Need help setting up RAID array - Don't want to destroy established HD setup

rdavesrdaves
edited July 2005 in Hardware
Hello
I recently built a computer for myself. I installed two identical SATA Western Digital WD740GD Hard Drives (80 G-each). Until I learn what I am doing, I also have a Maxtor 6E040L0 [Hard drive] (41.11 GB) installed for backup. My system state and C drive are backed up on the Maxtor.

My MB is an MSI K8N Neo4 with two independent SATA controllers for 4 drives. I have been provided with a floppy disk with software for Nvidia CK804 & CK804-A2 SATA RAID Driver for Win29/XP.

My computer is currently set up with the one of the SATA disks, C drive, containing the OS and all data. The other SATA disk is currently not being used. The IDE drive, as I mentione is a backup drive with system state, software and data backed up. Additionally, I have backed up all data on CDs.

Okay, so here we go: I want to create RAID array. I think I want RAID 0 + 1. I believe that means that my HD’s will operate faster and I will have a mirror image of what is on my C drive. I have not started the process because I have a basic question: Since my C drive is populated with an OS, Software and data, will the creation of a RAID array, which will include this drive, destroy or in any way disturb the C drive?

The manual describes what I do to set up the array, but doesn’t warn me about what might happen to my data.

Once I get the RAID array setup, how does the mirroring happen? Is there some kind of program that copies my main drive to the other drive?

Thanks

Comments

  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited July 2005
    You cannot do a RAID 10 with only two drives.

    You have two options: RAID 1, which will give you 80gb of total capacity, but keep your data safe from drive failure, and RAID 0, which will give you 160gb of total capacity, and be fast, but if one of the two drives has a problem, ALL of your data is gone.

    After years of experience with RAID 0, I cannot recommend it at all. You basically double your chances of losing all your data and only gain a negligible speed increase.

    If you want to to RAID 1+0, you get the best of both worlds, but you need four drives to do it - so you will stripe two 80's into a 160gb array and then mirror that to the other 160gb array.

    No matter what you do, you have to erase everything and start from scratch - putting a drive into an array wipes all the data off of it.

    Let me repeat that: adding a drive to an array will ERASE it. Do not do this if you have any data you want to keep.

    the mirroring is handled by the hardware, and is 'invisible' to the user.
  • rdavesrdaves
    edited July 2005
    Primesuspect
    Thank you for the quick and informative reply.
    Let me ask a couple more questions:
    1.) I have backed up My C drive. If I establish a RAID array, can I restore all that stuff and have everything back, or do I have to treat the situation like a brand new thing and reinstall all software and data?
    2.) I only want to create this RAID to protect my data. It is mostly pictures, spreadsheets, Power Point presentations, Word Processing stuff, downloaded executables. I have a backup routine that works just fine, albeit slowly. Do I really want RAID?
  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited July 2005
    If you already have a reliable backup routine, then I would not waste my time or energy with a raid array. That's my personal opinion.

    If you do decide to go ahead with an array, you will need to reinstall. Restoring a backup won't quite cut it.
  • rdavesrdaves
    edited July 2005
    How about a software RAID array? I was talking to a techie today that was repairing a server in the Resort where I am and he mentioned a Windows XP RAID tool. Can you tell me anything about this?
  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited July 2005
    It's the same thing, but windows can't be on the array by virtue of the fact that you need to format the drives from windows. If you have three drives, one with windows on it, and two identical drives, you can create the array from within windows on the two (or more) drives.

    This is good for fileservers, since actually a windows RAID performs slightly higher than the "soft" hardware raid controllers like cheap onboard raid controllers or low budget promise cards. Only the high end caching raid controllers with their own onboard processor and memory are true performance machines.
  • TexTex Dallas/Ft. Worth
    edited July 2005
    The problem with raid-1 is it only protects from one thing. Total drive loss of a single drive. You STILL need to backup. What if a virus attacks your drive? It kills both. What if you accidently delete something? Gone from both. Your partition table gets messed up? The drives are being mirrorred so most anything that kills data on one also kills the mirror drives data also. Only a full hard drive crash is protected.

    Raid-1 was meant for buisness's that have to be up 24/7 and couldnt afford the time to reload a drive from a backup and have downtown when a drive crashed. BUT THEY STILL HAVE TO BACKUP DAILY for the multitude of other ways to fubar your data and filesystems. raid-1 does not mean you do not have to backup regularly anyway.

    You REALLY should reconsider based on your requirements and use your second drive to backup to regularly and not do raid at all. It gives you a false sense of security. It is very good at the specific thing its meant to solve. But its not meant to keep you from backing up all your critical data either.

    Tex
  • rdavesrdaves
    edited July 2005
    Tex and PrimeSuspect
    Thank you, very much, for your timely and authoritative input. It appears that RAID is not for me. I shall move on.
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