JohnnyD423

I've done quite a bit of googling, but there's just so much information out there, I'm feeling a bit lost. I know quite a bit more than when I started, but just not enough.

So, I'm trying to figure out a good setup for a central small network file server. I plan on having eight hard drives in the neighborhood of 500gb each, but up to 1tb each if the price is right. What I'd like to do, though, is have a two JBOD (I believe that's the correct term) stacks of four disks, mirrored to one another. From what I can tell, this would be a RAID 10 setup, but of course I could be wrong. I want the first four disk stack to act as one disk according to the server, and the other four disk stack to be a backup of the first.

My questions are:
1 - Is this a good setup to have? Is there something better I should be considering?
2 - If it is a good setup, what kind of hardware do I need? I see a lot of RAID controller cards, but there's never enough information on what it actually does, or how to use it. Even just a link would be helpful.
3 - Is it possible to do a hardware only setup? I'd love to just plug the stuff in and go, but if I can't, what kind of software am I looking at?

Thanks in advance.

rockstat

Hey and welcome to TSF

Just wanted to mention that you did indeed get the setup right. You want to create a file server using 8 HD of 500 GB each on a RAID 10 which is a good setup. Yes, you are correct on how RAID 10 works. Every single drive has a mirror created onto another drive. Therefore you use the actual space of only 4 HD in your case with a mirror on the other 4.

Explain a bit more on whether you want to install any software on it or just want to store files on it and use them via another computer on the network.
If you are only going to use the server for storage of files then you most likely don't need any software except if you are considering automatic backups.

For this kind of setup what i would suggest is getting a network attached storage (NAS) device.

You have two options:
1) a) You can get a NAS case that comes with the basic connections needed made by companies like Linksys, Dlink etc. The case has ethernet ports, usb ports(depending on the model) and a built- in raid controller. Some of them may also be wireless.
b) You can get an already built NAS which is also available through the same manufacturers listed above and comes in a variety of setups such as 500Gb, 1TB or 2 TB etc. All you have to do is plug and play.
2) Then you have to locate the ip address and configure the drive on your network.


If there's any other info or detail i may have missed/ not covered. post back.

JohnnyD423

Thank you for your reply.

I forgot to mention that I plan on having a small IDE drive running the OS and a couple small programs I'll access here and there, and the eight drives running separately strictly for file storage including media, pictures, MP3s, etc.

The setup I have in mind is kind of an experiment and challenge to myself, so I'd rather not go the easy route, but I will if I have to. It just seems like the pre-assembled NASs are more expensive than just assembling my own server, especially an eight disk RAID setup.

I've been looking at add on cards, such as this. If something like that would work, is it as simple as plugging it in and turning it on? Do I need a specific type of motherboard that can handle a complex RAID setup like that? How does the computer know how to handle the disks? I've got a ton of questions, so I suppose I'll take it slow :)

Thanks again.

rockstat

Well for starters, are you going to be using this for a big project or just for a couple of people?
{Intel and other companies have motherboards which are cheaper than big server motherboards with built in SATA ports and built-in RAID controllers. But the thing you have to look at is what OS are you going to be using and whether there are drivers and software to support it.}
If you are using it for a couple of people. Windows XP Professional works great as a server which reduces your costs.

Secondly, if you are going to build a server your self, it is hard but not impossible to find motherboards nowadays with IDE connections for hard drives which are good enough for servers. On top of that, the type of setup you are looking at is gonna cost you. A LOT. You are going to need a medium to powerful motherboard capable enough of handling large amounts of hard drives.

If you plan on building a full server then you have to get yourself a server motherboard, compatible processors, compatible RAM ..etc.
Either way you have to look at your costs because you need a big enough case to fit all of the hard drives.
One thing about RAID cards. You have to know whether the RAID card you are using supports whatever OS you have, you should be able to install the drivers for it and look at what kind of managing software it comes with.

The RAID card you have mentioned would NOT do you any good in the long run. These types of cards are good enough for the average home user. Servers mostly require high end RAID cards. There are RAID cards from a company called 3ware. The prices of those cards explain it all. * Look at this scenario, a RAID division with mirrors is only helpful when one drive goes down. If its mirror also goes, then your data is lost. A lot of RAID cards nowadays are not capable of handling these scenarios. By that i mean, think about that your hard drive went down and you insert a new hard drive to start the re-building process but in between another hard drive goes and you lose data. NOW IN THIS CASE. A good RAID card would know where the second hard drive was lost and would start from where ever it was. Other cards would cause problems.

After reading this now the question is, do you want to run the main OS HD and the storage together from the same computer. or Do you want to keep the storage separate.

I know this may seem like a lot of things to go over. But these are the various options available through which people are working things out.

I know you'll have many questions, so post back. It wasn't easy for me either. I run a Server/Workstation with RAID 5 setup using 5 hard drives.

JohnnyD423

Wow, lots of info there, thank you.

The server will be a home server for just a few people, we just happen to have a lot of data, and I'm trying to plan for the future. I'd be running XP Pro since I already have it on hand, so drivers shouldn't be a problem.

We started with a second hard drive, then moved on to a simple dedicated server that was just an OS and four spare hard drives. My original plans were to just build another cheap computer and put in four big hard drives specifically purchased for the job, but then I started getting into all this RAID stuff, and the fact that we'd be pretty pissed if we lost an entire hard drive of files.

I guess, to start, here's the cheapie setup I was playing with at Newegg (minus the miscellaneous stuff):

Case
Motherboard
OS Hard Drive
Storage Hard Drive

I was planning on just starting with two storage drives, a simple RAID setup, and adding as I went, eventually ending up with what I mentioned above, four drives that the OS sees as one big drive, and a RAID mirror of those.

Of course, looking more closely around on Newegg, I see what you're saying about the price. I could probably get something with the same storage space and a RAID setup for much, much cheaper. What would be your reccomendation?

rockstat

Well, now that we have everything cleared out. lets look at a possible setup.

Since it is not going to be a heavy duty server. then all you have to choose is the right case that will fit the number of hard drives you want. the types and space of the hard drives (Brand, how many GB). and now for the main thing. The best piece of hardware as you already know should be the motherboard. many motherboards nowadays come with built-in raid controllers which should be sufficient in your case. an example of a motherboard that has built-in RAID is from intel. [i am talking mainly about intel is because i use 4 intel motherboards and all of them have built in raid and there managing software is a piece of cake. adding hard drives to an existing RAID takes a few clicks. but i am sure that there are other motherboards that come with built-in RAID controllers. if you have a setup in mind using a different motherboard that may or may not have built-in RAID would do fine as well.

with the motherboards that i have, all you have to do is turn on RAID in teh bios, then on teh following screen configure which and how many hard drives you want to configure for intial use and storage use. after that install the OS and install the RAID manager. so this way in the future, all you have to do is plug in a hard drive, boot up the computer, and tell the manager to setup the hard drive in teh storage RAID.

So, now you have the options available. you can get a motherboard(mobo) with built-in RAID, or get one with out and add an external RAID card. it should work out fine both ways. and believe me, its easier than it sounds like. once you get a hang of it, its a walk in the park.