Parallel or Serial ATA RAID?

[SelbyGlenn]

Hi there,

I have to build an archive server for my company’s old emails. Access time isn't really an issue here as it's only holding old data. I reckon I will need over 150GB of space so I intend to buy 2 180GB ATA drives and run them as RAID1. The question is though, serial or parallel? With serial being so new I don't want to end up in a years time with a server equivalent of a Betamax VCR! On the other hand though, the operating system is Linux 7.3 and I'm struggling to find a parallel ATA RAID card that supports it.

Thanks in advance,


Glenn
BEng MCSE CCA

 

[cdogg]

If you're worried about future compatibility (4 or 5 years down the road), then definitely go with Serial ATA. Hard drive technology is still playing "catch-up" with the interface and doesn't have sustained transfer rates anywhere near 100MB/s.

Currently, it doesn't matter which one you have, and parallel runs slightly faster than SATA in many cases though not noticeable (only in benchmarks). It seems that SATA has some room to improve, but like with any new technology, that is normal.

It will probably be at least 3 years before SATA overtakes parallel. Even then, parallel will still be around for several more years after that.


~cdogg
[tab]"The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources"
[tab][tab]- A. Einstein