Ad

News

A-Data Launches New SSD RAID Enclosure

And the coolest part? You can switch between the seven supported RAID modes with a simple hardware switch. Take that, bulky RAID configuration screens! Read more

CeBIT 2008: Areca Unified Serial Controller with integrated SAS-Expander

Areca, a Taiwanese company specializing in high-end controller cards, is displaying a few new products aimed at small and mid-sized businesses as well as freelancers at CeBIT. Read more

GPS can help give early warning of tsunamis

Using GPS (global positioning system) data to measure how points on land move following an undersea earthquake could help geologists decide if the tremor will cause an ocean-wide tsunami. Read more

Thermaltake introduces NAS-RAID drive storage system

Thermaltake introduced its Muse N0001LN NAS-(Network Attached Storage-) RAID drive storage system. Read more

Latest Reviews & Articles

Best Graphics Cards For The Money: Jan. '09

Best Graphics Cards For The Money: Jan. '09

Detailed graphics card specifications and reviews are great—that is, if you have the time to do the research. But at the end of the day, what a gamer needs is the best graphics card within a certain budget, and that’s what we’re going to show you. Read more

Scorpio Blue: Big Notebook HDDs Go Mainstream

Scorpio Blue: Big Notebook HDDs Go Mainstream

While two other 500 GB mobile hard drives have been available for a while, WD is the first to release this capacity in a model using the standard 9.5 mm height with two platters. Read more

Value In SLI? GTX 260 Core 216 Vs. GTX 280

Value In SLI? GTX 260 Core 216 Vs. GTX 280

We recently built a $2,500 gaming system with three GTX 260 Core 216 graphics cards, noting that these were less expensive than two GTX 280s. In the performance-value game, is 3-way SLI in the cards? Read more

System Builder Marathon: Performance & Value

System Builder Marathon: Performance & Value

We’ve built, overclocked, and tested our $625, $1,250, and $2,500 performance machines. How will these three systems compare in overall performance and value? Read more

All the Reviews & Articles
  Tom's Hardware Forums » Storage » NAS/RAID & Technologies » Help with Raid 5 or 10
 

Help with Raid 5 or 10




Word :   Username :  
 
Bottom
Author
 Thread : Help with Raid 5 or 10
 
Profile: stranger
More Information

I have been building a custom PC the last couple of weeks with the help of these forums. After some discussion it was suggested to me that I scrap what I was doing and build a Raid 5 system. So everything is on the way from Newegg and now I have some additional questions. I have ordered 3 Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD7500AAKS 750GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drives for my system, and I have a PK5 deluxe Asus mb. I have been doing some additional reading, and it everywhere I look it seems to say that RAID 10 is the better way to go. I am running a powerful PC not for gaming, but multitasking and running a SQL database. My questions are:

  • Should I buy the extra drive and run Raid 10 instead?


  • The mb says that it supports Raid 10 on the southbridge, but when I look up additional information in the user manual, it only talks about Raid 0 & 1 http://usa.asus.com/products.aspx? [...] 3=534&l4=0. I am a total newb at this so I don't really understand how to do this. Do I need a Raid controller card which ever way I go? Or is this something that can be done through my mb?


Any help and direction will be greatly appreciated!

Related Product

Register or log in to remove.

Profile: enthusiast
More Information

In a raid 1+0 setup it would go something like this:

Drive 1 - (Raid 0) - Drive 2
| |
(Raid 1) (Raid 1)
| |
Drive 3 - (Raid 0) - Drive 4

You'd need at least 4 drives, the first Raid 0 (Drive 1+2) would be the only one visible and usable on the OS. So with 4 750GB drives, you'd only be able to use 1.5TB of space, the second Raid 0 (Drive 3+4) would be a constant mirror of the contents of the other Array. So for example if Drive 2 failed, Drive 4 would take the place of Drive 2. That's also the case with Drive 1 and 3. A failure of both 1 and 3 would render the data in the remaining 2 and 4 completely useless, and vice-versa.

A raid 10 setup does have its performance advantages, but the problem is the cost of the hard drives. Since both performance and reliability seem to be your need then I think that Raid 1+0 could be for you.

Raid 1+0 is supported in your board, it's just because Raid 1+0 is not an "official" Raid type.

I don't know anything about setting up a Raid 1+0 setup since never really had the money to do it, I think other people might have a clue. I think your board should have either a utility in the BIOS or you'd need to press something like Ctrl+A (Ati Xpress200M boards) to get into the Raid menu before booting into an OS.


Message edited by amnotanoobie on 12-03-2007 at 04:03:30 AM
Profile: stranger
More Information

Wow...where's the love?? I could really use some help here...have my new Build laying in pieces waiting for help here.

Profile: old hand
More Information

AnUnQuietMind wrote :

I have been building a custom PC the last couple of weeks with the help of these forums. After some discussion it was suggested to me that I scrap what I was doing and build a Raid 5 system. So everything is on the way from Newegg and now I have some additional questions. I have ordered 3 Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD7500AAKS 750GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drives for my system, and I have a PK5 deluxe Asus mb. I have been doing some additional reading, and it everywhere I look it seems to say that RAID 10 is the better way to go. I am running a powerful PC not for gaming, but multitasking and running a SQL database. My questions are:

  • Should I buy the extra drive and run Raid 10 instead?


  • The mb says that it supports Raid 10 on the southbridge, but when I look up additional information in the user manual, it only talks about Raid 0 & 1 http://usa.asus.com/products.aspx? [...] 3=534&l4=0. I am a total newb at this so I don't really understand how to do this. Do I need a Raid controller card which ever way I go? Or is this something that can be done through my mb?


Any help and direction will be greatly appreciated!



Tell us more about the planned SQL server implementation. What kind of databases are we running here, and what kind of transaction load is it going to have? (i.e. number of simultaneous users). What size are these databases?


---------------
- SomeJoe7777

"Did he dazzle you with his extensive knowledge of mineral water? Or was it his in-depth analysis of, uh, uh, Marky Mark that finally reeled you in?" - Troy Dyer (Ethan Hawke), Reality Bites, 1994
Profile: stranger
More Information

It is actually a pretty straight foward DB. The system is a poker machine, running pokertracker, which will constantly be datamining different sites, not sure if it will be one DB, or different DB's for different sites...but probably one DB though, and I am the only user.

I just purchased a 4th WD 750GB Sata drive to bring the total to 4 drives (all the same) and I did pick up a 3ware 9650SE-4LPML PCI Express Lanes: 4 SATA II Controller Card.

Everything I have read says that I should do RAID 10 so that is why I picked up the extra drive. Either direction I go, I will use the 4 drives anyway.

Profile: old hand
More Information

With a low user load, probably low transaction load, and databases that aren't very big, I would say you're in the territory where it doesn't really matter.

The 3Ware card will do RAID 5 just as well as it will do RAID 10. (I have that same card and it's very good).

Since you bought the 4th drive, I'd go ahead and set up RAID 10. This RAID should be a data drive only, your boot drive should be on a 5th drive.

For extreme SQL server implementations, I have seen some where you establish 2 RAIDs, and put the database files on one and the transaction logs on the other. I don't think you need to go to that step.


Message edited by SomeJoe7777 on 12-05-2007 at 11:28:13 PM

---------------
- SomeJoe7777

"Did he dazzle you with his extensive knowledge of mineral water? Or was it his in-depth analysis of, uh, uh, Marky Mark that finally reeled you in?" - Troy Dyer (Ethan Hawke), Reality Bites, 1994

  Tom's Hardware Forums » Storage » NAS/RAID & Technologies » Help with Raid 5 or 10

Go to:
 

Google Ads