SATA RAID: Adaptec 1420SA, Promise TX4300?

[Matthias Andree]

Tenebrae <tenebrae_bsd at niceboots.com> writes:

> On Sat, 1 Apr 2006, Matthias Andree wrote:
>
>> RAID1 is _not_ a backup, but an availability aid.
>> If going for RAID1, be sure to add a backup solution.
>
> More to think about...thank you.
> I am trying to get some peace of mind on a budget, though.  I suppose I
> need to give more consideration to what my priorities are since I don't
> think I will be able to do all that "should" be done.

Yup. In doubt, prefer backup hardware (and if only two external 300 GB
drives with USB 2.0 Hi-Speed or IEEE 1394 connector) over RAID. People
will forgive you if the machine is down for a few hours, but they'll
jump on you if you lose their data for good. And having backups on
disconnected media that don't break if a surge manages to pass through
your power supply is essential.

>> Be sure to get something that is real hardware RAID.
>>
>> You don't need to pay for software RAID, you usually get that for free
>> with the onboard chipset these days.
>
> The motherboard in question is a Tyan Thunder HEsl-T (S2688).  It's a
> hand-me-down, but still beats the pants off of anything else I've got at
> the moment.

Well, that board has two(!) onboard Ultra160 SCSI channels, good enough
for 30 UW/U2W/U160/U320 drives (software RAID), and it has a
Zero-Channel-RAID option if you want hardware RAID. SCSI drives are
usually longer-lasting than SATA commodities.

Speaking from experience with SATA RAID and SCSI RAID, the latter is
much better worked-out.

>> No way. Real RAID costs more than twice as much for 4 ports. 150 bucks
>> suffice only for the 2 port warm-plug (i. e. you need to manually mark
>> the drive for removal in the software or BIOS, then exchange it , then
>> manually start the rebuild operation in software or BIOS)
>> 3Ware (now AMCC) Escalade 8006-2LP.
>
> Ah, I see.  The 8506-4LP seems to be discontinued from my vendor, but they
> do carry the 8006-2LP in that price range.

If you can do with 2 drives that is, and can do without being able to
Alt+3 from your remote management board. If you want remote management,
you need to get the 9000 series AFAIR.

-- 
Matthias Andree