partitioning

PROLIANT

jje wrote: »

Partitioning may be pointless ??.
All i know is that if the OS gets broken i dont lose my data as its not on The C partition . But i do lose it if that drive breaks except its on a partition on a different drive .If that drive starts to fail then i can copy over to the other drive .
Suits my style of working and thats often the only reason for doing something . Individual preference over technical mumbo jumbo .

jje

Technical mumbo jumbo as you quoted translates into correct working practice and solutions to problems etc, as you stated it's your preference but I think if something is not "technically" understood then it should be clarified, if you understand computer hardware at a level other than "magazine speak" then you can understand how to correctly configure systems like RAID.

BillScarab

Yep, RAID 5 is good but you need at elast thre discs and I seem to remember that the RAID controllers on some motherboards in'home' PCs only support 0 or 1. I'm sure my old PC only had those options.

THe only one I've ever bothered with at home is RAID 1, the speed advantages of RAID 0 are pretty much theoretical for home users and the the increased risk of losing your data by using two disks isn't worth it.

totalsolutions

If the raid controller fails you lose the lot, cause when you replace the controller is does not recognise the disc setup.
Only have more partitions if you want to run multiple opererating systems on one hard drive, keeps them seperate and apart from each other. Use one large disc, keep files in folders and backup folders to storage drives and cd.

PROLIANT

That is why we still should be taking regular offline backups onto a tape, DVD or an external HDD.

russ_gillespie

I think this is obviously down to opinion and preference. It also depends on the users knowledge in the event of a problem.

If the user has all their data on one partition, and they mess up the operating system, are they going to have the knowledge to retrieve that data before before attempting any kind of repair on the OS?

If the user has the OS on one partition and their data on another, and they mess up the OS, then they can simple reinstall the OS (if need be) onto the first partition and not affect their data. Surely this is easier?

The argument of data redundancy is a completely different subject. Mirroring is a good option for any home user, disks are so cheap these days. I personally stripe my disks and backup once a month. But again, it's all down to preference.

For this user, I think mirroring and two partitions is the best option. It's not what I'd do myself, but that's besides the point.

Russ

PROLIANT

And if a RAID controller fails on a mirrored Array than it does not matter because you have a replica on another physical disk, unlike RAID 5 where the Array rebuilds itself from the Parity data and does rely on the RAID BIOS config.

Treacle_2-2

Hi again guys
I know peeople have discussed this now but can i just add one more thing here to see if i am getting this, sorry but have been thinking about this.
Having raid1 hope i understand this here it mirrors what i put on the other drive (hope thats correct) if so then i dont have to partition the second drive do i as this will be a mirror image of drive one? is that correct or am i being totally thick and way of target on that one.
cheers

PROLIANT

Treacle wrote: »

Hi again guys
I know peeople have discussed this now but can i just add one more thing here to see if i am getting this, sorry but have been thinking about this.
Having raid1 hope i understand this here it mirrors what i put on the other drive (hope thats correct) if so then i dont have to partition the second drive do i as this will be a mirror image of drive one? is that correct or am i being totally thick and way of target on that one.
cheers

Yes, RAID 1 mirrors each drive, so what ever goes on drive 0 is reflected on drive 1, if you lose disk 0 or disk 1 you still have a copy of your data, if the RAID controller dies or the mobo dies you still got your data unlike RAID 5 or 0 where the array relies on the RAID controller BIOS config.

BillScarab

I y ou use RAID 1 (mirroring) disc 2 is an exact copy of disc 1. The only problem with it is if you have 2 250Gb discs you only have 250Gb of usable storage as one disc is used for the mirror. However personally I think that is a price worth paying.

Make sure you take seperate backups as well and leave them somewhere else such as a relatives or at work. That way you have a copy if the PC is nicked or you have a fire.

russ_gillespie

Treacle with mirroring you will not see the second drive. It will be hidden unless you know where to look. The mirroring will occur automatically.