Windows Server 2008 - RAID 5?

[integramodder]

Does Server 08 offer Software RAID 5? Does it support online expansion?

Is there another program that is capable of running in Server 08 that supports online expansion for RAID 5?

 

[Genx87]

It does support software raid 5 but dont know about online expansion.

 

[yinan]

Just buy a controller card that supports online expansion.

 

[integramodder]

thats a couple hundred dollars more than id like to spend

 

[yinan]

You should not be skimping "a few hundred dollars" on something that is going to be running server class software.

 

[integramodder]

If there is a software solution that is capable of doing what I need it to, then there is no need to spend the extra money on hardware creating an extra point of failure. If there is no software available, then I will be getting a raid controller card.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Originally posted by: integramodder
If there is a software solution that is capable of doing what I need it to, then there is no need to spend the extra money on hardware creating an extra point of failure. If there is no software available, then I will be getting a raid controller card.

I know "where you're comin' from" on this. I don't know how much you actually spent on the server-OS, and since Win 2000 Server -- for which I had an evaluation copy with a "crack" that had been passed around for it, I've foresworn my old habit of just buying something I wanted. MS server OS's are expensive, unless you have some "speshul dee-ul."

I've been more inclined to splurge on hardware. My last HW project included a 3Ware 9650SE 4-port RAID5 controller. You can't beat the speed of a hardware controller with its own processor/XOR engine, but it's probably not necessary, either.

 

[Nothinman]

You should not be skimping "a few hundred dollars" on something that is going to be running server class software.

Heh "server class software", is that what people use when they don't want to say enterprise since enterprise has become with "convoluted crap" these days?

I don't know if Windows software RAID does online expansion but in general I do prefer software RAID because of it's flexibility and the fact that it's not tied to one piece of hardware. You can move an array between systems, import it since Windows is weird like that, and go.