I am new to RAID. Need some1 to answer some of my questions please. thanks.

[cysklement]

1. Does configuring raid will make me lose all my data?
2. Does configuring raid will corrupt my pc?
3. DO i need at least two harddisk to configure raid?
4. What if I only have one harddisk and partition into 2 drives. Can I configure raid?
5. Do I need to install operating system first before I can configure raid?
7. Do i need to install operating system if I want to configure hardware raid?
8. Can I setup Raid after I install my operating system?
9. Do I need drivers for hardware Raid?
10.DO I need drivers to setup software raid?
11.Is there any drivers for raid?
12.Every PC has different Graphic cards. However, if i want to configure raid, are they the same way of doing it?
13.Is it the same way of configuring raid if the hard drive is either sata or ide?
14.What Do I need if i want to configure hardware raid?
15. What do I need if I want to configure software raid?



thanks.

 

[Cromewell]

1. Maybe. Depends on the raid level. 1 is just a mirror of your existing data. Striping you will have to format.
2. Not on it's own. Something else would have to happen.
3. Yes.
4. No.
5. Assuming you are installing to the array, after the raid is done. Except raid1. If you are just making a secondary array it can be before. (for software RAID the OS has to be installed, it's what's doing the software part)
7. See previous.
8. Yes, see 5.
9. es and no. You need them to install the OS to the array.
10. The OS handles it.
11. Yes. The controller's manufacturer will provide them.
12. I don't understand the question.
13. It all depends on what interface your RAID controller supports. Each controller will have it's own setup program to build an array.
14. A hardware RAID controller and some hard drives.
15. An operating system installed that supports software RAID and some hard drives.

For the purpose of these questions I've assumed any RAID card is a hardware RAID controller. However, sometimes a RAID card is just a processor with some firmware to allow it to make a RAID which is technically software.