In a hardware raid setup, the drives connect to a special raid controller inserted in a fast pciexpress pcie slot in a motherboard. The unix and linux forums how to check hardware raid on windows and linux. I keep reading different posts, some say it has hardware raid and some say software. As one member pointed out, software raid is like playing with fire. Software raid 5 depends on cpu, memory and hdd io performance to synchronizating data. Hardware raid is generally substantially more expensive than the software raid built into windows server 2008, though many manufacturers. For purposes of picking hardware, if one continues use of windows home server v1 drive extender, then the software raid category is probably the place to look for ideas.
Typically with software based raids you have to reconfigured boot drive after a failure. How to setup software raid 10 on windows server 2008 standard. A reasonable analogy for a layperson is dedicated vs. We know that software raid in windows has always sucked. I have 4 hdd and i already did raid 1 created 2 mirrored sets.
Storage spaces in 2012 is much better, but is its own beast. Configuring and managing raid 5 on windows server 2008. A commodity server hpibm with a real raid controller does not use the cpu at all when rebuilding the array and striping the disks. Hardware raid will cost more, but it will also be free of software raid s. You can easily move disks from a failed enclosure to a new one, and all your data is preserved. If you really must run raid 5 on a windows machine that doesnt perform like shit you have two choices. Setting up a hardware raid under windows 7, with a.
Solution server 2008 software raid 1, upgrading drives. If so then you dont need to use ms software raid in your vms. However, you are likely to find that putting an additional cpu in your server to speed up software raid is less expensive than implementing hardware raid on custom hardware. You will now see how windows server 2008 r2 implements raid at the software level. Jun, 2016 comparing hardware raid vs software raid setups deals with how the storage drives in a raid array connect to the motherboard in a server or pc, and the management of those drives. This past month ive realized the simultaneous need to add more hard drive storage and. Hbas based upon controllers such as the lsi 1068e and sas2008 can be. Find answers to how to configure software raid 5 in windows 2008 from. Expand software raid 5 server 2008 r2 solutions experts. Softwareraid gegen hardwareraid im benchmark vergleich. One big advantage of software raid is that it can be hardware agnostic when it comes to migrating drives and arrays. This topic describes the tasks that you must complete before you test an internet scsi iscsi hardwarebased raid storage array by using the windows hardware lab kit windows hlk. Linuxbased software raid is regarded as mature and very usable.
May 24, 2005 scott lowe responds to a techrepublic discussion and one members raid dilemma. Recently, i updated the benchmark numbers on this site to include an intel x25m g2 80gb but alluded to having two drives free. In my experience hardware raid on windows systems is a disaster. If your running a windows server 2008 r2 virtual server. It is not possible to combine two raid1 and setup a striping on top of that with windows server 2008. It seems that no matter if you use a hardware or a software raid. Now im planning to use the windows server builtin softwareraid1 instead. With cheaper hardware raid you can also lose data if theres a power outage. What i understand is that we should implement hardware raid in the first place and use software raid where hardware raid is not feasible.
For software raid i used the linux kernel software raid functionality of a system running. Any disadvantages of using builtin softwareraid1 on a. It is fakeraid, but a class above the other fakes and much faster than any built in parity raid in windows. Ive used windows server 2012 r2 storage spaces for software raid as we are a microsoft shop. Raid 1 and raid 5 configuration on same windows server 2008. Find answers to how to configure software raid 5 in windows 2008 from the expert community at experts exchange. If yor server supports hardware raid on its bios, you would be a lot better looking into.
In this section, you will see how to create a raid 5 volume with three drives in the windows server 2008 r2 software. Hardware redundant array of inexpensive disks raid and software raid are two main ways for setting up raid system. Jun 29, 2011 raid is designed to not only help protect your data but also to help improve the performance of the overall drive system. Hardware raid can easily protect the boot partition, software raid cant. Raid stands for redundant array of inexpensive disks. How can i use windows server 2008 to setup raid 5 for my 3 harddrives in server. The server will only be used for business administrations, so i dont need high performance. Browse other questions tagged windows server 2008 software raid. It can either be performed in the host server s cpu software raid, or in an external cpu hardware raid. Dec 21, 2005 the biggest difference you are likely to see between the two is that software raid tends to be slower than hardware raid. To launch the server manager, open the start menu and click on the server manager option, or click on the server. Apr 01, 20 please let me know whether we can have two raid configurationi. If the server crashes due to a blue screen or other unforseen event power outage, etc the raid array will rebuild from scratch, effectively killing the performance on the server entirely. Raid can be implemented either via hardware or software.
Comparing hardware raid vs software raid setups deals with how the storage drives in a raid array connect to the motherboard in a server or pc, and the management of those drives. Windows software raid storage space has a mixed reputation yes, a euphemism among server administrators. I am setting up a file server currently with 5 x samsung 1. The focus of this chapter of windows server 2008 essentials is the configuration of disk mirroring raid 1 on a windows server 2008 system. Backups were setup using windows server backup and recovery to usb drives. Im building a new server small business server 2008, but i cant get the builtin raid controller amd sb700 to work and have basically given up on it ever working with server 2008. The only time that i would say software raid is better than hardware raid is a failure of the controller itself.
Raid is an acronym for redundant array of independent disks and describes a technology that allows multiple independent hard disks to be combined in one or more. I am using windows server 2008 standard software raid raid 10 is not available as a software raid level. Raid 1 and raid 5 on same windows 2008 server machine. While the intel raid controller blows the software raid out of the water on sequential reads, surprisingly the windows software raid was better in nearly every other respect. Hardware raid1 mirror windowsserver2008 softwareraid hardwareraid. If you are already using windows server 2008 s software raid capabilities, and think that windows. To be honest you really should be using hardware instead anyways. Make sure you get a hardware raid controller, such as one from 3ware. No multilevel arrays, no hot swapping, no hot spares. The other benefit of hardware raid is that if its batterybacked youre in solid. With software raid you are limited to the sata ports on your motherboard. Whether software raid vs hardware raid is the one for you depends on what you need to do and how much you want to pay. The following guide describes how to manually setup a drive mirroring raid1 under windows server legacy.
One of the hospitals that i work for has a supermicro server running windows server 2008. Could someone provide some thoughts on hardware raid vs. If its light to medium use, use windows software raid, especially if youre not comfortable with the hardware version. However, windows software raid works great on raid1 mirroring and raid0striping. It depends on how you use the raid, but this probably wont add significant load cpus are rather fast now. We now have an internal policy that requires software raid for all our stripped server. May 02, 2010 i am setting up a file server currently with 5 x samsung 1. Does anyone have any experience in moving from the dell s software raid to a dell h730p hardware raid.
But the real question is whether you should use a hardware raid solution or a software raid. Some raid cards allow, say, 10 sata drives to be connected. Ive ran software raid 5 on our home file server using an ibm m1015 on windows server. In the disk manager in 2008, you get raid 0, 1, and 5. Why is windows server 2008, 2003 software raid so limited. It is assumed in this chapter that the reader has a basic understanding of the difference between basic and dynamic disks within the context of windows server 2008. High data backup and reliability without loss of performance. Your arguments about raid1 are valid, unless your data outgrows the capacity of the drives. Configuring disk mirroring raid 1 on windows server 2008.
What i want to be able to do is bring the server down, install the card, bring the server up and add in the existing raid 5 from the s to the h730p configuration so that all of my server. You cant add disks to software raid like you would with a hardware raid controller since windows isnt going to go through th process of releveling to fit more disks, thats a complex job on a raid controller taking days to complete, in software it would take weeks and the server. So richten sie ein softwareraid mit level 1 unter windows 10 ein. This past month ive realized the simultaneous need to add more hard drive storage and decrease the probability of losing the data stored within. Jun 08, 2011 software raid 5 in windows server 2008 and hardware raid 5 have the same principle. It is used to improve disk io performance and reliability of your server or workstation. For hardware raid, that cpu can be in a disk array or in a raid controller. Should i use hardware or server 2008 from the expert community at experts exchange need support for your remote team. If you have a server hiccup, you could have some data loss.
Also, the comment that software raid sends more commands than hardware raid. Ich habe windows server 2008, 2012, 2016, hardwareraid, softwareraid, freenas. Hardwarebased raid systems iscsi testing prerequisites. If you want to use a hardware solution to create raid. Windows raid vs intel rst vs raidz vs hardware raid. This is a home built server with a asus ich10do chipset and a 2. In a hardware raid setup, the drives connect to a special raid controller inserted in a fast pciexpress pcie. Software raid, as you might already know, is usually builtin on your os and unlike a hardware raid, you will need to spend a little extra on a controller card.
If anything they should be advised to increase ram and be done with it. In a hardware raid setup, the drives connect to a special raid. It seems that no matter if you use a hardware or a software raid controller, you should expect to lose performance when youre duplicating every write, which makes sense. The operating system is small business server 2008 and the server is hp proliant dl320 g6. This is accessed either from the server manager or computer management tools. Sep 01, 2012 real hardware raid controllers leverage hardware, firmware, and software to deliver features that will be unmatched in software raid. But the real question is whether you should use a hardware raid solution or a software raid solution. Use onboard sata and mirror the ssd drives through server 2008 r2 builtin raid. Dedicated hardware controller doing the processing vs. Jul 07, 2009 a redundant array of inexpensive disks raid allows high levels of storage reliability.
But with budget favoring the software raid, those wanting optimum performance and efficiency of raid will have to go with the hardware raid. If the server crashes due to a blue screen or other unforseen event power outage, etc the raid array will rebuild from scratch, effectively killing the performance on the server. I have a computer running server 2008 r2 with a software raid for the primary hd. Implementing disk management in windows server 2008 microsoft.
Mirroring windows server 2008 gbt and mbr boot and system disks, windows server. I was looking for some general guidance on what i can expect as far as performance goes. In either case isnt your backend disk already raid either a san or nas setup. Then loaded windows server 2008 r2 sp1, when it asked what drive to load it on, i selected the disk 0. Differences between hardware raid, hbas, and software raid.
Setting up a hardware raid under windows 7, with a separate system disc for system and programs non raid and 3 disc hardware raid 5 for data storage i was running a windows xp pro machine with a hardware raid set to run as raid 5 a 3 disc raid. Raid 1 mirrored drives not up to date, does this seem possible. So with those assumptions in place, you would only use hardware raid where needed because they arent cheap, and should always have a backup card in storage. My experience with hardware and fake hardware raid is that as long as you stay with the same vendor, the raid metadata will be recognized ive seen this when moving drives between various hp, areca and lsi hardware raid controllers, and with intel, amd and even via hostraid i was pretty surprised when i connected a 250gb hard drive from some old amd desktop box to a hp g1 microserver, and. Software raid should only really be used where hardware raid. I am planning on purchasing a new server soon and would like use two dell ssds in raid 1 configuration using windows server 2008 r2. How does the software mirror in windows server systems compare to an.
So could i do a software raid 5 of 18 tb total 3x 6 tb. Windows 2008 r2 software raid 1 disk failure server fault. The number of drives or volumes you have available to you will determine what level of raid you can implement. Software or hardware raid i am planning on purchasing a new server soon and would like use two dell ssds in raid 1 configuration using windows server 2008 r2. Again, for the average joe and mary website or server this is far beyond their reality. Begin by going to start control panel system and security administrative tools create and format hard disk partitions, right click on disk 0 and then select convert to dynamic disk. Oct 30, 2015 while the intel raid controller blows the software raid out of the water on sequential reads, surprisingly the windows software raid was better in nearly every other respect. Drive 0 has a system reserved partition and then the data partition and is. You can get way more bang for your buck while still having parity vs typical raid 5 be it hardware or software setup. I would not recommend using software raid to protect your system drive. A redundant array of inexpensive disks raid allows high levels of storage reliability. Does the hp micro server have hardware or software raid.
Linux server this forum is for the discussion of linux software used in a server related context. I need to update a server in a single server school and might use a micro server as a holding area for files and server rolls while i update the old server but would prefer it has hardware raid. Windows software raid vs hardware raid ars technica. How to make the windows software raid log to the event log. With software raid i only have experience with windows, i would imagine linux. Never mix a hardwareraid solution and software raid on the same disk. The intel embedded raid can deal with a drive failure. Software raid is a type of raid implementation that utilizes operating systembased capabilities to construct and deliver raid services. Configuring raid 5 using windows server 2008 disk management. A raid can be deployed using both software and hardware. On linux, it is possible to protect the operating system boot files with software raid, but it is really arcane and easy to mess up. I personally avoid marvell integrated raid like the plague due to extremely poor performance worse by far than windows raid, but some of their actual hardware solutions are alright. Windows 7 can not support software raid 5, but it can be implemented in windows server 20002003200820112012.
We now have an internal policy that requires software raid for all our stripped server arrays, except when a client requests something different. With windows home server 2011 coming out in the near future many less. Oct 11, 2018 hardwarebased raid systems iscsi testing prerequisites. In the end i went for a server 2008 r2 software mirror raid 1 as i didnt want. A straightforward guide to hardware raid, hbas, software raid and. Windows dynamic disk v ich10r raid 0 w intel x25m g2 80gb. After windows finished installing i went to disk management. Here are some tips on raid levels and some feedback on the software vs.
Windows server has long provided admins the ability to create a software raid, enabling redundant disks without a potentially expensive hardware raid controller. With software raid your data can be split across different enclosures for complete redundancy one can completely stop working and your data is still ok. Windows 2008 r2 software raid 1 disk failure ask question asked 9 years. How to configure software raid 5 in windows 2008 solutions. If you need the computer to be able to survive a disk failure with zero intervention then you really are going to need a good hardware raid controller. Instead of doing a standard x25m g2 80gb in raid 0 piece, i decided to look at something i get asked quite often, intel ich10r ich9r raid 0 or windows software raid. Is it faster or slower than a cheap hardware controller aka fake raid. Hello, i have win nt server running and i want to know how can i get hardware raid settings without rebooting the server. Drive 0 has a system reserved partition and then the data partition and is mirrored to. Likewise it is not possible to combine to striped sets in a single raid 1 drive. A windows server 2008 raid 5 configuration may be set up using the disk management snapin. Expand software raid5 server 2008 r2 windows neowin.
Soll ich einen hardware oder einen software raid machen. Software raid on windows tends to have a reputation for working well enough for redundancy, but not working well performancewise, but from my research it looks like it is usually raid 5 in software with windows that you really take a hit. The operating system is small business server 2008 and the server. I want to know what would be the best configuration for this. Software raid uses additional cpu time, whereas a hardware raid offloads such processing onto the raid card.
810 1126 282 1137 779 1206 866 1133 427 425 69 369 1280 705 878 242 29 270 359 376 768 938 1299 464 1208 774 567 380 496 764 1322 1030 645 1103 1400 491 1016 462