RAID 1 Question

I recently set up my system in a RAID 1 configuration (striping) and have a question:
At start up I am able to invoke the NVIDIA RAID utility. My array has a “N/A” in the bootable column. Never the less, I am able to boot the system.
From what I have read there should be a “Y” in the bootable section.
I THINK I forgot to format the new WD disk as bootable. In addition I THINK I answered “NO” when asked if I wanted to clear the array when I created it.
If I did screw up – would the following fix things? Do I even need to fix things since it seems to work?
(1)   Remove the new WD drive from the array.
(2)   Reformat the drive with the boot files.
(3)   Add the newly formatted (and bootable) WD disk back into the array.
(4)   Answer “Y” when asked to clear the array (I hate these type questions because the manual does not make it CLEAR what is being cleared – you sure hate to clear the DISKS by mistake – is it the ARRAY being cleared?).
(5)   Synchronize the array to get the preserved data from the original disk back onto the new WD disk.
My system is:
MS-7250 SLI Platinum Rev. 1.0 (BIOS 1.8) with AMD 5400+ CPU
Vista Home Premium 64-bit
(2) 1mb Mushkin 800 MHz Dual Channel memory
Antec NSK4400 case with a replacement Antec Truepower 2.0 430 watt power supply
Max. Load +3.3V   28.0A, +5V 35A, +12V1 17A, +12V2 17A, +5V SB 2.0A, -12V 1.0A
Hitachi Deskstar HDT722525 DLA380 & WD2500AAJS, 250GB SATA HDs in RAID 1 Array
WD 8.4GB EIDE HD (backup drive)
3D Fuzion PCI-e graphics card (based on the Nvida GeForce 6200 LE chipset).
Generic Floppy
Logiteh keyboard & Microsoft mouse
Memorex DVD+/- DLRWL16 double layer CD

You'll have to clear up some confusion first: RAID-1 is mirroring, not striping... which is a big difference in how you proceed. Since it sounds, from what you want to do that you have a mirror I'll answer with that assumption.
Are you sure the array is "healthy" - it shows in NVidia's MediaShield/Storage Management as such? Before you break anything, take a look at the MBR with www.bootitng.com's Partition Work utility: press Esc twice when booting from the media to get to the maintenance desktop. If it finds a problem with its Properties, let it fix it.
1) Why?
2) There's no need to format a drive which is going to be added to an array; in fact a zeroed drive would probably be best.
4) Clear the Data will overwrite the MBR and clobber access to the data - it does not actually touch the data areas, but usually you don't want to do that. If you make a mistake, BootitNG can undo it by using its Undelete option in Partition Work, which scans a drive looking for partition markers and reconstructs the MBR.
5) Rebuilding the array might be useful but I've no idea why your array is not allowing the bootable option - never seen that.
The method I use to build a RAID-1 array is to assign both controllers/drives to RAID in main BIOS but in NVRaid BIOS, assign only the original disk with the data as a single drive striped array, leaving the "new" 2nd drive as unassigned to an array. Boot into Windows and use MediaShield to Convert/Migrate the striping array to a mirror which will pick up the 2nd drive and build the mirror array.

Similar Messages

Mirrored RAID Set Questions

I initially set up a mirrored RAID set up on my system drive as a means of backing up my files. I've since decided I'd like to use Time Machine instead. When I try and break up the RAID set using Disk Utility, a lock icon appears next to the RAID set and I'm unable to "delete" the set. My guess is that I need to reboot off a different system, but since Lion didn't come with an install disc, and since Lion doesn't set up a Recovery HD on RAID sets, how would I go about unlinking this mirrored RAID set?
Conversely, I inadvertantly unlinked a different RAID set and would like to reconnect them, but Disk Utility says it'll erase all the data on the drives before it establishes the connection. Is there a way to reconnect a mirrored RAID set that has been disconnected?

For the first question, go back to the App Store download Lion again but before it begins the install stop the process and create a flash drive installer. See How to make a bootable Lion install disc or drive .
Remember you have to make sure the install process doesn;t proceed because once Lion is installed the installer app will be removed from your HD.
Sorry can;t help with the second question.
regards

Msi k2n9 diamond raid problems/questions

Hi, yesterday I bought 2 hard drives western digital 1 TB Caviar Blue 32mb cache each and wanted to make a raid stripe array, so they work as one and are twice as fast.
I had problems installing windows XP, so I tried windows 7. It detected the raid array, partitioned it, and installed the windows, but in the device manager I got other devices -> RAID Controller and no drivers for it. I also have a Coprocessor, but that may be the chipset drivers, that I didn't install yet.
The windows 7 is currently installed on the array, but I can't really see the performance difference. All disk information tools say it's currently 32 cache, shouldn't it be 64? And the speed is the same ~ 40-60 mb/s copy rate, 100mb/s sata-sata transfer rate.
With windows XP I tried installing the extra drivers from the web site from a floppy drive during installation, but the installation didn't detect the array at all.
Can somebody give me a clue how to fix my problem? And if you have any idea what software can I use to check the raid transfer rate and proper performance?

Quote from: Fredrik on 28-October-10, 02:45:27
Hello! It is a bit "dangerous" to help someone without knowing what the system looks like. What little you said, K2N9 motherboard, doesn't exist. Have a look here http://www.msi.com/index.php?func=prodarchive&maincat_no=1 Go to the title "AM2", because a fair guess lands you there. In order to help with your driver questions we need to know what the drivers are for, you see. An alternative would be to go to Nvidia's site, where you can pick most things you need: www.nvidia.com.
Coprocessor? Might it be - if you in fact have a processor - there are more than one core?
The cache thing is a little new to me, but one must remember you have one disk now, not two. Partitioning deals with the first bytes of data on this single hard disk, and not with the "RAM" memory.
Noticing a difference can be hard, but if you were to return to no-RAID status you will, for a little while, hate the longer boot-up time and slower start of programs. Since it runs at all, 100 mb/s read time is not out of order.
well i misplaced the numbers, it's k9n2, it's not that big mistake, and I know my system well. I have two disks, but one array, and i think the cache must be 2x, because the idea of raid 0, simultaneously writing bits on both disks. The logical idea is that if you write something to e drive with 32 mb cache you will be able to write the same thing on two drives with 32 mb cache each which makes it 64 mb
The coprocessor part is solved, after I installed the chipset drivers, but the raid thing is still there.

RAID 1 question for external drives...

Hope this is the right category for this question...
I have a 2-dock external hard drive (Icy Dock with eSATA and USB) and just put in two 2TB drives to handle all my video. When I plug it into my MBP (via USB), the LED indicators - from Icy Dock's shoddy online "manual" - tell me that one drive is "rebuilding" the other.
It is taking a VERY long time - now at about 24 hours, and the lights on the drive are still blinking. My questions:
- When the computer went to sleep, the rebuilding on the hard drive stopped. When I woke up the computer, it began again. Did it start the whole process over?
- The drive shows up on the desktop, and small files copy onto it fine. Can I go ahead and start the big copy of all my movie files before the rebuild is complete, and it'll make the RAID happen when it happens?
much obliged!

Hope this is the right category for this question...
I have a 2-dock external hard drive (Icy Dock with eSATA and USB) and just put in two 2TB drives to handle all my video. When I plug it into my MBP (via USB), the LED indicators - from Icy Dock's shoddy online "manual" - tell me that one drive is "rebuilding" the other.
It is taking a VERY long time - now at about 24 hours, and the lights on the drive are still blinking. My questions:
- When the computer went to sleep, the rebuilding on the hard drive stopped. When I woke up the computer, it began again. Did it start the whole process over?
- The drive shows up on the desktop, and small files copy onto it fine. Can I go ahead and start the big copy of all my movie files before the rebuild is complete, and it'll make the RAID happen when it happens?
much obliged!

3-Drive/4-Drive RAID setup questions

I'm contemplating purchasing a new 8-core Mac Pro. I understand RAID but I'm not an expert. That said, I'm thinking of doing one of the following but I don't know if both are doable:
One setup is 1 hard drive for Mac OS X, and 3 RAID drives for the video capture (3TB total RAID 0 Seagate 7200rpm drives).
Or, my question, can I just RAID 0 all 4 drives together and then create a partition for Mac OS X? It seems like this would give A LOT faster bootable drive, plus the benefits of seperating the media storage from the operating system.
The reason I ask now is this makes a difference in my purchase decision. If I can RAID all 4 drives together, do they all have to be the same capacity for RAID 0? If not, I'll just get a standalone 320GB drive for the OS, and RAID the other three 1TB drives together.
Last question, would it help to use a dedicated RAID card like the CalDigit card (or Apple card) instead of software RAIDing within Mac OS X?
Thanks in advance.

First off - DO NOT put your system on your capture RAID. No no no. bad bad bad.
Yes you can RAID your other three drives into a RAID 0 configuration using Disk Utility. All drives should be the same size. Recognize two things with this setup --
1. If your system crashes, you loose the RAID partition as it is created and maintained through system software.
2. If you loose one of the three drives, you loose all the information on all three drives.
A more secure way to go is with a hardware RAID controller. Apple sells one with the MacPros and Caldigit has one as well.
With the Caldigit you can set up the 3 drives as a RAID 5 which will give you data security. I'm not sure what RAID configurations beyond 0 the Apple card supports.
Good luck.
x

RAID 0 Questions - advice needed

I am stepping up to a new BTO Mac Pro (2.8Ghz with 8GB third-party RAM) and considering the Apple RAID Card vs. Software RAID. I have a few questions regarding RAID 0 on the startup volume and hardware vs. software RAID. I am a graphic designer and running Adobe CS3 and working often with pretty large files.
1. Does RAID 0 on a startup volume offer any performance boost if working data is on another volume? Does the working volume need to be in RAID 0 or RAID 5 to reap the performance beneftis. This is a point I am not entirely clear on yet.
2. I understand the risks of running RAID 0, especially on a startup volume. Any advice on whether or not this offers any real world performance boost?
- OR -
Would a single Raptor offer similar results. Or better yet, would a partial-stroked 500GB SATA II disk offer the same results as a single Raptor at a fraction of the cost, without the RAID 0 risks?
2. Is a hardware RAID card (i.e. the Apple RAID Card or better yet, the new CalDigit RAID Card for less $$$) a better option than software RAID (either Apple or SoftRAID)? With a RAID 0 startup volume and a RAID 1 pair for storage, will hardware RAID offer any performance gains? Or would a single startup volume with a 3-disk RAID 5 storage volume be a better option (I know RAID 5 is not possible with software RAID).
3. Any advice/feedback on the Apple RAID Card? I have read some horror stories about battery charging, at least initially. I have not seen much about the strange recharge cycle which apparently can cripple your machine for days every 3 months. The new CalDigit RAID card appears to be very promising. Supports the 4 internal drive bays as well as external drives, which the Apple card does not.
Thanks in advance for any help/advice.

I usually avoid linking to other forums, but in this case, there is a similar discussion over on MacNN forum setting up a Mac Pro to use RAID.
Apple RAID software has continued to improve. The difference in performance between Apple and SoftRAID has narrowed to the point both are excellent. SoftRAID though alerts you on any I/O time out or read/write errors, and use a stripped read which is nice, when or where it is needed.
I've never stopped upgrading and trying to improve on performance. The trick is not everyone can go out and spend $800 for a drive case and controller plus another $500 on disk drives for an external setup, and buy 3-6 drives for the existing SATA ports.
Rather than buying the fastest, I bought some 160GB RE WD drives, cheap, good for RAID, and planned to use those as the base. Then got the 320GB model. Then bought WD RE2 500GB $115 ea , which seems to be a nice price and still does nicely, optimized for writes. That means I can do some mix-and-matching.
Some can take their existing SATA drives to get started. And probably has some drives that can be used for backups and such.
Here is my own shopping list:
Sonnet Tempo E4P:
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Sonnet%20Technology/TSATAIIE4P/
SeriTek Case: $525
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Firmtek/SATA5PM/
Or something cheaper,
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Norco%20Technologies/DS500N/
Dual bay case to use with 2 ODD ports and NewerTech kit:
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other%20World%20Computing/MESATATBEK/
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Newer%20Technology/MPQXES2/
(takes some work to access those two ODD SATA ports, but worth it, always on)
OWC XLR8 Specials, usually have Friday specials:
http://eshop.macsales.com/Specials/XLR8YourMac.cfm
10K Raptor $210 vs WD RE2 750GB $220 if you look under hard drives.

Z97 MPOWER MAX AC RAID Setup Question

Apologies if this is in the wrong place; I wasn't sure if I should stick this here or in the Windows x86/x64 board.
Essentially, what I would like to do is this:
Set up a RAID 1 (disk mirroring) array using the integrated Intel raid controller on my Z97 MPOWER MAX AC motherboard using two 1TB WD Blue drives. After setting up the array in BIOS, I'm wanting to do a clean install of Windows 7 Ultimate (OEM).
My question is this: If I wanted to set up a software recovery partition (like how OEMs ship most systems these days with an OS recovery partition), how would I go about setting up this partition in relation to setting up the RAID array and installing Windows? Is it even possible to do what I'm trying to accomplish, or am I giving the "department of redundancy department" a run for their money?
Many thanks.
EJ

isn't that you will still need the bios to be modified first so it will point to your OS recovery?

Not a normal RAID 1 question

WD=Western Digital
I would like to run this question by a few people and see what they think.
Originally I had a 2008 (non R2) server now upgraded to 2012 and it had two drives - both the same size - one WD and one Hitachi. Both of those drives were in a RAID 1, and had no issues.
Then of course one fails, and I replace it. No more issues for a year or so, then I replace a failed drive again. Now both of the drives that were replaced were the WD, and not the Hitachi. These drives do get a lot of "abuse" since they do a bunch
of data compression and decompression, so yes I would expect it to fail.
Now my question, which is hopefully simple, is the Windows implementation of RAID 1 tied to any one disk per say, and then sycn'd, or is it just dumb luck and coincidence that both of the drives that failed were the WD drives?

OK so here is a really good walkthrough of implementing a RAID 1 -
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/2005.05.raid.aspx Its an older article. But since you can boot to the second drive then that would infer that they are initially sync'd and then both written to at the same time.
So one thing that I will mention here is that you say: These drives do get a lot of "abuse" since they do a bunch of data compression and decompression, so yes I would expect it to fail.
A Hardware RAID card with a cache will actually ease the amount of IO because they have a an "Read Ahead" and Write Back to cache feature. The Adaptive Read ahead will fetch additional blocks of data when data is requested - this will keep the hard drive
heads from working so hard. Write back allows data being written to disk to go to cache first. If you are using caching on the RAID card make sure it has a battery backup. Another note: Certain MS products will disable any caching on the C: drive these include
- Domain Controller, SQL, Exchange or any product that uses the JET database i.e. DHCP

RAID & FCP Questions

I have been having trouble with multicam editing of AVCHD material and have been advised that the reason for the problems is the speed of my drives and RAID is recommended. For more information on this discussion see:
http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=10545204#10545204
So, I am considering putting three 1.5TB Seagate Baracuda 7200rpm drives in slots 2, 3, 4 and create a RAID of the three drives to overcome the drive R/W speed issue and hopefully be able to label this drive as "H:" for the reasons stated below. However, some serious considerations:
1. I have nearly 800GB of FCP project data (media) on the drive that is currently in slot 2 - AMEDIA_1.
2. I would like to remove that drive AMEDIA_1 then mount it in an external drive USB case and copy it (AMEDIA_1) to the newly configured RAID drive bank (hopefully labeled as "H:" drive) to resolve the slow R/W drive access problems.
So, my questions are:
A. Will the media being read from AMEDIA_1 from an external case be stripped via the RAID 0 utility so that the data is spread across the three drives to circumvent the problem I'm currently having?
B. Any problems RAID'ing 1.5TB drives or should I limit it to 1.0TB?
C. Any problems with my idea here?
D. Will my FCP's recognize the path to the respective files and media assuming I am able to label the RAID bank as Drive H: ?
E. If a drive fails in the RAID bank is the entire bank dead and all data lost?
F. Is there any question I should be asking that I am not since I'm not that up to speed on Mac nor RAID yet?
Thanks in advance to those who take the time to read and respond to this lost sheep and feel free to ask any questions for clarification.
SYSTEM: MacPro 2.8GHz Xeon Quad Core x 2, Nvidia 8800 GT 512MB, 4GB Ram, 1667 FSB, Snow Leopard 10.6.1?, Final Cut Suite 3, 7200rpm 320GB OS HDD.
Additional Info & Question: If possible, I will want to remove the Windows XP Pro partition if that is possible at the same time.

This should work. Just make sure to keep the copy of the Amedia_1 just in case you have a problem with the Raid.
"So, I am considering putting three 1.5TB Seagate Baracuda 7200rpm drives in slots 2, 3, 4 and create a RAID of the three drives to overcome the drive R/W speed issue and hopefully be able to label this drive as "H:" for the reasons stated below. However, some serious considerations:"
Seagate baracuda are pretty sound. They come with a 5 year warranty. I have only had to send one back in 10 that I have bought. Keep in mind until they come up with something else hard drives can always fail for various reasons. So always back up. With a O raid with no redundancy, you are spreading the liability across three drives. You will get the speed you need but as long as you back up the work you will be fine. One of the things I do with raids is I only put media on them so I can replace it easier if necessary from my backup or original tape if you have it. Project, graphics, and anything else not media I put in a project folder on a what I like to call a work drive in a single slot. I also back that up if I do not have redundancy.
So, to sum up. Mount the Amedia drive in an external case.
Build a raid volume with the Baraccudas.
Copy (not move) the files to the raid "Volume"
Unmount the AMedia drive and set aside for safe keeping
Launch your project and reconnect the media in final cut when it prompts you to from the new raid volume.
Your speed problems should be solved.
(keep in mind that multicam editing need alot of speed the more cams you add)
Make sure you delete all window anything from your Mac. Window is a waste. The more you use Mac and FCP studio the more you will see what I mean. Boot camp and all that partition your Mac so you can run windows too is for indecisive suckers.
I will get off my soap box now.
Best of luck.
B Miller
Archetype HD Editorial LLC

Raid 5 Questions

My company is finally committed to making the jump into the HD pool. We're going to make the first upgrade in the storage department, since everything else we can rent for the time being. We edit corporate video shot on DVCPRO HD. I know that firewire 800 is technically fast enough to handle DVCPRO HD, but for future proofing I want to go esata. It seems that Raid 5 is the best combo as far as backup and value. My questions are as follows:
Will disk utility stripe to raid 5, or do I have to get a tower that will stripe to raid 5 using it's own hardware / software? I am running tiger and can't find an option to stripe raid 5 in disk utility. Does Leopard offer this, or perhaps third party software? Or is raid 5 only configured via hardware on the drive tower itself?
What towers have people been using successfully? I would like it to have at least 4 drive bays.
What type of esata card will work well with a Quad G5 (which uses the PCI express slots)?
Of course, if I'm way off the mark and there is a better solution for my storage needs I'm open to suggestion. I know there is a raid 6, but couldn't find any towers that supported it during my search.
Thanks in Advance,
Brandon

Any kind of esata box and card can do disk utility raid 0, all you need just make sure is the performance. it has to be sustained. http://www.AJA.com has speed software to check the data rate.
Be aware that you might lose performance if choosing a software-based RAID 5.
it's entirely possible that you max out your resource in order to edit HD and maintain software RAID 5.
For a hardware RAID, I would 2nd to CalDigit's HDPro.
If you only need a 4-bay raid and want to use your own drives, take a look at caldigit's RAID card or Apple RAID card. Both are pretty inexpensive.
You are able to use 4 to 16 drives with caldigit RAID card, so they pretty much have all the systems that will fit your needs, the raid card or hdpro.
Good luck with the new RAID and let us know how it works. Storing all the data in a good hardware RAID without worrying about losing them is very stress relieving.

Intel Mac Tower / RAID Utility question

I have a new Intel Mac tower with three 500 gb hard drives and a RAID card inside. I am attempting to create a RAID5 with 2 partitions (one 60 gb for os and other programs, and another partition with just under 900 gb for file sharing) - Trying to install mac osx tiger server (10 Client version) on my 60gb partition. I was able to do the following: boot machine from Client Install CD that came with the tower(as far as I know the tiger server os disk that I purchased does not have a RAID utility on it), used the RAID utility to create a RAID5, used the RAID utility to create the 2 partitions. Everything appears to work just fine after the RAID builds and partitions are created on them. Now if I either attempt to boot from the install disk for either mac os x server, OR from mac os x client os, I get to the point where you choose the partition (or volume) to install the os on, and I see NO VOLUME in the window below. Am I doing something wrong? If I need to give more detail please let me know.
Thanks for any help in advance!
Eric

Hi there ... i think i see what your issue is about.
1) You bought a new MacPro CTO with the Raid card and want to turn your internal into a Raid 5 install.
2) The raid card is again spanking brand new hardware in the machine and the actual support for the card does not come before 10.5 Server which is still on the way but you can certainly circumvent the issue with using a external drive install 10.4.x on the external and clone the external to your internal raid 5 to use as your boot drive.
3) Make certain your partition on your 10.4 install is GUID on your raid. This is found in the Disk Utility options under the partition tab.
4) Make sure your Mac os X server install DVD is 10.4.x Universal .. Do not use a 10.4 Server for PPC on a MacPro you ll meet 20 tons of worries . I would as well run the updates on the external drive first so when you clone you are up to 10.4.10 with all appropriate updates and utilities . As a safety measure installing your AppleRaid Card utility on the external drive would be a wise move so if they are updates to the utility they shall be taken into account.
For a good clonning utility look for carbon copy cloner . it is not one of the fastest cloners out there but it is ROCK solid and fully supports 10.4.x server and a life saver as well.

Any reason I shouldn't do it this way? RAID backup question

I'm using three 1TB drives torn out of Western Digital external hard drives (hard to find internal drives in Italy) as a RAID 0 for 3TB internal storage in the three extra internal bays. I'd like to mirror that, or something close to it, for a reasonable price. Is there any reason I shouldn't just buy three more external 1TB drives (around €110 for USB2 each) and combine them into a RAID 0 using Disk Utility? Since I'll be using it as a backup for my internal raid, speed isn't really an issue. I'd like to be able to just use Synchronize Pro or Super Duper to regularly schedule backups.
I'm asking because it seems like the cheapest alternative is 4TB RAID boxes like Jobo, Lacie or WD that run about €1000.
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated...

Hi,
The only draw back that I can see with mounting three more hard disks internally in the Mac Pro is that you may need to remove the DVD, the Mac Pro will run warmer and of course it will be louder. You will need to decide if this is what you want.
I find that the SeriTek/5PM is a better solution.
http://firmtek.stores.yahoo.net/sata5pm2se2.html
http://www.amug.org/amug-web/html/amug/reviews/articles/firmtek/5pm/
The SeriTek/5PM is quiet, provides great HD cooling, and allows the user to easily turn off or remove hard disks that are not currently needed. This reduces energy usage, helps backup disks last longer, keeps the Mac Pro cool and quiet and provides virtually unlimited hard disk capability as hard disks can be hot swapped as needed. It will cost more for this configuration but it provides much more flexibility.
Have fun!

RAID 5 Question - separate volume for OS/Apps: pros/cons

What are the pros & cons of having 2 volumes on a Mac Pro RAID 5 (instead of one big volume):
Vol 1: OS & Applications
Vol 2: Home Folders (basically everything else)
1) Is this a good idea/bad idea?
2) For what purposes would this setup be best used for?
3) At what point during the RAID 5 setup do you create multiple volumes and how is it done?
4) How/when do you set up the home directories to be on a separate volume from the OS/Apps volume and does the user have to do anything special during daily use to ensure they aren't saving/modifying anything on the OS/Apps volume?
5) I have four 250GB Barracudas sitting around and was wondering if they will work in a RAID 5 in my Mac Pro. I haven't heard of anyone using HDDs this small in a RAID 5 and Apple's website only talks about 500GB, 750GB, and 1TB in bays 2-4. Does anyone have this setup or know if it will work?
uryc hf bov-jna xrabov, lbh'er bhe bayl ubcr.

What are the pros & cons of having 2 volumes on a Mac Pro RAID 5 (instead of one big volume):
Vol 1: OS & Applications
Vol 2: Home Folders (basically everything else)
1) Is this a good idea/bad idea?
Bad. Using a separate drive (especially 10,000 rpm) for OS & Applications can be useful, but two volumes on the same drive (RAID behaves as one drive) means the heads have to continual move large distances, since home folders and system files are used a lot at the same time.
2) For what purposes would this setup be best used for?
If you often do things that destroy your system volume, you can quickly restore it from a backup copy, without having to worry if your user backup are completely up to date, but a separate system disk would still be better.
3) At what point during the RAID 5 setup do you create multiple volumes and how is it done?
After you create the RAID-5 with RAID Utility, create a volume and set its size to less than the default full size. You can then create more volumes. See page 8 of the RAID Userr Guide
<http://manuals.info.apple.com/en/RAIDUtility_UserGuide.pdf>
4) How/when do you set up the home directories to be on a separate volume from the OS/Apps volume and does the user have to do anything special during daily use to ensure they aren't saving/modifying anything on the OS/Apps volume?
For Tiger, use NetInfo Manager (Utilities folder). For Leopard, Right (or Control) click the user in "Accounts" system preference. Once set, the user doesn't have to do anything special.
5) I have four 250GB Barracudas sitting around and was wondering if they will work in a RAID 5 in my Mac Pro. I haven't heard of anyone using HDDs this small in a RAID 5 and Apple's website only talks about 500GB, 750GB, and 1TB in bays 2-4. Does anyone have this setup or know if it will work?
They should work. Apple only talks about drive sizes there were selling at the time the particular system was sold. If you have problems, though, Apple may blame the drives, and not provide much help.
uryc hf bov-jna xrabov, lbh'er bhe bayl ubcr.

Another RAID 0 Question

Would the following two scenarios allow me to run BC with a Raid 0:
1. Put Vista and Mac OS on a single, largest possible Raptor 10k (or even 15k) boot drive, which would also run all apps. (Adobe CS3 programs, Final Cut Pro etc) Then have a few other drives in same Mac Pro organized as a Raid 0 for storage and scratch disk purposes?
2. Put Vista on one drive, MAC OS on another (both would be separate, non-raid) then have another few drives that are organized as a Raid 0 and contain other application programs (Adobe CS3 programs, Final Cu Pro etc) in same Mac Pro to provide for storage/scratch disk use?

1) RAID 0 implementations under Mac OS X, as a boot drive or not, are not compatible with Windows and vice versa, Windows RAID 0 implementations are not compatible with Mac OS X.
2) You have the same RAID issue as option 1.
Ultimately, if you want RAID 0 under both Mac OS X and Windows in a Mac Pro then the simplest solution is to use two drives for each OS. Also, do not use Boot Camp and manually create the RAID set under the Windows installer (I'm assuming you can - I've not tried under the installer and only done so under Windows itself).

Mirrored Disk Set Raid 1 Question

Hello,
I set up a mirrored drive on my test xserve and it seems to flow nicely. I have been thinking about doing this for my production servers like my email server and file servers. Has anyone had any bad experiences using the software raid in a production environment? If it is just there as a feature to list on the web, I will not do it. If it is a nice and solid feature, I will move forward with it.
Any opinions would be helpful to me.
Cheers.

Virtually ALL my production servers use RAID 1 mirrors.
There's no issue with it as far as reliability is concerned. The write overhead is more than compensated for by the ability to sleep at night.

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