Software Raid0

[oshta]

Hi, i was wondering if it where possable to do a "raid1" kind of thing with software

- just get two HDDs to copy each other, without a raid card


daniel

[oshta]

[bump]

[Nox]

Yep if you plan on installing linux infact it pretty much does it for you. Not really too sure on the result though as my software raid had a boot partition, then two different sized main partitions when I did it the other day.

Nox

[nichomach]

If you want an identical copy of one disk on another, that's not RAID0 (striping without parity), that's RAID1 (mirroring), and unfortunately it's only available (as is RAID5, striping with parity) in the Microsoft world on Windows Server OSes. None of the desktop variants provide fault tolerance in the same way. Sorry.

[Nox]

you can pick up cheap PATA raid cards now if you wan to use windows these days anyway. (i'm assuming you have PATA drives?)

Nox

[oshta]

If you want an identical copy of one disk on another, that's RAID1
- only available in the Microsoft world on Windows Server OSes.

Yes sorry, raid1.
- Also, it on a server, runnign win2k AS.

you can pick up cheap PATA raid cards now if you wan to use windows these days anyway. (i'm assuming you have PATA drives?)

- Yeah, i might look into that.


Daniel

[nichomach]

OK, Win2K AS, First, you need the disks that you're mirroring to be dynamic disks unless you're mirroring an existing simple volume. You can upgrade a basic disk from Administrative Tools\Computer Management\Storage\Disk Management by right-clicking the disk and choosing "Convert to dynamic disk". If you're mirroring an existing volume, right-click the simple volume you want to mirror, click Add Mirror, and then follow the instructions on your screen. If you're creating a new mirrored partition, right-click the unallocated space on one of the dynamic disks on which you want to create the mirrored volume, and then click New Volume. In the New Volume Wizard, click Next, click Mirrored, and then follow the instructions on your screen.

[oshta]

Ok, thanks.
- It is an existing disk,
- Also, do the disks have to be the same, or will any two the same size work?

Daniel

[Moby-Dick]

just the same size is usually ok - but software mirroring isn't very good.
I'd be tempted to get a cheap raid controller personally. What disks are you using ?

[oshta]

currently i only habe one disk which is a 60GB Barrra 5, which is partitioned into two drives, a 8gb on for the OS, and 50gb for the "data"

Daniel

[Moby-Dick]

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...roductID=12540

and a couple of drives - you'll be laughing !

EDIT: If SATA is your thing
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...roductID=78569

I've used the above with a pair of 120gb drives for client installs and they've been great.