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Recommend a hardware RAID card

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  • 20-03-2009 12:38pm
    #1
    PDD
    Registered Users Posts: 1,019 ✭✭✭


    Hi Folks,

    I've been looking into putting together a HTPC and one of the hickups I've come across is using RAID and Linux. I want to have a RAID array as Ive lost too many HDD's to head crashes and I wanted to put Linux on it so I would be forced to use it more. The stumbling block is that the majority of Motherboards that have RAID onboard actually have software RAID so theres alot of fiddling with settings in Linux instead of more or less plug and play under Windows. I was hoping someone here could recommend a cheap hardware based RAID card.

    Regards,

    Dave


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    #2
    Orion
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12,807 ✭✭✭✭Orion


    It's actually very easy to set up softRAID in Linux. You do it at install time then forget about it. The main difference between Windows and Linux is that Linux recognises it as softraid and ignores the motherboard settings whereas Windows is more easily fooled.

    But when creating partitions at the very start you just create a raid array first then your partitions in that array. Easy as pie. And once it's done you need do nothing more. I've a RAID1 array on Ubuntu set up fine and it only added 2 mins to the set up time.

    [edit]Nearly forgot - if you're using Ubuntu (or a variant like MythBuntu) you must use the Alternate CD not the Live CD to set up RAID at install time. You can do it after install but it's easier to do it when setting up the system.


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    #3
    Khannie
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 37,485 Mod ✭✭✭✭Khannie


    linux kernel software raid = total win. I'm using it here for a raid 5 array for all my media and get around 150MB/s consistent read speed from it. On top of that, if your motherboard or SATA controller dies, you just stick in a new one and presto, it works (i.e. you don't have to go hunting for the right brand of controller, etc.).

    I just couldn't recommend it highly enough.


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    #4
    sound_wave
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,152 ✭✭✭sound_wave


    Just to note, open to correction though, you can't boot from a RAID 5 array. When using a RAID array in my laptop (software RAID) I had to create my /boot partition as RAID 1 and then I was able to boot the machine.


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    #5
    Capt'n Midnight
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 90,966 Mod ✭✭✭✭Capt'n Midnight


    look at software mirroring
    the problem with raid is that if you don't have a hot spare and anything happens the remaining drives data recovery can be a big problem

    less heat and electricity used with two mirrored drives
    data recovery is trivial since both drives should be bootable you can clone backups too

    every 18 months or so hard drive sizes double - messy with raid 5
    with a mirror you could then mirror the first drive to the first partition on the new drive and then the second original drive could mirror to a second partition on the new drive



    |--500--|
    |--500--|

    becomes
    |--500--| |--500--|
    |
    1 GB
    |

    of course you don't want to end up with a single drive mirrored with lots of smaller ones that would just be stupid


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