Help setting up a Raid 1 Array (basics)

div0

div0

div0

Soldato
Joined
12 Jan 2006
Posts
4,568
Location
Edinburgh
I've been looking through the guide on this forum and various other sites (via google searches) and I'm struggling to find information on what I'm hoping to do.

I currently have 3 SATA drives installed on my Asus P4C800 Deluxe motherboard.

Any day now I am planning on installing a FOURTH SATA drive when my new Raptor 150 arrives.

My Asus P4C800 Deluxe motherboard has 4 SATA ports, 2 of which (SATA1 and SATA2) are on the Intel controller (I think). And the other 2 (SATA_RAID1 and SATA_RAID2) are on the Promise controller.

I'm planning on installing the Raptor 150 on the SATA1 slot and installing XP. Then with a bit of "juggling" of files I hope to be able to install my 2 Seagate 7200.7 drives in a Raid 1 configuration.

My questions about this are:

1) Presumably the 2 Seagates should be installed on the SATA_RAID1 and SATA_RAID2 ports?

2) How exactly is Raid "initiated"? Do you do it through the bios? Or can it be done through windows?

3) Do the drives have to be empty (formatted) when you set up the raid array? Presumably you cant have data on both - because one must overwrite the other when the "mirroring" is done. The whole reason for setting up this raid array is to reduce the chances of losing data - I'd hate to go and lose it all while setting the array up!!!

4) Is there a "best" or "recommended" way of setting up the array - seeing as the operating system (XP) will NOT be on the raid array?

Sorry for the long post and lots of questions - I've never done this before and don't know anyone who has. And most of the stuff I've been able to find on setting up raid arrays, has been to do with the pro's / con's and definitions of each type - rather than HOW to do it.

Hopefully someone will be able to bring me into the light :)
 
1) They should be on the same controller yes so if it is SATA 1 and SATA 2 then that is what you want.

2) Most Raid controllers have a form of second 'bios' that you get into during the boot up menu, you need to make sure that Raid is enabled in the ordinary bios then usually you have to press a couple of keys to get into the Raid bios(on my Promise Fastrak controller it was "ctrl + f") from there you select the type of Raid array that you want.

3) It shouldn't matter whether you have data on them or not, setting them up in Raid will wipe whatever is on the drives right now. Before you combine them it will tell you that they will be wiped.

4) Not that I know of in this instance, I'd disconnect your other drives while initiating the Raid array though just to be on the safe side :)
 
As a matter of interest,

If you set up your Raptor 150 first, and load windows onto it...

Most manufacturers supply a RAID utility that you can install. You can use this to set up your RAID. Its normally a little friendlier than doing it through the BIOS type setup.

M
 
Thanks guys, the drive arrived today.

I'll probably do the "hard" (time consuming) bit of installing XP and the new drive and then "juggling" all my files around.

Once everything is setup, I'll make sure that everything I want to keep is copied onto the Raptor and Maxtor drives - then I'll have a go a Raid 1 on the Seagates.

I take it once the drives are configured in the raid array - it is just a simple matter of copying the desired files onto the "drive"?? ("Drive" being that the two physical disks will show up as one "drive" in XP?!?!?!)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom