Can you change OS and retain data on software raid-5 disks?

[dubcat]

Hi,

I have a 250gb drive I will install an OS on, probably Ubunutu Server. I have 3 x 2TB drives I want to create a software raid-5 array out of and use XFS files system on. I would like to know if I can change the OS on the 250gb drive at a later date in time to another OS that supports software raid-5 and XFS and retain all the data on my 3 x 2TB drives.

The specific example here is going from ubuntu server to freeNAS. Both support software raid-5. Both support xfs. If I switch OS will all my data still be accessible on those data drives?

Thanks,
Dub

 

[dubcat]

Software Raid-5 on 6tb isn't particularly clever either, if a drive dies you will be forever rebuilding that.

Hi mate - what would you recommend instead of raid5 then? I have 3x2tb drives. I know if i get 4 drives i can run raid6. Would that be better? What about until then though? What alternative to raid5 under ubuntu server?

Thanks to the other folks too for your replies. I feel better that I am not locked in to one distribution. Reality is I would probably switch from ubuntu server to openmediavault rather than freenas if it all got a bit too much for me. Openmediavault is debian based too.

Now I got my head scratching about what Raid to use.

 

[dubcat]

I know what you mean. My plan is to use my current nas (2 x 1TB mirrored) to store my really important data in a resilient fashion. This basically mean turning it in to a time machine for my Mac's internal 1TB hard drive. Now since it is a time machine i can't see what the point of having a mirror there is. I may well turn the mirror in to 2TB total storage and use it to backup my laptop too as well as my parents pc (via rsync or something). I will have that local backup and then will at some point sort out an offsite backup too (either via rsync to my parents house or using crashplan, mozy or something like that).

The server I am building now is for my itunes folder plus lots of HD movies which I stream to my TV. Would not be the end of the world if i lost them but would be nice to be able to recover using Raid. If the machine was out for a while it would not kill me. Am thinking of a hardware raid controller but if I can get away with it in software I will do so.