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#1 2009-12-13 08:27:32

tony5429
Member
Registered: 2006-03-28
Posts: 1,017

RAID Array Question

So I've never worked with a RAID array before and I am about to start building a server which will need several TB of storage space so I believe I will need to use a RAID array. If I were to purchase the RAID controller below and install Arch64 on the machine, would Arch simply see my whole RAID array as one big hard drive, like... /dev/sda?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a … 6816116042

Thanks in advance!

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#2 2009-12-13 12:38:34

karol
Archivist
Registered: 2009-05-06
Posts: 25,440

Re: RAID Array Question

There're different kinds of RAID configurations, there's also software RAID, you may want to take a look at ZFS (though it's for FreeBSD not for Arch).

Last edited by karol (2009-12-13 13:07:07)

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#3 2009-12-13 16:46:44

Carlwill
Member
From: Orlando, FL
Registered: 2008-10-06
Posts: 560
Website

Re: RAID Array Question

Why buy a card to do something Linux can do nativity? When you build a Linux system from scratch, you can configure 'Software RAID' straight in the OS. If you use the card linked above, you can't even monitor the health of the RAID system. If you do 'Software RAID', you can run 'mdadm' commands to constantly monitor the heatlth status of your disks and when it breaks, it easier to fix IMO. I would first do 'Software RAID' to understand how RAID and Linux work and also save a bunch of case on a card you don't need.

The debate for hardware RAID -vs- Software RAID is on going...you need to decide what works best for you!


./

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#4 2009-12-13 21:32:44

tony5429
Member
Registered: 2006-03-28
Posts: 1,017

Re: RAID Array Question

Thanks for all the feedback!

karol: yeah, I had been looking at using four 1-TB 7200-RPM SATA II 3 GB/s drives in a RAID 5 configuration for an equivalent 3-TB drive with built-in redundancy.

Carlwill: Interesting points made for software RAID. My only big concern is that I'd like to be able to delegate the redundancy/parity processing work to a RAID controller so the processor itself doesn't have to deal with it (actually the processor will be quite busy doing multi-core video processing).

So...if I were to get the controller above (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a … 6816116042) and connect 4 1 TB drives to it in a RAID 5 configuration, and boot into Arch64, would Arch simply see one 3 TB /dev/sda? Or would I have to load separate drivers for it or something?

Last edited by tony5429 (2009-12-13 21:33:31)

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#5 2009-12-13 23:04:48

fukawi2
Ex-Administratorino
From: .vic.au
Registered: 2007-09-28
Posts: 6,217
Website

Re: RAID Array Question

You may have to load kernel drivers for it, but it will appear as a single large drive. A dedicated RAID card places an abstraction layer between the O/S and the physical hard drives so the O/S isn't even aware there are multiple drives - the RAID controller will present them as a single entity.

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#6 2009-12-14 04:26:30

tony5429
Member
Registered: 2006-03-28
Posts: 1,017

Re: RAID Array Question

Awesome; so if I did have to "load kernel drivers for it", how would I do that exactly? (sorry for my ignorance; I'm new to this idea)

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#7 2009-12-14 04:54:30

fukawi2
Ex-Administratorino
From: .vic.au
Registered: 2007-09-28
Posts: 6,217
Website

Re: RAID Array Question

udev should do it automagically for you smile

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#8 2009-12-14 07:06:35

tony5429
Member
Registered: 2006-03-28
Posts: 1,017

Re: RAID Array Question

Cool! Thanks again everyone!

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