is there a way to...

Dr Studly · 03-07-2006, 05:27 PM

is there a way to do the opposit of partition?
like instead of split a harddrive up, is there a way to take like 2 harddrives, and make the pc think it is one harddrive?

suprasteve · 03-07-2006, 05:30 PM

I don't think you can do that with two drives, why would you want to anyways? You can combine partitions on the same drive though, I think you need a program like Partition Magic to do it though.
EDIT: I guess you could think about raid in this way, but that's really not your question I don't think

**apj101** · 03-07-2006, 05:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Encore4More

is there a way to do the opposit of partition?
like instead of split a harddrive up, is there a way to take like 2 harddrives, and make the pc think it is one harddrive?

that would be raid 0; read
RAID 101

jcnoernberg · 03-07-2006, 07:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by suprasteve

why would you want to anyways?

for fast data access. for instance, the servers i configure are for ct scanners, and incorporate anywhere from 2 to 12 137GB SCSI drives in a RAID-0 configuration. This allows the data to be simulataneously written to all the drives at once... which allows them to go much faster. It also allows for a LOT of data storage. One of the negative features is that if one drive fails, you lose everything. This is why RAID-0 is not for storage applications, just mass data acquisition. our images are transfered off of the array automatically after the scan.

You should look into RAID-1 which will "mirror" the data on multiple drives. So, you will have a lot of storage that will be very safe if one drive craps out on you. This is the configuration a server would have for reliability.

There are many variations, including RAID-0+1 which will be a mix of both examples above.

**Praetor** · 03-07-2006, 07:19 PM

Quote:

and incorporate anywhere from 2 to 12 137GB SCSI drives in a RAID-0 configuration.

If you're using 12 SCSI drives in RAID0 ... what kinda data rates are you requiring such that RAID5 wont suffice?

Dr Studly · 03-07-2006, 07:25 PM

the reason i am doing this is cus i have 1 big harddrive and one really small harddrive... (like 6GB) and it is pointless to use it and store anything of mine on it... i like all of my documents in one place...

does anyone get what i am saying?

**Praetor** · 03-07-2006, 07:43 PM

So you know, when you "merge" two drives like that, you real-world speed wont be much faster than the slower of the drives

jcnoernberg · 03-07-2006, 07:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Praetor

If you're using 12 SCSI drives in RAID0 ... what kinda data rates are you requiring such that RAID5 wont suffice?

It's not "me" its my employer who makes the rules. RAID5 would probably be a better choice, but the wheels can move mighty slow on a global business. the speed is crucial but the high capacity is needed as well.

jcnoernberg · 03-07-2006, 07:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Encore4More

the reason i am doing this is cus i have 1 big harddrive and one really small harddrive... (like 6GB) and it is pointless to use it and store anything of mine on it... i like all of my documents in one place...

does anyone get what i am saying?

It is best to use RAID only when the models are identical, so you get uniform performance. The array is only as fast as its weakest link, err, slowest hard drive.

Why don't you put your OS on the 6GB and use the seperate drive for your program files. You will get a slight boost in performance that way.

**Praetor** · 03-07-2006, 08:13 PM

Quote:

It's not "me" its my employer who makes the rules. RAID5 would probably be a better choice, but the wheels can move mighty slow on a global business. the speed is crucial but the high capacity is needed as well.

Yeah i know not you personally i mean you as in the company you're working for.

Quote:

Why don't you put your OS on the 6GB and use the seperate drive for your program files. You will get a slight boost in performance that way.

Arguable: firing up those applications will cause access to registry ... which will be on the 6GB (slow) drive. I would use the 120GB as a primary drive and the 6GB as a dedicated swap drive + "temp space" or for stuff that doesnt need bandwidth like data files (unless you're data ois like raaaaaaaaw data heh, i mean documents and stuff)

03-07-2006, 05:27 PM	#1 (permalink)
Dr Studly banned Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Hales Corners Wisconson Age: 17 Posts: 2,435	is there a way to... is there a way to do the opposit of partition? like instead of split a harddrive up, is there a way to take like 2 harddrives, and make the pc think it is one harddrive?

03-07-2006, 07:43 PM	#7 (permalink)
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03-07-2006, 05:30 PM	#2 (permalink)
suprasteve Diamond Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Atlanta Posts: 1,355	I don't think you can do that with two drives, why would you want to anyways? You can combine partitions on the same drive though, I think you need a program like Partition Magic to do it though. EDIT: I guess you could think about raid in this way, but that's really not your question I don't think

03-07-2006, 07:25 PM	#6 (permalink)
Dr Studly banned Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Hales Corners Wisconson Age: 17 Posts: 2,435	the reason i am doing this is cus i have 1 big harddrive and one really small harddrive... (like 6GB) and it is pointless to use it and store anything of mine on it... i like all of my documents in one place... does anyone get what i am saying?