Help with HP ML350 raid config......

[redwolf27]

Hi Folks,

I am new to the forums here and looking for some advice.. I work for a medium size gov't organization and we are in the process of upgrading our SQL/IIS server. I am ordering an ML350 Dual Xeon 3.0 ghz, 2 gig ram, 200/400 tape drive, 2 76 gig and 3 146 gig drives.

Now initially i was just going to order the Tower model without any additional RAID controllers. My intention was to run the system (OS) partition with RAID0 using the two 76 gig and RAID5 for the data partition using the 3 146 gig drives both through the onboard scsi controllers. And configure raid through Windows Server 2003. But after looking on these forums and talking to a few other people they tell me that I am far better off ordering a RAID5 card to run the stripe set on a hardware level. And avoid using RAID through the OS for perfomance reasons. Our current server runs RAID0 through the OS with no glitches. Also I have been told that running RAID5 on an SQL server is not recommended.

If I am to buy the RAID5 card should I still run RAID0 on the onboard controller for the system partition? I guess I am just a little unsure what the configuration should be and if any of this makes sense... I know I have asked alot of questions here but any advice would be greatly appreciated. Cheers.

 

[redwolf27]

Hi Guys I can't figure out how to edit my post but I made a BIG mistake. I kept saying RAID0 when in fact it should read RAID1 (mirroring)... That should make more sense...Sorry having a rough night here...

 

[nmarchini]

Hi, did you ever resolve this issue? If you still need an answer then post somehting and I will check it out.

 

[Sunny79]

If you want a dual controller option within you server drive cage, you have to make sure that the server supports the duplex drive cage option. This basically means that the SCSI backplane is divided into two parts for two controllers to connect to. If this is the case with the ML350 then you can proceed, otherwise your only option is to buy to an external Storage Enclosure.

To sum things up. Lets assume that you have the ideal duplexed setup; in this case your setup should be:

First array controller running RAID level 1 connected to the two 72 GB harddrives. The second array controller running RAID level 0+1 connected to the remaining harddrives. The RAID 0+1 is a great option to go with, but uses half your total disk space so make sure that you can meet the space requirements specified.

Good Luck.