Any good resources for determining RAID card compatiblity?

[Codesmith]

Is there a place online that lists what RAID controllers are compatible with each other?

I saw some benchmarks for my motherboards Silicon Image RAID 5 controller that I could definately live with, but what I couldn't live with is losing access to all my data if the motherboard died.

I would be especially pleased if my integrated RAID controller happened to be compatible with a high end card for future upgrade.

My guess is that it isn't and I should stick with RAID 1 until I feel like buying both the extra hard drive and a good controller.

 

[Codesmith]

Can anyone at least tell me if all controllers within a particular brand are always compatible?

For example if I get a cheap Highpoint RAID 5 card can I upgrade to one with a Real processor and ECC memory?

If I spend $500 for an 3ware controller and it dies in 6 years latter will whatever they are selling at the time be guarnteed to read my array?

 

[PCcashCow]

Can anyone at least tell me if all controllers within a particular brand are always compatible?

For example if I get a cheap Highpoint RAID 5 card can I upgrade to one with a Real processor and ECC memory?

If I spend $500 for an 3ware controller and it dies in 6 years latter will whatever they are selling at the time be guarnteed to read my array?

I think 6 years down the line there will be a predecessor for current raid anyway. I would stay within chip makers, like LSI's MegaRaid series or IBM ServerRaid.

 

[Codesmith]

Without compatablity info I will have to take your advice and simply pick a brand and stick with it.

Unfortunately all the controllers with the features I like (PCI-E, 8 ports, Real Processor, ...) cost $400-$600.

I think I will wait a year and see if PCI-E Raid cards get any cheaper.

 

[PCcashCow]

First generation x8 PCI-e scsi\sata controller cards are starting to hit the second hand market. Perc 4e's and LSI variations give some corporate longevity. Who know, my sig says it all, lol.

 

[Codesmith]

What brought all this to mind was someone telling me that moved their RAID 0 array from a Sil3114 controller to a NF4 Chipset controller and it was instantly and correctly recognized.

I was hoping that some website out there had a compatibility chart.

 

[Mondoman]

Not sure what your specific application is, but the Tom's article on rolling your own NAS used the MegaRaid i4 (4x PATA), which runs about $100 now on eBay.

 

[Codesmith]

My situation.

I have two 400 GB SATA drives in a RAID 1 config, for redundant storage

I currently have a large movie and TV epsiode collection. It takes me 10 seconds to find what movie is on what number DVD and 30 seconds more to retrive it from one of my 320 Caslogic Cases.

I think it would be really cool to have browse my entire collection without getting off my couch.

I think it would be really cool to have a TB RAID 5 array.

My anger/fear over being locked into a particular vendor is currently greater than my desire to spend a huge chunk of cash to build a RAID 5 array I really don't need.

I would buy the largest, fastest, most obscenely expensive RAID 5 controller tomorrow if the industry would only standardize their formats and guaranteed compatibility.

I am tend to suffer from brief periods where I get into technology way to much and spend more than I should.

I can live over 12 months off my savings and my credits cards get paid in full after every purchase, so I am not concerned.

I seriously need more hobbies, and maybe a couple more friends. Perhaps I need to start mildly abuse alcohol more often, prefeably in the company of attractive members of the opposite sex.

I tend to hang out in forums when I am avoid doing housework.

 

[Codesmith]

I tried software RAID 5 with 4 120 GB PATA drives all master/no slave.

Read speed was cut in half, write were at most one tenth normal.

IP doesn't create logical drives, only volumes consisting of multiple partitions, so you can't use tools like HD Tach which only benchmark logical drives read as RAW data.

HD Tach also doesn't do write tests. So I had to use PCMark 05 1.01.

Note the Raptor was also my system drive.

PC Mark 05 1.0.1
74 GB Raptor Single WD120 XP 5 4HD All Maste
XP Startup 10.385 7.52 1.445
Application Loading 9.933 6.606 1.252
General Usage 8.489 5.559 0.844
Virus Scan 76.825 45.873 19.691
File Write 66.712 41.467 timed out


This was on a Athlon 64 3000 (1.8 Ghz) 2x512 MB PC 4400 with no programs running in the background.

PC Mark 05 timed out less than halfway through the write tests, apparently it is poorly coded and can't properly benchmark drives slower than some internet connections.