Network storage/backup solutions - Page 2

IronWolf · #16 19th December 2005, 01:45 PM

Provided you have the software RAID configured correctly, yes you can lose a drive out of a mirrored pair and still be okay.

mndar · #17 19th December 2005, 04:13 PM

The two most important points that you mentioned

The SATA Raid controllers I have run into have been handled with a "special driver" in order to deliver RAID. So they are really doing it through a driver and not a real hardware card. Some people call this Fake RAID or FRAID.

Provided you have the software RAID configured correctly, yes you can lose a drive out of a mirrored pair and still be okay.

These are the ones I need to look out for. How do I tell if the RAID controller provided with the server is not FRAID and is a true hardware RAID ? I am definetly not going to go for a software RAID , mainly because of the fear that someone might misconfigure the system.

Another thing I need to confirm is this
As you have mentioned, if one of the drive goes bad, the system remains usable. Now, if we plugin in a new drive, will the data be written to it automatically ?

IronWolf · #18 19th December 2005, 05:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mndar

These are the ones I need to look out for. How do I tell if the RAID controller provided with the server is not FRAID and is a true hardware RAID ? I am definetly not going to go for a software RAID , mainly because of the fear that someone might misconfigure the system.

I am not 100% sure of an easy way to tell. Be wary of ones that require "special" drivers and also check google to see what other folks experiences have been with a certain controller. You can probably pick up some info from there. I believe 3ware makes some true hardware RAID controllers for SATA drives, perhaps someone else from the forums can chip in on this topic.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mndar

As you have mentioned, if one of the drive goes bad, the system remains usable. Now, if we plugin in a new drive, will the data be written to it automatically ?

I know on my HP servers I just hotswap in a replacement drive and the RAID array is rebuilt automatically.

mndar · #19 20th December 2005, 12:45 AM

The server that I am thinking about right now comes with a RAID-0, RAID-1 controller. Unfortunately that server is not listed on the HP website. So, I can't tell you the technical details. As soon as I get those, I'll get back to you.

Quote:

I know on my HP servers I just hotswap in a replacement drive and the RAID array is rebuilt automatically.

Is this true for software RAID too ?

mmaster · #20 20th December 2005, 02:12 PM

my two cents, for what its worth...

I've been a system/server/network admin for darn near 10 years. If your butt is on the line if something goes wrong, you really really want a hardware raid card (I prefer scsi) and at least 3 hard drives (raid 5 is my preferred configuration). I would tend to concur with the LTO2/3 idea. The raid card you buy may be able to support whatever tape drive you end up with, so it may be a good purchase even if it costs more than you originally thought of spending.

Ironwolf said:

Quote:

I have it running on one of my servers where the decision was made not to spend a large amount of money (of course now the server is a little more important than originally intended....).

This happens more often than you intend. "I'm just gonna set up a little machine and if it dies, no big deal" often turns into "Hey this box is only doing ThingX, we can put SoftwareY on it too!" which in turn leads to "What do you mean the box is down? We rely on it for crucial business Stuff(tm)".

Plan now for the box to be more important to you later. Spend the extra bucks on good quality hardware and plan for the worst now. Odds are good that it'll save you heartache later. If the powers that be truly won't let you go the extra cash, make sure you get yerself an email or some written record of your recommendations and their decisions. Bosses tend to be very forgetful that they specifically instructed you to save $500 six months ago when something goes wrong. Trust me. I may be cynical, but I've earned it.

IronWolf · #21 20th December 2005, 06:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mmaster

I've been a system/server/network admin for darn near 10 years. If your butt is on the line if something goes wrong, you really really want a hardware raid card (I prefer scsi) and at least 3 hard drives (raid 5 is my preferred configuration).

I agree 100% with the hardware RAID over software RAID. It just makes life much, much easier in the long run.

mndar · #22 20th December 2005, 07:56 PM

I confirmed with the owner of the firm. He needs a file server for data backup and nothing else, not now and never in the future. Also being a law firm that data backup requirement is not much. So Tapes are not required. Ofcourse this doesn't required a Xeon or Opetron system. An entry level server is more than sufficient. The server most suitable for this application was a HP Proliant ML110G2 (390721-371) . Unfortunately this part number is not present on the HP website but I'll summarize the configuration below

Intel 3.0GHz HT (EM 64) (1MB cache)
Intel E7221 chipset
256MB ECC DDR RAM
80GB SATA (non-hotplug)
RAID 0 and RAID 1 controller
1xPCI , 2 x PCI-X slots
DVD writer
The RAM ofcourse will be upgraded to 512MB and another 80GB hard drive will be used to setup RAID 1.

This being an entry level server, I think the RAID must be FRAID as IronWolf mentioned. Although, HP customer support calls it a True RAID controller they say that a driver from HP will be required. I hope you guys can clarify this. How do I tell if this is a True RAID controller ?
Whatever it is, this should allow a fully functional server in case one of the hard drive fails. Also, the Array will be built as soon as a new hard drive is put in place whether or not it is true RAID or FRAID

About the DVD writer, is it worth going for one with DVD RAM support ? Many companies including HP do not have DVD burners supporting DVD RAM.

IronWolf · #23 20th December 2005, 08:51 PM

Okay, from the Chipset link it looks like it is using the ICHR6 I/O Controller. Looking a bit more on Intel's site finds this seeming to indicate the RAID is handled by the BIOS of the chip and needs the special driver to work with it. This FAQ also lists the ICH6 as software RAID. So it looks to me that this is a fake RAID setup. With that said though, I try to deal with true hardware RAID, so perhaps I am missing something - if so someone feel free to correct me.

As far as the backups go, ask the owner of the firm what he will do if the office is destroyed by fire, flood or <insert natural disaster>. All the data that was backed up on that server will also be gone unless there is an offsite location for backups as well. This is where tape comes in real handy. Make a backup to tape and take it offsite for secure storage.

sergio.morales · #24 23rd July 2007, 05:12 PM

Were either of you able to get the drivers for Fedora for LTO2? I can't seem to be able to get my SCSI LTO2 tape drive to work?

sERGE