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Personal file server - need good SATA RAID 5 controller

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aNtHrAx323

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Mar 10, 2000
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I've got a P4 2.4 on an older i845 motherboard and need a good SATA RAID 5 controller. I'd prefer a 32-bit/33MHz card to prevent the need for a complete system overhaul to PCIe or 64-bit slots, but if I'd be making a huge sacrifice, I'll just save my money a bit longer and go for a complete system overhaul (my data is, after all, my biggest concern). Oh, and another requirement is 100% support for Linux. That means no hacked drivers, I need factory support. No way in hell am I running Windows on my file server. I'm eyeing Adaptec's offerings, but they'd require that I go the complete upgrade route. I'd like to steer away from Promise if possible. Any suggestions?
 
Since you're going Linux anyway and have a P4 with plenty or horsepower...software RAID-5?
 
I've considered it, but I'd like the portability of a hardware solution. Should anything go wrong, I don't have the means to back up the 600+ GB of data this array will contain.
 
the only feasible option is promise sx4-m but I dont think there is a driver for the 2.6 kernel and their linux drivers allways sucked IMHO
other than that LSI 150-4/150-6 which is supposed to have OK performance, Adaptec's stuff which should on par with LSI and 3ware but it gets much more expensive with either of these. They are all 64bit/66Mhz cards but work fine in 32bit/33MHz slots.
cheaper cards (highpoint comes to mind) are not HW based, raidcore cards fall in this category too I guess, with these you can't really expect more than software raid

but personally, I'd go with linux software raid for several reasons:
-) save the ~300$ for the good controllers
-) more portability actually since you can put in any linux pc with configured /etc/raidtab and newer kernel, with a HW solution the card goes poof and you need to RMA/buy a new one, with the array sitting idle
-) a card does not give any more safety, in either case the hdd's are susceptible to same failure, be it mechanical,power problems,water etc
-) features - software raid can do the same (well, no raid6 but who cares, and online expansion is not backed 100% by creators, with cards it should work a bit more reliable)

I'm going the same software raid5 route next week with FC3
for a 4x160G array raid5 storing hdtv streams (with mostly no backup as it's not feasible $wise), second 4x250G array planned in the next 2 months if I can get my hands on enough HD stuff
for sequential writes the performance should be in the 20MB/s++ ballpark, random and small writes should be less (I guess ~10MB/s with heavy random writes). Reads I expect ~60MB/s but I don't really care abou that anyway.

edit: but if you are storing irreplacable data why not go with a 'JBOD' with LVM and just store a compressed backup (if files not compressed allready) on 2 external harddrives that are in the closet - saved from power spikes, other disaster or being stolen. Costs less, no overhead lost to raid and have a good backup this way.
 
I just rebuilt my file server with this card its linux compatible. Possibly more then your looking to spend though. Ive got 6 250GB drives in RAID5. Its also in my 1.7ghz P4 in a regular PCI slot.
 
jonw757 said:
I just rebuilt my file server with this card its linux compatible. Possibly more then your looking to spend though. Ive got 6 250GB drives in RAID5. Its also in my 1.7ghz P4 in a regular PCI slot.
Click to expand...

just wanted to point (as you might allready know) that that card has no I/O processor for XOR calculations and no onboard memory - raid5 calculations are done in driver only. Very good reads and excelent card with great software (allthough from my experience highpoint's support sucks)
the upcoming highpoint 2720 should have 128M ram and I/O proc btw :)
 
ohknats said:
B.T.W. Whats wrong with using Winblows for a file server?
Click to expand...
Wow, disparaging and defending in one sentence. ;)

Not everyone has a spare license around, and it's a heck of a lot easier to remote manage Linux servers IMO. Those'd be my reasons, anyways.
 
I was going to suggest the Promise S150 SX4, but seems like you're steering away from Promise.

Brother had that in his file server I built for his company, running only Windows XP Professional though (they had no one onsite that knows Linux...pity!)

Performs like a champ, and is reliable! Loved the fact that for a demonstration I pulled one hard drive from the Raid setup while the system was running. Not a hiccup, the other two drives just rebuilt to the 4th redudant spare drive while Windows continued along happy as can be.

Oh, and I put in a 512mb stick on the board. Promise says only up to 256mb, but the 512 was recognized just fine on boot up as 512mb, and never a problem since.

Anyways, thats my 2cents worth on the S150 SX4. Sure, there are faster alternatives, but from my research into building this system a year ago, you had to go wtih PCIx or PCI-64bit to gain any performance, and those boards were usually around $500 and up. S150 is around $150 i think nowadays.

Anyways, 2cents worth.
 
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