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Server plans: will this work?

Forum Storage : NAS/RAID & Technologies - Server plans: will this work?

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jadawgis732   11-12-2009 at 02:51:29 PM

My server (Optiplex gx520 running WHS 2003) has only two sata ports. I am planning on getting this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6816124017
and adding a 750GB WD Green, a 1TB WD Green and a 1.5 TB WD Green. The 750GB will have two partitions: a 250GB for OS and 500GB for storage. That would total 500GB+1TB+1.5TB=3TB for storage. I will use folder duplication to make 1.5TB effective storage with a redundancy, but if possible, I would prefer a software RAID solution using RAID 5, for 2TB effective. Which would be better? Also will I need to have a UPS to prevent outages from inducing degradation of the RAID array?


Message edited by jadawgis732 on 11-12-2009 at 02:54:15 PM
------------------------------ PII X3 720 BE @ 200x18 @ 1.488 = 3.6GHz
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Bronze Storage badge sub mesa   11-12-2009 at 03:01:42 PM

So not use fakeRAID drivers like Silicon Image / JMicron / Promise FastTrak etc. for RAID5; they suck and are terribly unreliable. In fact any RAID5 solution on Windows is not very reliable; the slightest hickup will get you with a broken array and if you do not fix that properly it might result in total data loss even with the disks themselves being 100% fine.

So if you want data security, invest in a backup. RAID can never replace the function of a backup. a UPS offers only limited protection for fragile RAID setups; a power supply failure or operating system crash may still cause corruption; and bugs in the RAID drivers also may cause havoc.

If the server uptime is important, a simple RAID1 mirror would probably be the best. Since you have three different size drives; that would be problematic unless you run a non-windows OS and can use software RAID on partitions instead of whole disks.

Maybe if you describe your situation and requirements/goals more detailed i can provide better advise.

------------------------------ ...man will occasionally stumble over the truth, but usually manages to pick himself up, walk over or around it, and carry on.
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Bronze Storage badge sub mesa   11-12-2009 at 03:03:41 PM

Also, with these fakeRAID controllers make sure that if you're going to use software RAID to leave the last sector unused; else the firmware RAID BIOS will overwrite them which can cause corruption. Simply creating a partition slightly smaller than the whole drive would fix this.

------------------------------ ...man will occasionally stumble over the truth, but usually manages to pick himself up, walk over or around it, and carry on.
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jadawgis732   11-12-2009 at 07:08:05 PM

Sub Mesa, you are the man. Okay my needs are simple, I am a simple man who wants what any guy wants- reliable storage, and ability to access it from the network. (the reason I am going with a server rather than a NAS box is because I need a PC with a 100% (or near %100) uptime to serve my magicjack, to provide telephone service. About 8 months ago I figured I'd kill two birds with one stone). I really DONT want RAID with all the problems people have on Windows systems. I'd prefer the Windows OS as I'm familiar with it, and it does provide alot of the functionality I need in an easy to locate kind of way. Here are my needs: I need about 1.8-2TB of (preferably) automatically backed up data, and a way to access that data through my home gigabit network. If you say Linux, I assume you have your reasons, and I'll take your word for it, (I remember you saying something about how much better the disk management is with Linux over windows). Just tell me your preferred method for creating a redundancy, and if you think it might be a bit too complicated for the average user give me the idiots alternative.

------------------------------ PII X3 720 BE @ 200x18 @ 1.488 = 3.6GHz
Gigabyte MA-770-UD3
4850x2 @ 685/1080
Creative X-Fi Fatal1ty Platinum
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Bronze Storage badge sub mesa   11-13-2009 at 04:01:56 PM

I understand what you want, but 100% reliable storage may not exist yet. Even ZFS, which has several unique features that can enhance reliability and requires near-zero maintenance, may not be able to provide 100% reliability; bugs may plague ZFS or your system, memory errors may cause crashes etc.

If you want maximum reliability using a ZFS system, you may want to invest in ECC memory; this is Error-Correcting-Code Memory that is a little slower, but can detect and correct memory errors which is often used in high-profile servers.

Probably the best way to have maximum reliability is to set it up the best way possible using high-quality components and then test it thoroughly.

But maximum reliability is something else than an easy-to-setup solution. You can't have both i'm afraid. A good compromise might be FreeNAS; this a non-windows OS that has ZFS support, but is fully manageable via web-interface from your windows PC. So it doesn't require any non-Windows experience to get started and should be able to setup in like 10 minutes or so.

If that's no option, and you prefer ease over reliability, i would stick to Windows and invest in a Hardware RAID card like Areca and a BBU (battery backup unit) and/or UPS (Uninterruptable Power Supply) and set it up the way you are used to.

Each solution has advantages and disadvantages; but there is simply no 'best solution' for everyone. A true Linux/BSD solution with extremely high reliability would require you invest time in it to get to know the system and test it thoroughly, while FreeNAS and Windows alternatives focus on ease rather than reliability, performance or features.

In any event, do at least a MemTest86+ run of 12+ hours, to make 100% sure your memory is solid and you have no stability errors. Your machine needs to be rock stable, if the hardware is unstable then no software can fix that.

------------------------------ ...man will occasionally stumble over the truth, but usually manages to pick himself up, walk over or around it, and carry on.
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