Re: recommendations for supported, affordable hardware raid controller.
On 2021-01-02 00:11, Steven Mainor wrote:
All,
thanks for all the help so far. For all the people asking why, a few
reasons. First I love to tinker with and learn about things and the only
raid controller I have access to is on my production server and I don't
really get to "play" with it much since it is in use 24/7. I am one of
those people that learns by doing I guess.
The idea was to create a large striped raid array(perhaps RAID6) of
spinning disks to use as a large storage area for extra VM backups and
large projects I'm working on. And in the process I could learn more
about RAID controllers.
But perhaps this would be an opportunity to learn about ZFS or something
instead.
Hardware vs. software RAID is a complex choice. Each alternative has
its benefits and drawbacks. I'd suggest that you STFW for articles that
compare and contrast the two for the kinds of goals you are trying to
accomplish.
If you decide to go with hardware RAID, picking an identical card to
what you already have, or a similar model from the same manufacturer,
might have merit; if you like the card and it meets your needs. This
might allow you to leverage your knowledge of one to support both.
On Linux (including Debian), MD (multiple disk) and LVM (logical volume
manager) are the obvious choices for software RAID. Each have their
respective learning curves, but they're not too high.
ZFS on Linux exists and works, but CDDL vs. GPL licensing issues prevent
ZFS kernel support OOTB. For data drives, using ZFS means installing
the right drivers and/or userland tools. But for ZFS-on-root system
drives, AIUI the process requires more effort (STFW for instructions).
When I wanted ZFS, I choose FreeBSD; the CDDL and BSD licenses allow ZFS
kernel support OOTB, and ZFS is very well integrated into the OS. ZFS
has a larger learning curve than MD or LVM.
Would ZFS be suitable if I were to boot multiple Linux
operating systems from time to time? For example, If I have the drives
setup with ZFS How hard would it be to boot to another Linux operating
system (like from Debain or Ubuntu from a pen-drive) and access data on
the "array".
So long as your OS of choice has ZFS support, then you can access ZFS
datasets.
And FYI most of the time I would still boot my computer from the single
SSD that my OS is installed on.
I also prefer to put one OS on one SSD, and I install trayless drive
racks in my cases.
On 2021-01-02 00:24, Steven Mainor wrote:
>> What Debian?
> Debian 10? Or 9? I'm mainly looking for options.
If Debian 10 works on your hardware, use that.
>> What Linux?
> Any still supported main-line or LTS Linux kernel.
Assuming a 64-bit PC architecture, go with "amd64".
>> What application(s)?
> General storage.
You will get better results using a server for general storage than you
will using a desktop.
You will get better results using a workstation for heavy workloads than
you will using a desktop.
>> What is your network/ environment?
> Why is network information relevant for a RAID question?
Because you might be better off adding drives to a file server, adding
another file server, and/or upgrading the connection between your
desktop/ workstation and your storage box (faster LAN, specialized
storage interconnect, whatever).
But for fast scratch storage for large amounts of data, local SSD's work
very well.
On 2021-01-02 00:43, Steven Mainor wrote:
> I missed this question in my last email. Apologies.
>
>> What is your computer?
> It is an Asus X470 Motherboard, AMD 2700x Processor
Again -- You will get better results using a server for general storage
than you will using a gaming desktop.
David
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