*This is a really simple question, and the answer is probably encoded in various wikipedia articles, however my question is reasonably specific, and I need a bulletproof answer! I'm not sure if my question pertains to hardware RAID in general, or to the specific RAID controller I'm working on. Either way it is the Dell SAS 6/iR (this is an LSI sas1068e chipset).*

I simply want to:

1. remove a set of striped (RAID 0) disks from this RAID controller in a server
2. put in another set of disks, and create a RAID 1 array (or create a new 'virtual disk', as they call it in the SAS 6/iR manual)
3. Do stuff with the new RAID 1 array
4. Have the option of putting back the old set of disks (the RAID 0 striped ones)

I am quite sure this is possible, but I need some form of reliable, evidence-based answer as it's for a client of mine, and I need to migrate their data safely.

The question: **can I actually do the above**? Does the RAID configuration get stored on the disks themselves, or in the hardware controller? Is *any* data stored in the hardware controller?

If there is any chance I cannot completely restore operation of the first set of disks I removed, then I need to know about it!

The manual alludes to the answer to this question (see page 45 of [this document](http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/storage/RAID/SAS6iR/en/PDF/en_ug.pdf)), and talks about activating an array of disks.

I just need someone to confirm I can definitely do the above.

See, simple question, right? :)