Thinking of creating a RAID-5 array

[dj4005]

I am considering creating a 10-TB array using a ASUS P7P55D-E LX motherboard using a half dozen 2-TB drives. This will be to store and stream videos, so super-high performance is not a necessity. I would rather not use NAS as I have other applications for this computer.

The question becomes, should the mobo die, what are my options as far as keeping the array intact? Must I replace it with an exact replacement? Or will I just have to stay within the same chipset family?

All this said (and from survivability POV) would I be better off with a dedicated RAID controller?

I would appreciate any points of view and advice, especially from anyone doing the same sort of thing.

Thanks!

 

[trollolo]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96dWOEa4Djs

did someone say RAID?

 

[ethebubbeth]

I would not recommend RAID-5 for that array size:
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/storage/why-raid-5-stops-working-in-2009/162

I went with RAID-Z for my NAS for this very reason (4x 3tb drives).

From the ZFS FAQ:
RAID-Z utilizes the ZFS checksum mechanisms to prove the integrity of the data before handing it back to the applications. In the event of detecting corrupted data, the RAID-Z logic can combine checksums with the parity information to to not only return the correct data, but also to determine the corrupted data and correct it. This combinatorial reconstruction is impossible with RAID-5. It is a feature unique to ZFS stemming from the fact that both traditional filesystem and volume manager functionality has been integrated into a more intelligent whole

 

[greenhawk]

if using pure software raid 5, then if the motherboard dies, no issue.

If using the motherboard based raid, then you will need a similar chipset to be able to access the data on the drives (without going down the data recovery path).

A side note that is worth checking on that board is how many drives it can have in the raid array. A lot of chipsets only have 4 sata ports per controller, so motherboard raid is limited to that cap of 4 drives. With 2TB and raid 5, that makes only a 6TB drive for use. Not the 10TB you are looking for.

as a rule of thumb, 6 drives (for a 10TB drive) is getting on the high side for raid 5 and data protection, best be looking at raid 6 at that level, at which point, getting a good name brand hardware raid controller is advisable for data integrity.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Raid 5 is fine, but don't use onboard raid crap. You are better off using linux md raid or equivalent. The more drives you have, the better the performance. Once you hit like 8 drives you should be looking at raid 6. Either way, always have good backups. For my raid array at home, it takes about 3 hours to do a rebuild. 5 1TB drives.

ZFS also sounds good from what I read, but I don't know much about it, never tried it.