Storage subsystem for HA server

["Paul Gordon" <paul@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Chaps,=20

I've started assembling the hardware to rebuild my main server. This is my
=
HA server (Homeseer), File server, Webserver, Geovision server, Domain
Cont=
roller, Exchange 2003 server, and a few other little bits besides (so it
do=
es quite a bit!) I've already got the Mobo, CPU, RAM, & new Geovision
card =
ready to go, my thoughts are now turning to the storage subsystem...

The current server has 2 x 250GB drives in a stripe set, (500GB capacity,
n=
o redundancy), and a single 80GB disk for the OS etc. (also no
redundancy).=
All these disks are standard PATA IDE disks, off the mobo's IDE channels. =
(This server runs all those apps just fine by the way, but for several
reas=
ons, I need to upgrade it regardless...)

This time round, I definitely want redundancy in the storage. I don't
parti=
cularly need to increase the capacity; around about the 0.5TB level is
suff=
icient for this server - I haven't filled the 580GB that I have currently.
=
I also want to build a server that is as power efficient as possible,
which=
implies not bunging in loads of disk drives, so I'd rather use fewer large=
r drives, in preference to more smaller ones. This is at odds with my
first=
thought which was to have a pair of 80GB drives as a RAID1 (mirror) set fo=
r the OS, and then a separate RAID5 set for the data volume.. - this
demand=
s 5 drives which increases the power requirements quite a bit... and since
=
an 80GB drive uses the same amount of power to run as does a 400GB drive,
t=
his seems quite wasteful from an electrical efficiency viewpoint.. (I
defin=
itely want redundancy for the OS as well as the data, so sticking with a
si=
ngle disk for the OS is not desirable).

So my next thought is just 3 larger drives, possibly 3 x 320GB or 3 x
400GB=
in a single RAID5 set, yielding either 640GB or 800GB useable space respec=
tively), and to put everything on that, just using the standard Windows
par=
titioning to create the separate volumes on the array. This gives a slight
=
increase in capacity, no increase in the physical number of drives, and
pro=
vides redundancy for everything.

I want the drives to be SATAII-300 to maximise performance, and possibly
ut=
ilise the hot-plug facilities in future. I intend to use "Raid
Edition" dri=
ves, probably the Western Digital RE range. And although I'll probably
conf=
igure 3 drives initially, I may add a 4th later as a standby/hot spare, or
=
indeed, for capacity expansion should the need arise.

The choice I'm mulling at the moment is the controller... firstly, Mobo
int=
egrated, or dedicated card? - Mobo doesn't support RAID5, so I would have
t=
o use Windows software RAID.. - not overly keen on this option... So that
p=
oints to a dedicated RAID controller card, -  but which one? I need at
leas=
t 4 ports, and I'm quite constrained on PCI slots, but I have 1 each of
PCI=
-e x1, x4 and x16 slots, not currently intended for use by anything else,
s=
o I'm looking for a PCI-express 4-port jobbie.

A cheap option is something like the Highpoint RocketRaid 2310 at around =
=A3100. However, I'm also quite tempted by the ARECA 1210, which is almost
=
exactly double that, at around =A3220... Both are 4-port PCI-Express
cards,=
both would probably do the necessary... The dearer option is clearly a bet=
ter featured card, but I've never heard of this manufacturer before, which
=
is always a bit of a concern...

Does anyone have experience of either of these particular cards, or of
othe=
r cards from ARECA? - I already have a highpoint RocketRaid card in
another=
server (an RR1820 PCI, 8-port), which has been just fine for the last year=
or so, although to be honest, I haven't yet tested the abilities of it's a=
rray expansion feature (although that is looming quite soon), and
fortunate=
ly, I've also never needed to test its redundancy abilities to deal with a
=
failed drive... Alternatively, anyone got any other candidates I should
loo=
k at?

http://www.areca.com.tw/products/pcie.htm
http://www.highpoint-tech.com/USA/rr2310.htm

Discuss....

Cheers

Paul G.



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