raid compatibility across different chipsets

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage (More info?)

Hi All,


does anyone know if RAID-0 arrays are compatible across chipsets?
Can I move my disk array from one raid card/chipset to a different raid
card and chipset without loosing data and reformatting the array?


Thank you,
-ai

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage (More info?)

pivo wrote:

> Hi All,
>
>
> does anyone know if RAID-0 arrays are compatible across chipsets?
> Can I move my disk array from one raid card/chipset to a different raid
> card and chipset without loosing data and reformatting the array?

As a general rule, if they are implemented using the onboard firmware and/or
hardware of the RAID controller then no, they are not. If they are
implemented entirely using device-independent OS function then they
probably will be, although there may be pathological cases.
>
>
> Thank you,
> -ai

--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage (More info?)

Previously J. Clarke <jclarke.usenet@snet.net.invalid> wrote:
> pivo wrote:

>> Hi All,
>>
>>
>> does anyone know if RAID-0 arrays are compatible across chipsets?
>> Can I move my disk array from one raid card/chipset to a different raid
>> card and chipset without loosing data and reformatting the array?

> As a general rule, if they are implemented using the onboard firmware and/or
> hardware of the RAID controller then no, they are not. If they are
> implemented entirely using device-independent OS function then they
> probably will be, although there may be pathological cases.

If it is Linux software RAID, it is compatible on the same Architecture,
and possibly across architectures. AFAIK it is not compatible with
Windows, BSD or other software-RAIDs.

Arno

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage (More info?)

Thanks for the information...
So, essentially if I have a big raid array sitting off of my
motherboard's raid controller I can't really change motherboards
without big hassle of moving data somewhere safe, reformatting the
array and moving data back in.

What was these freaking manufactures were thinking about?

Sorry for the rant, thanks for the anwer ...

-ai.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage (More info?)

pivo wrote:

>
> Thanks for the information...
> So, essentially if I have a big raid array sitting off of my
> motherboard's raid controller I can't really change motherboards
> without big hassle of moving data somewhere safe, reformatting the
> array and moving data back in.
>
> What was these freaking manufactures were thinking about?

Well, moving a large internal RAID from one machine to another is generally
not something one wanted to do until recently. Best solution IMO is to put
the RAID on a server and not mess with it. Then you can do as you please
with the workstation.

> Sorry for the rant, thanks for the anwer ...
>
> -ai.

--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

 

[peter]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage (More info?)

> Thanks for the information...
> So, essentially if I have a big raid array sitting off of my
> motherboard's raid controller I can't really change motherboards
> without big hassle of moving data somewhere safe, reformatting the
> array and moving data back in.
>
> What was these freaking manufactures were thinking about?

They were probably thinking that one should have a backup facility.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage (More info?)

Previously pivo <aivkov@gmail.com> wrote:

> Thanks for the information...
> So, essentially if I have a big raid array sitting off of my
> motherboard's raid controller I can't really change motherboards
> without big hassle of moving data somewhere safe, reformatting the
> array and moving data back in.

Exactly. And a real risk of loosing the data if the mainboard breaks.
One of the reasons I don't like hardware-RAID: You need to have a
spare controller or you are at least locked-in to one manufacturer.
If you know what you are doing, you can usually still recover an array
without the original hardware, but people that use these low-cost
RAIDs often do not know and can only try to buy the same hardware
that just broke on them again. Not pretty at all.

> What was these freaking manufactures were thinking about?

The usual: Screwing over the customer if profitable as long
as the customer does not notice too early. One of the pleasures
of "Industry Standards". _I_ can recover my LINUX software
RAIDs on any computer I can connect enough of the drives to or
even with several computers connected over a network. Of course
that does not sound right to hardware-RAID vendors. After all
you would not be vendor-locked anymore.

> Sorry for the rant, thanks for the anwer ...

No problem on both counts.

Arno

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.storage (More info?)

Previously Peter <peterfoxghost@yahoo.ca> wrote:

>> Thanks for the information...
>> So, essentially if I have a big raid array sitting off of my
>> motherboard's raid controller I can't really change motherboards
>> without big hassle of moving data somewhere safe, reformatting the
>> array and moving data back in.
>>
>> What was these freaking manufactures were thinking about?

> They were probably thinking that one should have a backup facility.

I am sure that is what their legal counsel would say. I doubt
very much that that is what they were thinking.

Arno