ICH5R Mirror for System Disks?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Eli
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Eli

I'm setting up a new Windows 2003 Server file server using an Intel P4
server board with an 875P chipset. It will contain an 8 port 3ware
SATA RAID controller. My data store will be in 4 drive RAID 5 array
with a hot spare.

I want to run the system disk from a RAID 1 mirror set. Given the
choice between the onboard ICH5R controller and using the 3ware
controller for the OS partition, which would you choose?

I realize there could be a performance difference between the 3ware
and the ICHR5 controller. I suspect, though, that unless the
difference is significant it won't be noticed in a file server where
most disk activity will be from the RAID 5 array.

The 3ware no doubt gives the ability to have a hot spare for the RAID
1 array, while I don't believe the ICH5R has this ability. That's the
biggest difference I can see on the surface.
 
Eli said:
I'm setting up a new Windows 2003 Server file server using an Intel P4
server board with an 875P chipset. It will contain an 8 port 3ware
SATA RAID controller. My data store will be in 4 drive RAID 5 array
with a hot spare.

I want to run the system disk from a RAID 1 mirror set. Given the
choice between the onboard ICH5R controller and using the 3ware
controller for the OS partition, which would you choose?
Click to expand...

Either will work nicely.
I realize there could be a performance difference between the 3ware
and the ICHR5 controller.
Click to expand...

Not much.
I suspect, though, that unless the
difference is significant it won't be noticed in a file server where
most disk activity will be from the RAID 5 array.

The 3ware no doubt gives the ability to have a hot spare for the RAID
1 array, while I don't believe the ICH5R has this ability. That's the
biggest difference I can see on the surface.
Click to expand...

Right. The 3Ware may supply slightly better overall system performance as
it relieves the host's bus structure of the write I/O load to the second
member of the RAID 1 set. The 3Ware is true HW RAID and the ICH5R is
SW/firmware RAID.
 
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