Linux RAID0 Media Server


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Hey guys, what's up?

I've just ordered 2 x 1TB Samsung SATA-2 Hard Drives to use on a new Media Server I'm setting up.

Now I just need a Motherboard (Chipset) that will support RAID0 on Ubuntu 8.10.

Any recommendations?

I'll be hosting the content over my local network via a NFS Share, most of the content will be HD Video so Gigabit Ethernet is essential, I'll also be hosting a small site with SQL but I can handle that side of things.

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any motherboard will do. Hardware RAID is independent of the OS if I am not mistaken and both nvidia's raid as well as intel's solution is supported. On a side note, have you considered going for Raid5/Raid3 or Software RAID (i heard that linux's software raid is quite good)? Loosing one of those HD will completely trash your data.

Edit:

Just so you get an idea, i have the following specs on my media server

- Asrock K10N78hSLI-GLAN motherboard (link)

Reason for choosing was because it had an nforce chipset with raid5 support and 6 SATA ports with hot-swap capability. The only downside of this mobo is that it does not have on board vga (for which I am using an 8400gs passivly cooled).

- athlon 64 5000 (cheapest CPU available when I set up the system)

- 2gb of ram

- 3x 750GB seagates in RAID5 mode.

There is also an extra 1Tb drive for backup attached via USB and updated every week or so.

I opted for an AMD system because it was the cheapest alternative, with good cooling and power consumption (this is afterall an ALWAYS-ON machine)

Edited by georgevella
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any motherboard will do. Hardware RAID is independent of the OS if I am not mistaken and both nvidia's raid as well as intel's solution is supported. On a side note, have you considered going for Raid5/Raid3 or Software RAID (i heard that linux's software raid is quite good)? Loosing one of those HD will completely trash your data.

Agreed, if you are going to be storing 2TB's worth of data, you better have a back up plan.

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*sigh*

Great advice guys. (N)

I'll just say this; plan on using Fedora, or the alternate install cd for Ubuntu, otherwise you'll be pulling your hair out trying to get onboard Intel/nVidia 'fakeraid' working.

And word to the wise, look elsewhere for info.

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*sigh*

Great advice guys. (N)

I'll just say this; plan on using Fedora, or the alternate install cd for Ubuntu, otherwise you'll be pulling your hair out trying to get onboard Intel/nVidia 'fakeraid' working.

And word to the wise, look elsewhere for info.

Yey, somebody who know's what they're talking about :D

Agreed, I can't get NVidia or Intels FakeRaid to work for crap on any system with Linux, hence why I was asking for a motherboard that is KNOWN to work with linux, or even a RAID PCI card?

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I don't see how the on-board RAID controller is a "fake RAID". So a sound card is "Fake sound" if it's on the MB and not a separate card? So the only way to make my RAID 0 on my computer is to use a card that does the EXACT same thing?

I never understand the whole "fake RAID" (with the exception of a software RAID) with you Linux guys.

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I don't understand the technical side of it, but I know Hardware RAID on a lot of Intel Boards is essentially software RAID smoothed over to look like hardware RAID. Which the Linux kernel isn't a big fan of.

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I don't see how the on-board RAID controller is a "fake RAID". So a sound card is "Fake sound" if it's on the MB and not a separate card? So the only way to make my RAID 0 on my computer is to use a card that does the EXACT same thing?

I never understand the whole "fake RAID" (with the exception of a software RAID) with you Linux guys.

Because you never listened or followed up on information provided?

I'll repost a link summarizing some of this. http://linux-ata.org/faq-sata-raid.html

You can follow other links there to learn more about the Linux-ATA project.

Essentially a true RAID controller handles it all on its own and merely presents a "drive" to the OS.

These software RAIDs, don't do it all through hardware (obviously, or why would it be called a "software" RAID). They may have some hardware acceleration, but still rely on some software drivers. And when these software drivers are provided in Windows, but have to be reverse-engineered in Linux. Well, as you might guess, the support may be spotty. Some devices may work well, while others may not.

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Because you never listened or followed up on information provided?

...

Follow-up. Sorry the tone came across as short and dismissive as it did. I wrote it quickly this morning then headed off to work. It's been eating at me all day because it was much more cross than I normally am.

Anyhow, the link I posted does have some information, and various other pages on their site (or available with a google search) provide additional background information.

So can you recommend me a TRUE RAID card?

You might look to recommendations from these two sites:

http://linuxmafia.com/faq/Hardware/sata.html

or

http://www.clintoneast.com/articles/linux-sata-raid.php

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markjensen, is it me or do the fakeraid faqs need to be stickied? I swear this question/argument reappears keeps popping up, and explaining it over and over is getting old...

Vegetunks, I recommend the 3ware 9560SE-4LPML. I've used it for quite some time now and I'm very happy with its performance/simplicity. At over $300 USD, it can put a dent in your budget.

To save some money, get a motherboard with plenty of SATA ports and 3-4+ disks. Don't use fakeraid: stick Linux's tried and true software RAID, which is quite fast. I'd also recommend getting either a SSD or using a USB flash disk for your boot/system media.

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