On 14/09/2013 10:54, Grant wrote: >>>> Exactly what RAID controller are you getting? >>>>> >>>>> My personal rule of thumb: on-board RAID controllers are not worth the >>>>> silicon they are written on. Decent hardware raid controllers do exist, >>>>> but they plug into big meaty slots and cost a fortune. By "a fortune" I >>>>> mean a number that will make you gulp then head off to the nearest pub >>>>> and make the barkeep's day. (Expensive, very expensive). >>>>> >>>>> Sans such decent hardware, best bet is always to do it using Linux >>>>> software RAID, and the Gentoo guide is a fine start. >>> I'm told it will likely be an "Adaptec 7000 series controller". >> >> I'm not familiar with that model, but the white paper at the vendor's >> site indicates it's of the decent variety. You might as well use it then :-) >> >> Adaptec's stuff is rather good on the whole, we use exclusively Dell and >> Adaptec is by far the most common controller shipped. I can only recall >> one hardware failure or problem since 2003 over 300+ machines. The odds >> are in your favour today :-) > > Can a controller like that handle a 6-drive RAID 10 array? > > Is a hot spare handled by the controller or is it configured in the OS?
The problem with questions of that nature is that the answer is always "It depends" With hardware, the vendor can release almost any imaginable configuration and it's up to them what they want to build into their product and the variations are endless. Typically, a Series designation is a bunch of products built to a certain form factor with the same basic silicon on board. The difference in the models if how many drives they support and the feature list. "Series 7000" tells us very little. You will need to get the exact model number from your hardware vendor then consult Adaptec's tech docs to find out the supported feature set -- Alan McKinnon alan.mckin...@gmail.com
