Mailinglist Archive: opensuse (4237 mails)

[Per Jessen <per@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Pieter Hulshoff wrote:

> Hello all,
> 
> I want to set up a home file server, using RAID-5 with 4 or more disks per
> array (possibly 2 arrays in time). Any suggestions you could give me as far
> as a choice for a motherboard or a RAID controller? Oh, Gb ethernet might be
> a nice extra as well.

If you need 4 or more disks per array and 2 arrays, I guess we're talking SCSI. 
RAID controllers - pick any of the current Adaptec ones.  Motherboard - if you
were hoping to find one with a builtin SCSI RAID controller and Giga ethernet -
I'm not sure they come in a price-range suitable for a home file server.  But
then again, neither does a multi-channel Adaptec RAID controller.

Frankly, I wouldn't bother with RAID5 and the many disks - just do a simple
RAID1 setup on 2 large IDE-drives.  Obviously it depends on what sort of load
you're expecting, but you did say *home* file server.  
Our office file-server runs a 300Gb RAID1 setup on two Maxtor Enterprise
(=longer life) IDE drives.  (mind you, it's only used for backing up files
during the night.)

Everything depends on your actual requirements, but in a lot of cases I chose
RAID1 over RAID5.  The drives are so cheap anyway that mirroring is just
easier.


/Per Jessen, Zurich