How to Set Up Hardware Raid 1

1. Habitation
2. Features

How to set up RAID 1 for Windows and Linux

Upgrade your information resiliency with RAID i

The audio of a dying difficult drive tin exist terrifying. It means a headache, downtime, and replacement costs in the best case. In the worst case, it means sending the drive to a data rescue lab. Using a redundant assortment of contained disks with mirroring (RAID 1), you can brand a drive failure less of a nightmare.

RAID one is 1 of several RAID "levels," and is the polar opposite of it's speedier cousin, RAID 0 . Where RAID 0 stripes data across drives to attain higher read and write operation, RAID one writes the same data beyond all the drives in the array. Using RAID 1, the chances of losing data to a drive failure is one divided past the number of drives in the array. In comparison, those chances are multiplied in RAID 0.

If you're thinking that RAID 1 is a lazy man's backup, think once again. RAID 1 is non a backup, and is never, ever a replacement for a good backup. Always call up that RAID 1 is a hedge confronting hardware failures, not malware or corrupted data. If yous become a virus on one drive in a RAID 1 array, every drive in the array volition accept the virus written to it. A proper fill-in keeps data safe from the system.

With all that doom and gloom about RAID one not being a backup, you're probably request, "Why even carp with RAID one?" The answer is pretty uncomplicated: If one drive in your RAID 1 array dies, the array will happily go on performance, using one of the other drives for read and write operations. The failure will be nearly invisible to the user, as the RAID software should brand the switch automatically. That'due south a big safety net for systems that simply cannot have reanimation due to hardware failures.

Fix your hardware

But as with RAID 0, information technology's platonic to apply identical drives in a RAID i assortment. If one drive is a dissimilar make, model, or isn't in mint status, the array will only write equally fast every bit the slowest bulldoze. If a file is successfully written to a faster drive, the arrangement will wait for the write to the slower drive to grab up.

In addition to using identical drives, be sure to use the same interface for the drive. If two drives in your assortment are using SATA 6Gb/s and the third is using SATA 3Gb/s, the array volition throttle back to 3Gb/s.

Information technology's also a skillful idea to brand sure all of the drives in your array are using the latest firmware. This can be especially important when using SSDs.

If you're going to use FakeRAID, brand sure your motherboard supports it. About recent motherboards do, but if you lot're edifice a server out of an old auto, this is something y'all should check.

Finally, if you're going to be using a disk that has data on it in a RAID array, back up that data before yous begin.

Windows: Storage Spaces

Creating a RAID 1 array in Windows is pretty uncomplicated, the fox is finding out what the utility is called. Microsoft opted for the proper name "Storage Spaces" instead of RAID, but the role is essentially the same.

To outset, hit Win+S and search for "Storage spaces" and launch the utility. Next, click create a new puddle and storage space . Y'all'll be prompted for administrator admission. Click Yes to keep.

Windows 8's built-in RAID utilities are referred to as "Storage Spaces."

You'll be greeted past a windows showing all the unformatted disks that can be used. Select all the disks you lot want in the assortment and click Create pool .

Storage Spaces volition permit you lot to create a pool with any unformatted drives fastened to the system.

Next, give the pool a name and bulldoze letter. The name will appear as the bulldoze label. Select NTFS as the filesystem. For Resiliency type, select Two-mode mirror . This is the equivalent to RAID ane. When you're ready, click Create storage space to create the array.

For RAID 1 functionality in Storage Spaces, select "Two-fashion mirror."

If you want to remove a RAID assortment for any reason, only click Delete next to the storage space you want to remove. To remove the pool, remove all of the storage spaces in it first.

Running RAID 1 forces you to use another drive which potentially doubles the cost. Only it'south a lot better than losing data, especially if yous don't backup your information.

Electric current page: Page 1

Next Folio Folio 2

Alex first built a PC then he could play Quake III Arena as a young lad, and he's been building desktop PCs always since. A Marine vet with a background in computer scientific discipline, Alex is into FOSS and Linux, and dabbles in the areas of security and encryption. When he's not looking upwards panel Linux commands or enjoying a dose of Windows 10-induced schadenfreude, he plays with fire in his spare time.

Share this post