the drive with the software RAID mdadm.conf layout died, and i now have three 80 GB drives without an array. how can i rebuild this array without losing data? i have a new kernel built (Debian 2.6.8-3-686-smp) and mdadm installed. my /etc/mdadm/mdadm.conf file is empty and i am VERY VERY NERVOUS!
i now realize how important that file is. i should've backed it up and i didn't

http://www.networknewz.com/2003/0113.html
I do have to say it's odd that /etc/mdadm/mdadm.conf is empty. What does this return:

# cat /etc/raidtab

?

Also you might appreciate this:

http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/Software-RAID-HOWTO.html#toc6

You should be able to simply reassemble the array manually. You know which devices comprise the array, right? If they were /dev/sda, /dev/sdb, and /dev/sdc for the RAID5 at /dev/md0, for example, I think this'll work:
You can go ahead and try that. To the best of my knowledge, you can't actually damage an array with a simple assemble. The rest of the information that mdadm needs it should be able to find in the RAID superblock on one of the disks. I'm a novice when it comes to Linux software RAIDs but I just put my second one together a couple weeks ago and I had to do that at one point.

Good luck!