Tom's Hardware > Forum > Storage > General Storage > Hardware Raid Controllers
Ask the community Add a reply
Word :    Username :           
 
Siba   07-19-2006 at 06:16:38 AM

Moved from Other forum

I have a couple of questions about hardware raid controllers, and raid in general.

I was thinking of purchasing a Seagate 320gb perp recording drive. In the future, I might add another one and do software raid 1 via motherboard options. Can this be done? Use an existing drive with data already on it, and then just add in another drive and convert it to a raid 1. Or would I have to set it up as a raid-1 from the start?

If I decided to add in a third drive at some future point, would it be possible to migrate the entire 320gb raid 1 into a 640gb raid 5 on a hardware controller? Or would I be forced to format all of the drives and lose the information stored on them?

Another thing is....I've read reviews and such of computers that have their raid configurations "fall out", but I'm not sure exactly what causes this...does it happen any time the cable is unplugged, accidentally or not? Does the computer have to be on? Does the array die if the drives get unplugged while the computer is off, but plugged back in the exact same way before its turned on?

If my raid controller dies, does the whole array go with it? Or can I buy the exact same controller and have the array still in tact?

Basically, I'm trying to do a bit of research into how volatile a raid array really is, what the risks are, and how easy it is to switch from differing setups.

Add a reply
Sponsored Links
Register or log in to remove.
BushLin   07-19-2006 at 02:12:39 PM
- 0 +

Some but not all raid controllers support migration to different raid levels but even with this option it's always advisable to back up the data first, the most simple migration would be from JBOD to RAID 1.
There is no problem with unplugging anything while the system is off (as long as you put it back in the same place :) )
If the raid controller dies and you want to retain the array you will indeed require the same model (or compatible) of controller to get the array running again.

Reply to BushLin
Siba   07-19-2006 at 06:35:40 PM
- 0 +

Would a hardware raid controller be able to recognize a raid 1 that was previously on a motherboard? Or would I have to setup the raid array on the same controller before I would be able to migrate it?

Also, would it be safe to say that a Raid 5 is a good bet as far as data integrity is concerned, as long as I don't buy all of the drives in it at the same time?

Thanks for your reply, btw.

Reply to Siba
BushLin   07-20-2006 at 12:51:22 PM
- 0 +

I can't rule out the possibility of a raid controller existing which is capable of doing what you say (you have to be careful on this forum ;) ) but my personal experience is that an array built on one controller can't be transferred to another as simply as that, I know that controllers can write a bunch of configuration data to the beginning of the drive and there is no standard for this, even if you could I'm not so sure how much you'd trust it.

Raid 5,6,10,50... and a whole bunch of other levels will mean your data is more secure than JBOD or RAID 0 but they all have advantages and disadvantages. It's always best to work out what's required and make a decision based on that.

Reply to BushLin
Ask the community Add a reply
Tom's Hardware > Forum > Storage > General Storage > Hardware Raid Controllers
Go to:

There are 1137 identified and unidentified users. To see the list of identified users, Click here.

Forum map
Bestofmedia Forum ©
2000-2009 Bestofmedia Group
Page generated in 0.400 seconds
Please mind

You are about to answer a thread that has been inactive for more than 6 months.
If you still wish to proceed, please ensure that your posting is original and does not duplicate or overlap any prior responses to this thread.

Add a reply Cancel
Sponsored links
  • Ask the community now
  • Publish
Ad
Related Topics
See all relatives topics
They won a badge
Join us in greeting them
How do I win badges?