RAID advice needed

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P00HB33R

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Hi Guys,

Just wanted to get your opinions.

We have a fileserver that we are replacing. Basically it stores all the coreldraw files being used by our artworker, and we are also running a small SQL database application on the same server.

Our network is full gigabit.

What would you suggest in terms of raid selection and also, SSD or HDD.

The setup I was looking at is as follows:
Core i5 Quad Core
16GB RAM
4 x 240GB SSD in Raid 0
1 x 1TB HDD as backup drive for SSD's

But now i'm wondering if it would be better just to do a RAID 5 or 6 with normal 1TB HDD's.

Your advice is appreciated.
 
The setup I was looking at is as follows:
Core i5 Quad Core
16GB RAM
4 x 240GB SSD in Raid 0
4 x 1TB HDD in RAID6 as backup drive for SSD's
Click to expand...

Or, even better, buy two machines, similarly specced, but one with the 4x SSD's, and the other with the 4x 1Tb's.

Then you use the second PC as a backup.
 
So you have a database that isnt protected with fault tolerance? WTF?


RAID 1 or 10.
 
Rickster said:
So you have a database that isnt protected with fault tolerance? WTF?


RAID 1 or 10.
Click to expand...

The database isnt mission critical and there is twice daily backups being run on the database & coreldraw files to a NAS.

My main concern is speeding up access times to coreldraw files & fault tollerance.

Looking at raid 10 with 6 x 1TB drives now. Seems to be the cheapest yet safest option
 
P00HB33R said:
The database isnt mission critical and there is twice daily backups being run on the database & coreldraw files to a NAS.

My main concern is speeding up access times to coreldraw files & fault tollerance.

Looking at raid 10 with 6 x 1TB drives now. Seems to be the cheapest yet safest option
Click to expand...

I would suggest still to do a daily backup to NAS.

Because Mr Murphy. ;)

By the by, do you overwrite the previous day's backup, or do you keep it separate?
 
The_Librarian said:
I would suggest still to do a daily backup to NAS.

Because Mr Murphy. ;)

By the by, do you overwrite the previous day's backup, or do you keep it separate?
Click to expand...

There is one full backup done very 7 days (kept for 21 days) and incremental backups run twice daily.

The database is fully backed up twice daily, and incrementals are kept for 21 days.

Me thinks i'm going for the RAID 10 with 6 x 1TB's
 
Why did RAID 5/6 pop in to your head? Have you seen how complicated that looks? My brain hurts now.
 
Rickster said:
Why did RAID 5/6 pop in to your head? Have you seen how complicated that looks? My brain hurts now.
Click to expand...
It's not that complicated but the controllers are expensive and if you have a power outage and the battery on the controller is faulty....
 
Raid 5 or Raid 10, with normal good quality HDD's. Then consider a offsite backup solution as well.
 
lcbxx said:
It's not that complicated but the controllers are expensive and if you have a power outage and the battery on the controller is faulty....
Click to expand...

What is the implications in terms of power failure with RAID 10? I will be using the built-in raid controller of the motherboard. The server will have a UPS, but i'm thinking worst case scenario here?
 
P00HB33R said:
There is one full backup done very 7 days (kept for 21 days) and incremental backups run twice daily.

The database is fully backed up twice daily, and incrementals are kept for 21 days.

Me thinks i'm going for the RAID 10 with 6 x 1TB's
Click to expand...

Good choice.

Suggestion - Whenever you're about to run a backup, archive the previous backup. Then do the backup.

This way you will have a good (older) backup. Because Cryptolocker is real and is a threat.

paul5186 said:
Raid 5 or Raid 10, with normal good quality HDD's. Then consider a offsite backup solution as well.
Click to expand...

Don't use RAID5 if you can use RAID6 rather.

Because, with RAID5, its weakness lies in the fact that, if it rebuilds after replacing a faulty hard drive, and another hard drive fails, you've lost the whole RAID. Best to go with RAID6 as it can have two hard drives fail, and be still functioning.

Oh, and by the way, it is recommended to do a full backup FIRST before swapping out any faulty RAID hard drives. ;)
 
P00HB33R said:
What is the implications in terms of power failure with RAID 10? I will be using the built-in raid controller of the motherboard. The server will have a UPS, but i'm thinking worst case scenario here?
Click to expand...
As with anything in the cache, it will be lost when power is suddenly cut. With RAID 1/10 the mirroring should realign automatically, but it will also mirror any corruption.
 
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