Can i use a 320gb harddrive and 500gb harddrive to create raid 1

[aneeshkichu]

Hai...
Can we create a raid 1 partition using harddrives of different storage capacity ?
I hav a HDD with 320gb storage and another with 500gb storage capacity. can i create raid 1 with these HDDs .

 

[vesp3r]

this link should help you. http://lifehacker.com/5986883/how-to-combine-multiple-hard-drives-into-one-volume-for-cheap-high-capacity-storage

 

[SuperSoph_WD]

Hey there, aneeshkichu!

This is definitely not a good idea! It is recommended to use identical NAS/RAID drives for RAID configurations.
RAID 1 would limit the size to the smallest drive in the array.
It is not advisable to combine different HDD brands, let alone different sizes.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_RAID_levels

Hope this helps! Let me know if you have more questions!
SuperSoph_WD

 

[fzabkar]

@aneeshkichu, it is perfectly OK to mix different drives and different brands in a RAID 1 configuration. In fact many people consider it to be a very good idea. The whole point of a RAID 1 array is that data are mirrored on two redundant drives so that if one drive fails, the other will still have your data. It stands to reason that you wouldn't want to duplicate an unreliable model in a mirror, so the best protection from that possibility would be to use dissimilar models and brands.

If for some reason your RAID controller cannot handle different capacities in a mirror, then you could use a tool such as HDAT2 or hdparm to reduce the capacity of the largest HDD by way of a Host Protected Area (HPA).

 

[fzabkar]

@aneeshkichu, one thing to consider in a RAID is how the individual drives respond to a PSU failure, specifically an overvoltage.

For example, WD's drives are poorly protected, if at all, and typically fail in a catastrophic manner.

Catastrophic failures in Western Digital PCBs:
http://www.hddoracle.com/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=1119

It is for this reason that I would advise against building a RAID using WD's drives exclusively.

Here is a recent example that illustrates why dissimilar brands would be advisable:

http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2559035/hdd-die-pairs.html#last-response-on-page

After a PSU overvoltage, the user's WD drive "goes in goldscrap box" (or to an expensive data recovery lab) while the Seagate drive sustains minimal damage that can easily be repaired by a DIY-er. An exclusive WD array would have essentially no redundancy in such a case.

 

[aneeshkichu]

Thank you for this best solution...