[mythtv-users] Raid question for myth box

[Yan-Fa Li]

Frank Baylee wrote:
> So, is there any advantage to paying the extra $$$ for the ICH6R
> chipset if I wish to do RAID under Linux? (My understanding is that the ICH6R
> isn't 'true' raid, but 'fakeRaid').

None at all.

BIOS Software RAID solutions:
Pros:
	- Cheap
	- RAID: 0, 1, 10

Cons:
	- Low Performance
	- Hard to Recover


Linux Software RAID:
Pros:
	- Cheap
	- High Performance
	- Well Tested and Reliable
	- RAID: linear, 0, 1, 10, 5
	- Higher Chance to Recover
	- Access to Smart Data on Drive

Cons:
	- More complex setup
	- Slightly more complex Recovery


Hardware RAID:
Pros:
	- Middle to High Performance
	- Easier to Set Up
	- Potentially Seamless to OS
	- Automated Recovery
Cons:
	- Spendy
	- Harder to Recover
	- Dependent on Quality of Firmware Tools
	- Limited or No Access to Smart Data


I use Linux RAID all the time professionally and at home.  Three of my 
servers at home use RAID 0, 1 and 5 in various combination.  I've had to 
perform recovery on Bad Drives on multiple occasions, and while a little 
scary at first once you see how it works you'll appreciate just how well 
designed it is.

Linux RAID kicks butt and is extremely reliable, just pay for more 
IDE/SATA ports, don't worry about the RAID features, think Ports.  The 
only real rule in Linux RAID is one drive per controller port.  No 
SLAVES, only MASTERS all modern CPUs above 1GHz can handle Linux RAID 
with one hand tied behind their backs.

Yan