Desktop Raid 1 Questions

[AgaBoogaBoo]

I'm considering getting 2x 250GB WD 16MB drives to use in a Raid 1 array using the Raid 1 capabilities on my Asus P4P800 Deluxe had a few questions that I'd appreciate if someone could shed some light on.

1. If 1 fails, what program do I use so that everything is synchronized when I get a replacement for it? I haven't really looked at how this is going to work yet and so need some advice if I'm being stupid by using the onboard raid capabilities.

2. Related to the end of #1, any reason to not use onboard raid? What if I upgrade my system in the future and don't get something with the same raid module, what happens in this case?

3. Is there any software based solution so that I can maybe just get a single 250GB drive that is split up into 2 or 3 partitions and back one of them up to a seperate drive? I have a 120GB drive and could make a 110GB partition or something on the 250GB drive to keep it in sync with. This software would maybe on a weekly basis copy everything over to the 120GB drive entirely.

My main goal is to not be in a situation where I have lost my day to day files. I need to avoid a situation like that as much as possible.

Thanks!

 

[Blain]

1. It should rebuild itself after the bad drive is replaced.
2. It wouldn't be a bad idea to use RAID card.
3. PartitionMagic Version (latest), will cut a drive up as many ways as you want.


"My main goal is to not be in a situation where I have lost my day to day files. I need to avoid a situation like that as much as possible."
* RAID 1 takes care of a drive failure.
* Periodic backups to a 3rd HD or USB drive would give you more insurance.

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

Ok, thanks, I've used Partition Magic in the past, however what about keeping 2 partitions in synchronization? If I don't go Raid 1, this is what I'd do so that if one drive fails I just boot from another drive's partition.

 

[Blain]

Instead of RAID 1 you could clone your HD to a 2nd overnight.

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

Excellent, that's just what I need to do, what's the easiest way to do that?

Thanks for your help with this :beer:

 

[Blain]

I've always read that it's hard to beat Acronis True Image.

 

[corkyg]

Agree with Blain about TrueImage. However! The creation of a RAID 1 array will eventually require imaging by the RAID BIOS program if the array has been changed.

Example, if one drive of a RAID 1 array dies, you still have the other - but the array has to change to a RAID 0. You can't have a single drive RAID 1 array.

So, when you replace the bad drive, it will have to be imaged by the RAID BIOS program to reform the RAID 1 array. I just went through that. For a safeguard, I did use TrueImage to clone the good drive to the new drive. But - the RAID BIOS program would not accept it as a good image - so I had to let it re-image the good drive. It just took another 45 minutes. No biggie.

Using TI is a good hedge bet.

 

[nombrecinq]

I have onboard RAID 1 with a DFI Ultra-D Lanparty. Works great, I feel good that one of them could die and I'd be okay. Hopefully I'll never have to deal with replacing a drive, but no biggie if I have to. Onboard is cheap and easy and integrated, no reason to go with a RAID card unless you want a large array.

 

[Madwand1]

This is essentially a backup question, and "RAID is not a backup". An external drive with an manual or scheduled backup process would be superior in reliability.

http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview...atid=27&threadid=1907963&enterthread=y

 

[corkyg]

Originally posted by: nombrecinq

Onboard is cheap and easy and integrated, no reason to go with a RAID card unless you want a large array.[/quote] Not always true. Two weeks ago, I was moving cables from one PATA drive to another, and one of the SATA cables pulled off (they are very stiff) and pulled the plastic pin carrier off of the mobo with the SATA connector.

I had to disconnect everything and move the system to a work surface to try and slip the plastic SATA receptacle back over the delicate, flat pins. Well, in the process, one of those pins broke off.

So, that left me with one SATA port on the mobo. The fix was to disable it and add a a PCI card. Worked perfectly - but in rebuilding the RAID 1 array, the new controller had to re-image SATA 1 to SATA 2. All that meant was about 45 minutes. After that - back in business.

Madwand1 - that is not exactly correct. RAID 1 provides a constant two drive array - each the mirror of the other, and any time, either drive will work as a single. I don't know how you define "backup," but to me, a constant duplicate drive is a 100% backup.

Your external solution is good, but not as reliable because it is not continuous, 100%, all of the time. A mirrored RAID 1 drive is. The assertion that a corruption on one is mirrored onto the other is correct. My usage of RAID 1 is not for the OS/boot drive - but solely as a data drive, and the chances of such a corruption having any effect on the system is quite remote.

But - rest easy - I also keep a weekly separate cloned reserve drive of each drive used in the system. Planned redundancy is my thing.

 

[spike spiegal]

This is essentially a backup question, and "RAID is not a backup".

That's a good point, and it's true. With a RAID 1, garbage, Malware, Trojans and MBR errors get politley written to both drives

I now use 3 drives in my critical desktops. OS on one, data on another, and the last drive gets a live image of the main drive via Paragon (Acronis can do the same trick), and a data backup of drive two.

 

[corkyg]

Originally posted by: spike spiegal

That's a good point, and it's true. With a RAID 1, garbage, Malware, Trojans and MBR errors get politley written to both drives.

Yes it is. However, those things just don't get written to a data only drive, and besides, that's what ZA and Windows Defender are on duty for.

For my OS drive, I regularly clone it with Acronis TI 9.

Generalizations are nearly always false.

 

[Madwand1]

Originally posted by: corkyg
Madwand1 - that is not exactly correct. RAID 1 provides a constant two drive array - each the mirror of the other, and any time, either drive will work as a single. I don't know how you define "backup," but to me, a constant duplicate drive is a 100% backup.

That's called mirroring, ok, not backup. A backup is something that can be taken offline, moved to another site, put in a vault, etc. A live mirror is none of that. The backup protects you from a number of additional failure points beyond mirroring, and to do this it by definition has to give up the fully-live state.

There's nothing that says you can't do both mirroring & backup. The mirroring will protect you from a single drive HW failure. The backup will protect you from that and many other things, though with a loss of any data changes from the point of the backup obviously. Given a choice between just mirroring and just backup, I'd take the just backup (regardless of what any clown says

 

[corkyg]

Now you are playing semantic games. Mirroring creates a duplicate drive. Cloning creates a duplicate drive. A duplicate is a duplicate.

Backup is a generic term of broader context. It simply means you have the data available somewhere else. It can even be off line.

I don't disagree with you at all. This afternoon I cloned my OS drive. It is 100% backed up as of two hours ago. On the otherhand, my data drives are 100% backed up as of any point in time, thanks to mirroring.

A combination approach is the best. But never say that a mirrored drive is not backed up. It is - totally - 100%. Unless you start playing word games.

Thanks for the pilot light.