JBOD with current HDD ?

[Phrik]

I googled and also search'd many forums and review... but no answer found, so....

I got many HDDs totalling around 2TB. Mostly filled with files already, and some are halfway. If I get a controller or a new mobo that supports JBOD. Will it require to "format" the HDDs that I will join for JBOD ? Because, unlike what I've read about setting up RAIDs 0 or 1 (or maybe others) once I build the RAID it will require the HDDs be formatted... so I wanna know some details about this issue when it comes to building for JBOD.

Many thanks in advance....

 

[defakto]

Most likely. I've haven't messed with JBOD on controllers, mainly in software but if I recall a format was necessary there.

 

[BinarySynapse]

i believe the point of jbod is to combine all the hardrives under one filesystem, so yeah a format/repartition would be necessary

 

[drizzt81]

well: it depends.

You may be able to use Windows 'software' JBOD to combine drives and it may not require a reformat.

 

[BinarySynapse]

well: it depends.

You may be able to use Windows 'software' JBOD to combine drives and it may not require a reformat.

wouldn't that just link the hardrives under a folder in the root filesystem? Kinda like linux mount point except no as versatile. I guess you'd get the same end result, but you'd only be using the linked harddrives if you put files in their linked folder.

Off topic... Couldn't you set up a moint point arrangment for Windows by linknig a partition to C:\Program Files, and another to C:\Documents and Settings?

Ryan

 

[drizzt81]

wouldn't that just link the hardrives under a folder in the root filesystem? Kinda like linux mount point except no as versatile. I guess you'd get the same end result, but you'd only be using the linked harddrives if you put files in their linked folder.

Off topic... Couldn't you set up a moint point arrangment for Windows by linknig a partition to C:\Program Files, and another to C:\Documents and Settings?

Ryan

No, it's not and I was not clear. I will be a bit more verbose:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/325590
"How to use Diskpart.exe to extend a data volume in Windows Server 2003, in Windows XP, and in Windows 2000"

Diskpart, a command line utility, lets you extend an NTFS filesystem across more than one disk. However, you'd have to move your data to one disk, then "clean" the other (certainly format, maybe repartition) and then extend the filesystem across the newly cleaned disk. The OP said that he had a lot of disks, some of which were partially full, so he'd have to do quite a bit of moving data around in order to work this. However, no new format of all disks would be required. The probability of a data loss is certainly 'medium to high' during the conversion, so backups would be a really, really good idea.

 

[Phrik]

.... with all I read...

...will this mean that I will need to reformat all HDDs that I will join for JBOD ? That kinda sux... I will need an extra 2TB storage just to make backups of all my HDDs then `=_=

 

[drizzt81]

.... with all I read...

...will this mean that I will need to reformat all HDDs that I will join for JBOD ? That kinda sux... I will need an extra 2TB storage just to make backups of all my HDDs then `=_=

Not really, it largely depends on how full your HDD is at the moment. You can go step by step:

1. take HDD1, this is your initial HDD, there is some space left
2. move over all the files from HDD2 to HDD1, thereby emptying HDD2
3. use diskpart to extend the filesystem from HDD1 across HDD1 and HDD2
4. the extended filesystem form HDD1+HDD2 now become HDD1. Start at step 1 with the next HDD you have

but yes, if this data is irrecoverable, then you NEED to make backups.

 

[Phrik]

Not really, it largely depends on how full your HDD is at the moment. You can go step by step:

1. take HDD1, this is your initial HDD, there is some space left
2. move over all the files from HDD2 to HDD1, thereby emptying HDD2
3. use diskpart to extend the filesystem from HDD1 across HDD1 and HDD2
4. the extended filesystem form HDD1+HDD2 now become HDD1. Start at step 1 with the next HDD you have

but yes, if this data is irrecoverable, then you NEED to make backups.

I thought of that one myself, but it's too risky for me. I guess I will just have to run them independently... Well there are 24 usable drive letters so... what the heck I'll leave it as is