Raid Configurations

[junker]

Hi, this is my first time on here and am hoping I can get some help or suggestions.

My currrent machine uses two IDE HD in raid 1 so I wont lose data if one goes out. I currently got a virus that did a number on the machine and I was able to get rid of the virus but it changed enough settings everything runs slow and not all functions still work and I am going to need to reinstall the OS . Instead of doing this I am looking at building a new computer but trying to decide on how to set up the hard drive configuration.

What I would like is to run two sata drives in raid 1 for the OS and another set of sata drives in raid 1 for my data (music, photos, work). Thought behind this is that if I need to reinstall OS that I do not have to worry about my data and the reason for the raid 1 on both sets is I wont have down time if a drive fails, a little redundant but hopefully it will save me time in the long run.

First, can this be done using just MoBo? Currently looking at MSI P7N Diamond. Can it be done using raid controller (prefered method)? Which one? Are there other ways to get the same results

Thanks for all the help.

 

[Cromewell]

It can be done with any 2 RAID controllers. You need 2 because you want to have 2 different arrays.

 

[vix]

Two RAID1 arrays isn't possible using the onboard RAID on the 780i.

In order to get that working you're either going to need a separate RAID controller card or switch to an Intel motherboard using the ICH8R/ICH9R/ICH10R and Intel Matrix RAID.

A quality standalone RAID controller will set you back quite a bit of cash. If anything, replacing you motherboard would probably be your cheapest solution.

Is there any reason why you need two RAID1 arrays? With 3 drives you could possibly run RAID5, or with 4 drives you could run your OS partition in RAID0 for speed and backup everything to the RAID1 partition for data security.

 

[Cromewell]

As far as I know Matrix RAID only lets you mix raid levels on the same array of drives. For 2 seperate arrays you need seperate controllers.

 

[vix]

Intel Matrix will allow you to create multiple arrays using the onboard RAID controller.

I create a short stroked stripe array first (RAID0) using the fastest 100GB of my drives, then create a RAID5 array using the remainder of the hard drive space.

By short stroking your primary array you get incredible speed benefits, and you can still enjoy data security with a RAID1 or RAID5 array.

 

[junker]

The reason for the two raid 1 arrays would be so if either goes out it would be a simple task of replacing a drive and let it mirror to the new drive.

I could run the OS on a single drive (no raid) but want my data to be on a seperate drive (if I want to wipe the OS or get a virus I can) and want that data drive to be raid 1 for redundancy. I don't do gaming on my system so speed is secondary to redundancy.

I don't mind spending a little cash now if it saves me trying to salvage data for entire weekend later. If you know controller that will do this suggestions are welcome.

I appreciate the comments.

 

[vix]

An option to consider:

* Single drive for main partition
* RAID1 array backup
* Acronis True Image

Use a program like Acronis to create and store a "perfect" image of your main drive. If you run into problems and need to restore your drive, you have a clean image to restore your OS and programs. In my case, I installed windows, all security patches and updates, and about 100 GB worth of games, graphics editing software, etc. I made sure that EVERYTHING was running at 110%, then I created an image of it using Acronis and stored the image on my backup drive. Whenever things start to slow down, I use the restore option, and in approx 40 minutes I have a fresh windows install with drivers installed, security updates in place, and all programs running perfectly.

In cases like this I am down for 40 minutes while the drive is re imaged, but I also don't have to worry about lost or corrupted data or virus infection. A clean initial image means that a restoration will be clean too. In my case, I store multiple images of my HDD, one with a complete XP install and programs (I don't touch), and one with a complete XP install, all programs installed, and a incremental backup of new files.

 

[junker]

Awesome! Thanks for the quick reply. I have heard of Acronis before so I will look futher into it.