Re: Partitions and RAID.

On Wed, Jun 19, 2002 at 09:15:56PM -0500, Vitaly McLain wrote:
> 1. Let's say someone has 2 disks and they want to put them into RAID 1
> configuration. If one the disks, populated with data, has two partitions, is

At this point I said to myself, "Been there, done that.  It's been written
up in a HOWTO, even, I think."  Then I saw that W-word.

> possible; that RAID will only take the entire DRIVE into account. In Windows
> terms, because that is what I unfortunately have to use, the two drives will
> just be treated as one giant F: drive -- at least using Windows software
> RAID.

I might point out that a drive, even when you have to refer to it by the
Balkanized (to say nothing of all-too-finite) namespace of a drive letter,
is a drive; partitions are a different thing.  But I haven't a clue if
Windows' software RAID allows you to migrate to a half-present mirror pair. 
I suppose it might, perhaps with the help of some extra-expense magicware.

> If it is possible using hardware RAID (we have SCSI drives), then we
> can upgrade.

I would think that any hardware RAID system worth buying would allow you to
create the array in degraded mode, at least for a mirror.  However, you
would want to be very careful to verify this with the hardware vendor, being
sure that there isn't some crucial step where you would need to be booted
into Windows in order to run a utility that you can't run while Windows is
using the drive you're trying to manipulate.  :-(

> 2. If we 4 disks, two 36.7Gb, two 18Gb, can we have one RAID 1 array between
> the two 36gigabyters, and another array between the two 18Gb ones?

Sure.  Even Windows' RAID can't be so broken as not to, well, work at all. 
I think.  Hope you hear from someone with more experience with W's RAID.

> If anyone has ever done RAID via Windows 2000, is this something that this
> software would allow? I believe it is, but I've run into so many stumbling
> blocks with RAID already, I don't want to make more mistakes.

Given that you're stuck with Windows, it's mighty tempting to suggest that
the Big Mistake would probably be not getting a decent hardware RAID
controller so as to outsource the issue to a more stable domain.  :-)  :-(

Luck!


Oooh, good stochastic sig selector.  Extra biscuit for this one!

-- 
I've just realised that one of the things I really hate hate hate
about Windows is that it doesn't have any personality. It's corporate
and it hates me but it wouldn't ever do anything but smile falsely
and refuse to talk to me.  -- Jo Walton http://www.bluejo.demon.co.uk