Can I change a RAID controller and keep the data?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Binba
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Binba

I have 2 Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 3Gbps/sec SATA drives.
Since I have to start loading data tomorrow, I think of buying whatever
SATA RAID controller I can find, and possibly replacing it later with a
better card.
Is that going to work, or do you usually have to re-format the drives
when installing a new RAID controller?

Thanks,
Drew
 
Previously Binba said:
I have 2 Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 3Gbps/sec SATA drives.
Since I have to start loading data tomorrow, I think of buying whatever
SATA RAID controller I can find, and possibly replacing it later with a
better card.
Is that going to work, or do you usually have to re-format the drives
when installing a new RAID controller?
Click to expand...

You cannot assume it to work. It may work if both are from the
same manufacturer.

Personal experience: Adaptex SATA RAID controllers are trash. Slow,
unreliable and hard to manage.

Arno
 
Personal experience: Adaptex SATA RAID controllers are trash. Slow,
unreliable and hard to manage.
Click to expand...

Yes they are widely known to be extremely slow. Even their
top-of-the-line DAS is very slow. To some extent the cards are seen
as unreliable, or at least less reliable than ppl expect.

The gui management software is, however, the same as the IBM ServeRAID
management. It is fine. However the HostRAID line in particular
cannot utilize the software's full feature set.

Normal operations and management aren't necessarily difficult, the
cards are simply neutered. That makes abnormal situations difficult.
The Adaptec cards and ROMB I've seen lack helpful command-line
utilities, and bootable Utility CD's, and there's practically nothing
as far as onboard diagnostics and configuration. I agree. Crap and a
waste of time.
 
I have 2 Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 3Gbps/sec SATA drives.
Since I have to start loading data tomorrow, I think of buying whatever
SATA RAID controller I can find, and possibly replacing it later with a
better card.
Is that going to work, or do you usually have to re-format the drives
when installing a new RAID controller?

Thanks,
Drew
Click to expand...

If you want to go from a cheap host-based software assisted pci raid
to, say a decent midrange firmware card, it's generally a fair
expectation to anticipate it not to migrate.

Consider OS software RAID or no RAID until you finishing doing your
homework. Frankly you may consider staying there.
 
Curious George said:
Yes they are widely known to be extremely slow.
Click to expand...
Even their top-of-the-line DAS
Click to expand...

That narrows it down considerably. I love it when you talk dirty.
is very slow. To some extent the cards are seen
as unreliable, or at least less reliable than ppl expect.

The gui management software is, however, the same as the IBM ServeRAID
management.
Click to expand...

Wouldn't it be rather the other way around.
 
That narrows it down considerably.
Click to expand...

Of course I mean DAS in this sense:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct_Attached_Storage#Features

Not _every_ kind of storage directly attached to any kind of HBA.

That narrows the adaptec models down a bit ;)
I love it when you talk dirty.
Click to expand...

Settle down fella...
Wouldn't it be rather the other way around.
Click to expand...

AFAIK what you are implying is correct.
http://www.internetnews.com/storage/article.php/999781
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/07/01/adaptec_raid_ibm/
 
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