

I'm thinking that, if I were going to do that, then why not to RHEL9? My dilemma is: It has a 8TB mdadm 'RAID 1' array (on 2-8TB drives). It also is a dual-boot Win10 machine on an SSD system drive containing both systems but in different partitions.

My question becomes: I would love a way to install RHEL9 over the (reclaimed) RHEL8 partition, while somehow saving & re-installing the mdadm settings so the RAID 'just works'. Or will I need to re-define the RAID drives?

Thank you.

*****
As it happens, I've found the couple GB of important data on a network drive; it can easily be restored. Also, the other 1.2TB on the array are the images of the Windows partitions (a backup copy) - I can recreate that afterwards as long as I don't clobber the Windows installation/partition during the install of RHEL 9. It shouldn't happen, but every so often I manage to create catastrophe from a safe operation.

Thank you.

[lightman47]

As it happens - all the Red Hat versions I've tried "see" the array just fine and I am now running Fedora 35 Live to fix my self-created mess!! (During the RHEL 9 install I selected a wrong partitions to 'reclaim'.) I was able to 'see' the array, mount it, and am currently "dd"ing back the Windows partitions from the array. After this, I'll install RHEL 9 again - but only reclaim the correct partition!

[lightman47]

ALAS - I did apparently manage to botch the whole thing. As stated, the RAID was found! However, in an attempt today to recreate the (updated) Windows "images" using 'dd', the WinImage parent folder was gone! Clearly, my procedure above was flawed. I'm glad I discovered this during a backup attempt and not a RESTORE attempt.