Fast or Secure? The RAID guide

Francis D'sa • June 29, 2009, 14:36:37 IST

Deploying multiple hard drives in a RAID environment is beneficial. We show you how to create a RAID 0 or RAID 1 array.

RAID is a method of clubbing two or more hard drives together in an array that forms either a faster or more secure data bank. RAID can be configured in various types of arrays—RAID 0, 1, 5, 0+1 or 1+0. RAID 0 and 1 are the simplest, and can be built using a minimum of two hard drives. RAID 0 involves data being striped into multiple segments and each segment is stored on alternate drives in the array. The data being alternately stored on two or more hard drives in the array creates a faster read and write environment.

The benefits of RAID 0 can be utilized for performance rigs where data transactions (read and write) to and from the hard drive are of high priority. RAID 1 is a mirroring mode which replicates the contents of one drive on the other. These types of arrays are usually employed in server environments where data needs to be backed up and always available. The data is safe in a RAID 1 array because in case of any one hard drive failure, the same data is available on the second hard drive, unlike RAID 0 where if one hard drive fails, all the data is lost. In this workshop, we show you how to build your own RAID 0 or RAID 1 array using two identical 500 GB hard drives to create a safe or a speedy data store.

Step 1
Connect the two hard drives to the RAID controller. Check the motherboard’s user
manual to locate the RAID controller’s SATA ports. Usually, motherboard manufacturers mark the RAID supporting ports with a different color. Note: The data on these hard drives will be permanently lost, so ensure that you have taken backups of the same.

Step 2
Enter the motherboard’s BIOS setup and locate the SATA controller fields in the respective menu to be changed. Here RAID 0 array RAID 1 array you will need to change the mode of the SATA ports from SATA IDE mode to RAID mode. Save and exit. Note: The screenshot and procedure mentioned here would differ from motherboard to motherboard. Refer to your motherboard’s user manual for more details of the RAID setup procedure and configurations for your motherboard.

Step 3
Once the system reboots, the POST should display a set of key combinations that need to be pressed for entering the setup of the RAID configuration. Usually the keys should be [CTRL> + [F> or [CTRL> + [F10>. Check your screen for the key combinations.

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Step 4
Refer to your motherboard manual for the type of configurations you would need to build the RAID array. Different motherboards have different types of screen visuals that can be confusing. Choose the type of RAID array you want to create, and also the hard drives that need to be employed in the array,

Written by Francis D'sa

Now here's a guy one would call "handy". Francis is our in-house DIY guy who can hack and build almost anything under the sun with the right, and sometimes, home brewed tools. He loves rummaging through all the PC junk lying around the office and whipping up some cool gizmo. As our resident 'How-To' guy his motto - why re-sell it if you can re-use! Every gizmo has a purpose, even after it's been junked. see more