RAID help needed for a newbie RAIDER!!!

[GCS]

Can someone post a link to a good place for step by step RAID setup??

I specifically have a major question.

I am setting up a RAID array with 2 60gb Maxtors. One is brand new (unformated and unpartioned). The other is my current main operating drive. Am I going to lose all my data on that main drive to do this???

Should i just pick up another 60 and start with 2 blank drives and setup the RAID and then drive image each drive over to the new setup??

Or would it be best to backup all the drives with my 50gb tape backup unit then wipe out the drive and then setup the RAID and restore the data???

help me out here folks, I am looking for some system performing boost and 120gb of RAID lovin'!!

Thanks in advance

Greg

 

[JaiKnight]

Not quite sure, need some backup (or disagreement) on this one, but it's probably best if you backup the data to the Tape drive, make the RAID array, then restore the data to the array. If you try to make the RAID array on top of the current data I'm pretty sure it'll wipe all the data. Try searching this forum for RAID, there are tons of question about RAID and I think one of them may have a link to a tutorial, sorry can't be of any more help with the links!

 

[Ben]

I know that in SCSI RAID, you would loose any data that was on the hard drive.

Not positive about IDE RAID though.

 

[Dark4ng3l]

im pretty sure you will lose all the data since in raid the data is divided between the 2 drives.

 

[RyogaHibiki]

I've got a raid question myself. Does it matter if the 2 drives are set as a master and slave, or should they both be masters on two separate connections. Both drives are exactly the same.

Thanks!

 

[JaiKnight]

You should probably set them both as master on their own channels. Remember that it's still IDE so if you have one slaved to another on the same channel you'll be losing the performance that RAID will give you since it can only communicate with one drive at a time.

 

[RyogaHibiki]

Thanks JaiKnight, that's pretty much what I thought. I was just hoping I could get away with using less cables.