RAID 5 - Cheapest way to add RAID 5 to a new server

[Garet Jax]

Guys,

I'm looking at a server like Dell's SC440 and want to add RAID 5 to it to replace my file server. What is the best and easiest way to do this? Thanks.

 

[MichaelD]

Does that server have an option for a PCI-E/PCI-X RAID HBA? That would be the easiest way.

If not, your only other option is to purchase a RAID card that supports RAID5. Of course, you have to determine what type of drives you're running. I.E. SCSI/SAS/SATA. And THEN, RAID5 requires a minimum of 3 drives; can that server/case hold at least 3 drives? I'm not familiar with the SC440 so I don't know if it's a pedestal server, 1U, 2U or whatever. If it's a rackmount it should have a backplane of some type.

My advice? If a RAID HBA/backplane is an option, get it.

 

[RebateMonger]

Originally posted by: MichaelD
Does that server have an option for a PCI-E/PCI-X RAID HBA? That would be the easiest way.

I just bought one (SC440). It's a mid-tower case with three PCI-Express slots and three PCI slots. Dell has a $200 SAS/SATA PCI-E RAID card option for it, which is the safest hardware RAID setup Dell sometimes does strange things with its server BIOSes that have, in my experience, caused incompatibilities at times with non-Dell RAID cards. There's no onboard chipset RAID support.

There's four SATA II connectors on the motherboard and one IDE connector, but only two "Dell-authorized" hard drive bays. Some folks squeeze a couple more drives into the second 5 1/4-inch bay and into the floppy bay. I've also seen a third-party adapter to mount a couple drives above the existing two hard drive bays.