Raid 1 set up

Gilbretto · 9 Nov 2009 at 02:25

I've never messed around with Raid set ups before, but after thinking about the best way to back up data, it seems a raid 1 set up is the logical way to go.

As far as i'm aware (please correct me if i'm wrong), a RAID 1 set up uses 2 identical HD's and everything is mirrored between to 2, so they contain exactly the same data as each other.

Great, so if one HD fails, it matters not, because the same data is on the other HD.

So...

If one HD fails, how easy is it to replace that HD, copy the existing data to the new HD, and continue with the RAID 1 set up?

And finally...

Can anyone recommend a good pair of HD's to use in a RAID 1 set up? I'm thinking 500-640GB.

Hope you can help. Thanks,

Gil.

Saundie · 9 Nov 2009 at 06:34

In a RAID1 array, if you replace a failed disk the controller will rebuild the array for you, there's nothing you have to do manually. RAID is not a replacement for backups, though it's good to know that a single drive failure won't take all your data with it.

As for the drives, I doubt it matters too much as long as they're identical. I'd personally go for a pair of Samsung Spinpoint F3 500GBs, but I am sure others will give differing views.

rpstewart · 9 Nov 2009 at 09:24

One tip - make sure you mark the drives/cables so that you can tell which drive is which. Rebuilding is only simple if you know which drive you need to remove!

Admiral Huddy · 9 Nov 2009 at 09:29

Saundie said:
RAID is not a replacement for backups, though it's good to know that a single drive failure won't take all your data with it.

This is good advice.

RAID-1 is good for first line failure but don't dismiss off storage backups.

Gilbretto · 9 Nov 2009 at 15:53

Ok, thanks for the replies.

How easy is it to set something like this up then?

neil_g · 9 Nov 2009 at 15:59

Admiral Huddy said:
This is good advice.

RAID-1 is good for first line failure but don't dismiss off storage backups.

agreed. ive had raid controllers fail on more than one occasion (server level, not budget items) where all data on the drives has been unrecoverable. mirrored or not you should have a backup in place.

Saundie · 9 Nov 2009 at 17:47

Gilbretto said:
Ok, thanks for the replies.

How easy is it to set something like this up then?

It depends on whether your want to go for hardware RAID or software RAID.

If you want to use the RAID features of your motherboard you will need to enable them in the BIOS first, which usually means changing the SATA mode from IDE/AHCI to RAID. You'll then see an extra prompt after the POST has completed to gain access to the RAID controller settings - it's usually something like CTRL + I for Intel controllers, CTRL + A for Adaptec controllers etc. Once in the settings you can configure a new array, select RAID0 as the type and add both the drives to the array.

If you want to go for software RAID, assuming you're using Windows, you need to go into Disk Management (run diskmgmt.msc). You'll see your two empty drives and it'll probably prompt you to initiallise the disks. Once this is done, you'll need to convert both drives to Dynamic (right click them and select "Convert to Dynamic Disk..."). Finaly, you need to right click the empty space in one of the drives, click New Mirrored Volume and follow the wizard - it's self explanatory after this point. The last step may be different in XP/2003 - it's been years since I've seen it so I can't remember now.