Self-contained internal RAID to use as an ESXi datastore and boot device

I

idea

Gawd
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Jan 24, 2005
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I'm building an "all in one" and I notice ESXi is picky about RAID controllers. It only likes hardware-based ones. Most onboard controllers, aka software RAID controllers, will not work. If you're not willing to install a hardware RAID controller, you can always run a single drive and hope for the best.

So I'm looking at a new solution to the problem. New to me, anyway. I'm not exactly what to call these so I went with "Self-contained internal RAID" in the title. They are software based RAID controllers that perform RAID functions upstream from the SATA port they are plugged in to. Rather than configure it via the BIOS or OS levels, it is configured via a DIP switch usually on the rear of the unit. It is completely invisible to the OS so ESXi will never know that there is a RAID array behind the "SATA device" that it is booting off.

I'm looking for something that supports mirroring (RAID1) two 2.5" SFF drives. SAS is preferred but SATA will do as well. Here are some items I found that can be installed inside my all-in-one box:


These are really hard to google which is why I had to make a post about it. Does anyone have any other ideas?
 
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idea said:
I'm building an "all in one" and I notice ESXi is picky about RAID controllers. It only likes hardware-based ones. Most onboard controllers, aka software RAID controllers, will not work. If you're not willing to install a hardware RAID controller, you can always run a single drive and hope for the best.

So I'm looking at a new solution to the problem. New to me, anyway. I'm not exactly what to call these so I went with "Self-contained internal RAID" in the title. They are software based RAID controllers that perform RAID functions upstream from the SATA port they are plugged in to. Rather than configure it via the BIOS or OS levels, it is configured via a DIP switch usually on the rear of the unit. It is completely invisible to the OS so ESXi will never know that there is a RAID array behind the "SATA device" that it is booting off.

I'm looking for something that supports mirroring (RAID1) two 2.5" SFF drives. SAS is preferred but SATA will do as well. Here are some items I found that can be installed inside my all-in-one box:


These are really hard to google which is why I had to make a post about it. Does anyone have any other ideas?
Click to expand...

a hardware raid-1 for esxi should be fine
i use a driverless http://www.raidsonic.de/en/products/soho-raid.php?we_objectID=5732

it may help for a better availability
 
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I found out the Sans Digital IR12TB I mentioned in the first post has an audible alarm for failure notifications. Too bad it's out of stock
 
Found another 2-bay on eBay: ********** 229rsh. Listed as "Dual Bay 2 x 2.5" SATA HDD Hard Disk RAID 0/1/JBOD Rack"

And finally... what I've been waiting to find all this time. The cheapest solution to the problem! BEHOLD!

SYBA SY-PEX40045 SATA II (3.0Gb/s) 1:2 (2x1) Internal SATA II Port Multiplier

phpVZpK7N.JPG
 
Man, that SYBA SY-PEX40045 looks indeed perfect.
Too bad it is nowhere available in the EU ...
 
:/ Anyone actually using this stuff? Seems like there has to be a better solution than relying on any of these.

How do you even know if a drive fails?
 
bexamous said:
:/ Anyone actually using this stuff? Seems like there has to be a better solution than relying on any of these.

How do you even know if a drive fails?
Click to expand...

LED turns red? Also, I know for a fact that the IR12TB model has an internal speaker that buzzes when a disks fails.
 
I posted about ********** up above, but I did not include these items that they make:

http://www.**********.com.cn/en/Products.aspx?typeid=57

http://www.**********.com.cn/en/images/2011720113944406.jpg http://www.**********.com.cn/en/images/2011720113815718.jpg

http://www.**********.com.cn/en/images/2011469233234.jpg http://www.**********.com.cn/en/images/20114692230546.jpg
 
I assume this only works for "RAID 1" If you start using it from when the drive is first formatted?

How exactly does this work, does it just send the signals to both drives? What if one drive returns read errors?
 
Most onboard controllers, aka software RAID controllers
Click to expand...
Just fyi, it's called FakeRAID or motherboard RAID, software RAID is totally different.
 
I bought the ********** 229rsh I mentioned in an earlier post. It was around $65 shipped from their eBay store. About half the price of anything else. I put in a matching pair of 2.5" 5400RPM drives and set it to RAID1. I'm only getting 5MB/s read/write. Something is wrong.

I might just return it, I don't like it's cheap construction anyway. It feels flimsy. You need the key to remove the drive. If I ever lost the keys I'd be in big trouble.

Then again, I might not. I'm too lazy to order another and I don't care if I get 5MB/s. It's just for ESXi + Solaris boot drives.
 
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I plan to purchase the ********** CAS3922-S2R and wonder
- whether I must use the shipped RAID-software (which I expect to be super-crappy)
- how I am noticed of hdd/raid errors
- if this thing is decently working in RAID 1 as a ESXi vm-datastore

anyone experience with this cheapo stuff?
 
finding a raid solution for esx is pretty easy.

If it requires software, it won't work. Lucky that card doesn't require software though.
 
Btw, the ********** CAS3922-S2R seems [1] to use the JMicron JMB390 [2].

After a bit of googling the old vertex apex did use the very same JMB390 for internal Raid0 [3].
So these crappy 5MB/sec look like there is really something wrong, doesn't it?

[1] http://storageanddrivesblog.blogspot.com/2011/10/sata-x-2-**********-cas3922-s2r-sata2-raid.html
[2] http://www.jmicron.com/Product_JMB390.htm
[3] http://bench mark reviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=290&Itemid=60 (the forum is killing this url??)
 
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Any updates how this is working for esxi? Thinking about picking up one of these so I dont have to waste a pci slot on my boot array for esxi+oi: http:///16YlLlc
I'm hoping it has some sort of audible alarm but it doesn't look like it. Same jmb390 chip though...
 
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