Tom's Hardware > Forum > Storage > NAS/RAID & Technologies > Questions concerning SCSI drive array - mirroring
Ask the community Add a reply
Word :    Username :           
 
Cpt Deadboots   07-01-2008 at 08:13:05 PM

I currently have a Dell PowerEdge 1600 SC server (2 x 2.4 GHz Xeon, 4 GB DDR, 2 x 73 GB mirrored Seagate 10k Ultra-320 SCSI drives) that I would like to add 2 more hard drives to. The new drives are exactly the same as the old ones, and I am hoping to set up the exact same configuration (have the new drives mirrored the same way as the old ones) to add a net 73 GB of storage.

The SCSI controller that I am using is an LSI Logic LSI21320-R. It has two channels (one of which is being used for the old drives), and supposedly possesses integrated data mirroring.

By the way, the drives and card are 68-pin.

To be honest, I have no idea how the first two drives were set up. It would seem that Dell OpenManage Array Manager was used to configure a RAID 1 setup for the two old drives (they appear as 1 virtual/2 physical drives in the Array Manager)...? Or does the card automatically configure a RAID 1 setup through its hardware? Is mirroring possible without RAID 1?

Anyway, I am just a bit confused as to what to do. The server is currently running an entire business, so it is critical that no mistakes are made - I need to get this right the first time.

Any input or advice is much appreciated.

Thanks!

------------------------------ Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 G0 @ 3.06 GHz/1.275v - Zalman CNPS8700LED - Gigabyte GA-G31M-S2L - 4 GB A-Data DDR2 800 @ 850 MHz/5-5-5-15 - XFX Core Edition GTS 250 1GB @ 738/1836/1100 - Seagate 250 GB 7200.10 hdd - Silverstone ST400 - Vista Ult. x64
Add a reply
Sponsored Links
Register or log in to remove.
SomeJoe7777   07-01-2008 at 10:39:51 PM
- 0 +

Mirroring and RAID 1 are used here interchangeably. To set up mirrored drives, what you are doing is setting up a RAID 1.

 

You should be able to install the SCSI drives in accordance with the Dell PowerEdge 1600SC Service Manual, and then configure the RAID card in accordance with the Dell PERC 4/SC, 4/DC, 4e/DC User's Manual.

 

Note: I am not positive that your RAID controller is a PERC 4/DC. This is my best guesstimate based on the LSI card model you gave, but you will need to check your configuration to be sure.

 

You can configure the two drives into a RAID 1 configuration using either the Dell OpenManage Array Manager, or you can use the BIOS configuration utility. Both will do the same thing -- create 1 virtual drive out of the 2 physical drives.

 

Once the single virtual drive is created, you'll then create and format a partition on it using the Windows Server 2003 Disk Management tool (assuming you're running Windows Server).


Message edited by SomeJoe7777 on 07-01-2008 at 10:40:21 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
 Reply to SomeJoe7777
Ask the community Add a reply
Tom's Hardware > Forum > Storage > NAS/RAID & Technologies > Questions concerning SCSI drive array - mirroring
Go to:

There are 1155 identified and unidentified users. To see the list of identified users, Click here.

Forum map
Bestofmedia Forum ©
2000-2009 Bestofmedia Group
Page generated in 0.558 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?