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Home > Forums > Server Rack > Storage: Disk, RAID and NAS/SAN > IBM Disk & RAID solutions Forum

Best Configuration for 4 Drives?Helpful Member! 

thread491-1664371
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Glowball (Programmer)
21 Oct 11 14:16
Hi all, please excuse what is probably a very basic and easy question.  I have two 1TB drives in a RAID1 right now and I just picked up two 2TB drives.  I'd like to keep a mirror in there somewhere and use all four drives.  I'm planning on formatting and resinstalling everything so I can set these up however I want.  How would you suggest I use the drives?  Thanks!
Helpful Member!  goombawaho (MIS)
22 Oct 11 8:15
Ok - three configs come to mind:

Two RAID 1 array - one with 1TB drives and one with the 2TB drives.

RAID 5 (three drives) + a hot spare.  Not very efficient because you will lose 1TB off each of the 2TB drives

One RAID 0 array (1TB drives) for O.S. and one RAID 1 array (2TB drivs) for data storage.  most efficiency and most performance you can get.
Glowball (Programmer)
22 Oct 11 8:35
Thanks for your answer!  If I do the last one you mentioned then I'll have 2TB for Windows 7 and 2TB for data, right?  Does Windows 7 need that much room?  I was thinking about doing your first suggestion and putting Windows 7 on the 1TB mirror because I didn't think it would ever need even that much room.

Is there some way to do a mirror that gives me 3TB all on one "drive" so they're all together?  I'm not sure if that's possible.
goombawaho (MIS)
23 Oct 11 8:38
That's correct that in RAID 0 the two disks are added together in terms of available space.

I would probably do the first option because it gives your system more reliability.

You could also do the RAID 1 for data (2TB), install Windows 7 on a single (non-raid) drive and use the other 1TB drive to put an image backup on (Acronis, Ghost, etc.).

Lots of possibilities.
Glowball (Programmer)
23 Oct 11 11:05
Thanks!  I'll do the first one on your suggestion, then.
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