RAID controller question...

[RogerTango]

I just lost a 1tb drive and am interested in setting up a RAID 1 mirror.

I know Ill need two 1tb drives to give me 1tb of mirrored data.

What I do NOT know, if the CONTROLLER I buy dies on me, do I need to replace it with the same
make/model of controller card, or can I swap in another brand card and plug my already configured
& mirrored drives into it and be back up and running??

This is my first venture into RAID.

The reason I ask is because I am on a budget and I see several PCI RAID controller
cards on ebay that are within reach of my wallet, but as always... hardware will
eventually fail and Id like to be informed before I invest *any* of my money.

Thanks for your help in advance,
Andrew

[aedipuss]

the actual raid configuration is stored in the controller card. in case of card failure most controllers write headers to the discs that allow the same model card to use the drives. if hooked up to a different card the array is lost. the data of a drive in raid 1 however should be recoverable since it is all contained on a single drive, with a backup copy.

[RogerTango]

Thank you for an informative reply. I think for the price, I may buy TWO cards... One as a backup in the event of controller failure.

I just looked on newegg and they have some Rosewell cards that are pretty inexpensive, less than on ebay.

Thank you again,
Andrew

[Cornucopia]

While not as fast/efficient as hardware controllers, you could use software RAID. Since Windows2000, PCs have been able to do software raid (I'm pretty sure Linux & Mac can too).

A benefit of software RAID, since it is governed from within the OS, is that it won't matter which controllers you have, they'll all work the same way. All Win2k+ systems would be able to work with the drive(s).

Options are less - usually only RAID 1, Raid 0, and Spanning. But if you're just looking for RAID 1 options, that's enough.

Scott

[RogerTango]

RAID 1/Mirroring is the desired setup... Running XP Pro SP2. All I can find is some hacks for XP. Open to suggestions for software RAID (Speed is not critical).

Andrew

[Cornucopia]

In XP,
Go to "Administrative Tools | Computer Management". Check the Help menu under "Disk Management | How To... | Manage Dynamic Volumes | Manage Mirrored Volumes". Read up on all that, should get you started. No hacking necessary, comes available in XP straight-out-of-the box.

HTH,

Scott

[RogerTango]

I C now, thanks Scott... I do NOT see an option to create a mirror volume, but I believe it is because I have yet to create a dynamic disk.

If I have any further questions on this, would you be available to answer any question?

From what I read, it should be quite simple and straight forward though... Just want to have a backup adviser in the event I get confused.

Thank you for your time,
Andrew

[RogerTango]

In the help menu, I read this:

• You can create mirrored volumes only on computers running Windows 2000 Server, Windows 2000 Advanced Server, or Windows 2000 Datacenter Server.

Comments please?

Andrew

[lordsmurf]

Run it external, connected via Firewire 800 or eSATA. Get a quality enclosure.
I use this method: Best hard drive setup for RAID-1 archiving

This is my preferred setup for "active" video and photo data.
(Non-RAID redundancy for archived data.)

I've never been pleased with internal RAID solutions.

[RogerTango]

Im using 2 SATA drives with USB interfaces. Should be no problem, aye?

Andrew

[Cornucopia]

After checking into it, it's possible that you MIGHT need a hack for Software RAID1 on XP Pro, and if so, this is probably a good link to walk you through it...

However, I'm going to try a few things tomorrow at work because I still think it's possible as-is, you just may need to modify your steps. Will let you know more tomorrow night...

AFA using USB:
Are you crazy?
Yes, it shouldn't cause a "Problem", but it will be as slow as molasses. Like Lordsmurf said, something like internal Sata, eSata, or FW800 (possibly USB 3.0) makes much more sense. If you go the software RAID route anyway, you're already taking a performance hit, no need to compound it with slow USB 2.0.

Scott

[Cornucopia]

Ok, sorry about not getting back right away - didn't have the right equipment all together in the same room for a few days...

After trying out the options, it's true: You DO need to have a Server version of those DLLs in order to do SOFTWARE RAID1 (Mirroring) or RAID5. However, that guide I pointed to works perfectly! Takes all of 10 minutes (not counting the time to format the disks). I just finished testing a pair of discarded IDE drives, what a breeze...I wish most guides would work this well.

Scott

[RogerTango]

Thanks much Scott! I hope to have the time to fiddle with this myself, soon! Maybe after Xmas things at work will slow down and I can get a day off!

U DA MAN!

Andrew