[Mageia-discuss] Software RAID

[John Bowden]

On Thursday 03 Jan 2013 13:49:35 AL13N wrote:
> Op woensdag 2 januari 2013 22:35:40 schreef Marja van Waes:
> > On 02/01/13 20:54, Dick Gray wrote:
> > > Hello,
> > > 
> > > I am in a quandry. When I installed Mageia 1 on my gateway
> > > computer it recognized the BIOS software RAID and came up with the
> > > message "Bios software RAID detected on disks/dev/sdb /dev/sda.
> > > Activate it?" Neither Mageia 2 or Mageia 3 Beta1 recognize the BIOS
> > > software RAID. Do I need to file this as a bug or what do I need to
> > > do in order to install the later versions?
> > > 
> > > Thanks, Dick Gray
> > 
> > Sorry, I don't have a RAID and although I'm pretty sure I've seen a
> > bug or forum post (or errata item?) about this or something similar, I
> > can't look: it is bed time for me now.
> > 
> > Please ask such questions in the Forums or on the mageia-discuss
> > mailing list in future.
> > 
> > That increases the chance you'll get a good answer. I don't by far
> > know everything there is to know about Mageia.
> > 
> > cc'ing Mageia general discussions <mageia-discuss at mageia.org>
> > 
> > @ ml readers
> > If you answer, please send the answer to Dick, too.
> > Thx :)
> 
> While it does look like a bug...
> 
> it's discouraged to use bios software raid.
> 
> if ever the software raid mainboard fails, you will need the exact type to
> get your data back.
> 
> and it gives no benefit at all because it uses your cpu anyway, thus slowing
> things down. plus, while you have access to the raid, you have access to
> the single disk as well, thus making it possible to write to the single
> disk and destroying your data...
> 
> i would advise you to use linux raid instead.
> 
> unless you have true hardware raid (quite expensive), don't use it. it's
> only been invented because windows doesn't have software raid.

+1 To this advice.
Linux software raid is as fast if not faster than the fake raid chips found on 
most mother boards these days and with the advent of multicore cpu's the hit 
on your cpu's cycles is very small. if you m/board dies you can just move the 
hard drives to another m/board mount the raid array and you are up and 
running.
Tru hardware raid boards have room on them to install ram for catching but are 
still classed as "enterprise" hardware, so very expensive.
John Bowden (Led43_???)
-- 
Registered Linux user number 414240

Guy Faulks the only person to enter the Parliament with honest intentions and 
he was going to blow them up !