SATA Raid add-in for 'server'

[CountStex]

Hi guys. I have a box I refer to as our server, which basically just provides a common disk storage for our photos and downloaded files between my girlfriends and my PCs, as well as hosting the printers. (Used to run my own mail server and web site from it too, but the up-pipe on the BB just wasn't up to the job)

Currently powered by a massive Duron 1.1 .. ahem..

I'm looking to improve this boxes reliability as, even though I make DVD backups every three months, I don't trust CD/DVD backups much and want an extra line of defence. So I'm thinking of adding in a RAID controller running, if possible, in RAID5 with 3+ HDD on it.

Anyone have any experiance of PCI based SATA Raid controllers, or any info on good ones?

If the CPU is a little underpowered for this idea, although I'm thinking a controller card should do all the work itself, it may be possible to upgrade that at the same time, maybe via upgrading my main machines 1700+ XP to a 3200+ and dropping that into it.

As for a budget, the cheaper the better so long as it's good kit as always, but max would be around £600 for the card, hard drives, and PSU if required.

[arthurleung]

First, think about how much data will be transferred, i.e. 100KB/s? 1MB/s? 10MB/s? 100MB/s?

You could just get a few IDE cards (or SATA cards), not necessary RAID card. Use Windows 2000/2003 Server (or hacked WinXP with RAID5 support) You can create your own RAID5. Since you are not using the server for other stuff, the duron 1.1Ghz is good enough for calculating parity for RAID5, may be 80MB/s. Many last generation Hardware RAID card's processor is just an i960 RISC processor, which have a operating frequency of less than 100Mhz. Duron 1.1Ghz have far more than enough juice for the RAID5. If you want a high quality hardware-based raidcard, 600 quids will only cover the card, may be the PSU too, but definitely not all the (or even one) harddrives.

[CountStex]

Good info, I'd figured the Duron would be inadequate for the software option to be an, wel, option. I'll certainly give it some thought.

[shelmec]

I'm looking at making a 4-disk Raid-5 array on my machine for storing images,etc. and am considering the Highpoint RR2220 SATA raid card.

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...oductID=220845

Scan are currently doing it for around £190, leaving £410 for drives (and PSU if required). Allowing £110 for a PSU (should get a good one for this), then you'd have £100 per drive for 3 drives. You could look at the 250Gb SATA-II 300 Samsung drive @ £80 each and still have a little cash left over

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...oductID=247245

Hope this helps?

[CountStex]

Nice card, with a chuffin 8 channels! PCI-X sadly and my box is somewhat ancient for that.

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...roductID=97665

That might be an alternative? Not sure how this PCI/PCI-X stuff works though.. if it can really run off a PI socket, why bother with the PCI-X bit.. must be something it changes.

[arthurleung]

Well, the highpoint card is still software-based, the onlything different is that it got the PCI-X and it's RAID5 is bootable.

[CountStex]

Now thats thrown a spanning in my brain! It's a card that relies on software to do the RAID? So it's basically just providing Sata Channels then??