# Re: \[RFC PATCH\] Detail: don't display the raid level when it's inactive

- From: Nix \<hidden\>
- Date: 2020-08-31 19:00:41 
- List: linux-raid
- Page: https://ratatoskr.run/linux-raid/2020/08/6639349
- Thread: https://ratatoskr.run/linux-raid/2020/08/6639349/t.md

```text
On 31 Aug 2020, Zhong Lidong told this:

> On 8/29/20 12:38 AM, Ian Pilcher wrote:
>> On 8/26/20 10:16 AM, Lidong Zhong wrote:
>>> ...
>>> So the misleading "raid0" is shown in this testcase. I think maybe
>>> the "Raid Level" item shouldn't be displayed any more for the inactive
>>> array.
>> 
>> As a system administrator, I'd much rather see "unknown" (or something
>> similar), rather than simply omitting the information.
>> 
> Thanks for the suggestion.
> Yeah, just removing the Raid Level info is not the best option. I also
> considered to show it as "inactive Raid1" in such case.

If it would be a raid1 when activated, it is still a raid1 when
inactive: the data on disk doesn't suddenly become not a raid array
simply because the kernel isn't able to access it right now. This is
valuable information to expose to the sysadmin and should not be
concealed (and *certainly* not described as a raid level it actually
isn't).

I think it should say as much (if the system knows at this stage, which
if there is a device node, it presumably does).
```