On Thu, Jan 17, 2008 at 02:55:41PM -0500, Patrick Zaloum wrote:
Hello!
I am planning on installing a new Etch server. What I would like is to
use 3xSATA2 disks to create a RAID5 array. During the install I know I
can create md RAID devices from the partition tables I set up
identically on the 3 disks, but is there a more attractive way to set
up the array so that the system is fully RAID5 instead of 6 or 7 RAID5
devices over 3 SATA disks?
What do you mean 6 or 7 raid5 devices over three disks? This doesn't
make sense to me.
But first, it's a *bad* idea to put your whole system on raid5 because
if the array goes down, your screwed. At least put / and critical
parts of the fs (bin, sbin, root, etc, and so forth) on raid1. Then if
the thing tanks you can at least boot off any one of the three disks.
Carve out a smallish (couple gigs up to maybe 10gigs) at the front of
each disk and put those together in raid1, then use the remaining
portion of each disk as raid5.
I investigated using motherboards with onboard "software" RAID
chipsets, but am worried about compatibility issues. Googling gave me
the dmraid package that should be compatible with the "Intel(R) Matrix
Storage Technology".. (ICH8R) but I don't know if I can use this
"pre-install" so that it works almost as a true hardware RAID.
again I'm confused and it all sounds a little fishy to me. Much better
in my opinion to go straight software raid and leave the hardware out
of it. If the mobo dies you can drag the disks over to another mobo
with potentially different chipsets and it should more or less just
work. With hardware raid, or some mysterious amalgam, you may be
stuck.
very much just .02
A