I am LOST. New to RAID. Want to set up RAID 1; please help!

[gjdagis]

I have an ASUS P8Z77-V LE Motherboard and an SSD for booting (C drive and 2 (D: and E HDD drives for data. I want to make the two high capacity drives 4TB RAID 1 drives since it's the DATA I would like backed up first of all in REAL TIME. Please tell me where to go from here to get this accomplished, if it is possible. I KNOW that most people use the C: drive (with OS) as one of the RAID 1 drives s that they can boot up as usual in case of a problem. I hope SOMEDAY to d that but they don't MAKE 3TB+ SSD drives that will hold all of my data plus my OS and programs etc.

Again. please just tell me how to set up the 2 HDDs (D: and E in a RAID 1 system. If you may answer a SECOND question. Might I be able to set up a SECOND RAID 1 so that I can buy another matching SSD and be able to back up the OS and programs TOO along with the first RAID 1 that keeps my data backed up.

Thank you SO much for your help. You don't know how much this means t me!

 

[jsmithepa]

Already don't like what you are saying.

RAID is not backup. RAID1 writes the same exact thing to both drives. You put bad data on drive 1, the same bad data goes to drive 2. RAID is for hardware redundancy, if drive 1 dies, your system still functions with drive 2, until you are able to replace drive 1.

2nd Thing I don't like what you said, Backup to SSD. That's one expensive way to do backups. A backup, you write to it once then put it away, why will you pay (relatively) expensive SSD just to put it away?

 

[LB23]

You setup raid in the bios. Your motherboard manual has all the info you need if you dont have it here is a digital version. Page 150 on should have all you need to know for your motherboard.
http://www.manualslib.com/manual/324985/Asus-P8z77-V-Le-Plus.html?page=150#manual

 

[gjdagis]

That's exactly what I need. I am constantly modifying files located all OVER the over 1,000+ directories and I can't keep going to the backup to change files every time I make any modification to the original data. I am spending MORE time making backups to my files than I am actually DOING MY WORK! In an eight hour day I spend about 3 hours PLUS just making backups to every file since I need to go into all the branches of the directory and find the EXACT file I changed and replace it with the new one. Some of these files are deep in the directory, VERY DEEP! This is INSANE! I want to make TWO drives with the SAME data that will stay synchronized so that if one fails I have a backup.

And. NO. I didn't say I want to use SSD for BACKUP. I am using my 2 4TB HDDs for that! I want to use 2 SSDs for my OPERATING system so if it crashes I can get right back up.

What I am asking is HOW to set up the RAID 1 for my DATA drives (the HDDS) and the second quetion is if you can have a SECOND RAID 1 system running which would be 2 SSD drives with only the OPERATING system on them.

Already don't like what you are saying.

RAID is not backup. RAID1 writes the same exact thing to both drives. You put bad data on drive 1, the same bad data goes to drive 2. RAID is for hardware redundancy, if drive 1 dies, your system still functions with drive 2, until you are able to replace drive 1.

2nd Thing I don't like what you said, Backup to SSD. That's one expensive way to do backups. A backup, you write to it once then put it away, why will you pay (relatively) expensive SSD just to put it away?

 

[gjdagis]

Thank you. So I take it that there is no other hardware that is needed. I should simply install the 2 drives in the usual manner in the usual places and then just go into the BIOS to make them behave as RAID 1 drives. I still don't get how to make them act as RAID 1 vs. RAID 0, for example.

You setup raid in the bios. Your motherboard manual has all the info you need if you dont have it here is a digital version. Page 150 on should have all you need to know for your motherboard.
http://www.manualslib.com/manual/324985/Asus-P8z77-V-Le-Plus.html?page=150#manual

 

[USAFRet]

Please describe to us, in 2 sentences or less, what you believe a RAID 0 or 1 will do for you.
Then, in one additional sentence, Why.

 

[gjdagis]

I want two drives that will have the same exact data on them at any one time.

 

[USAFRet]

I want two drives that will have the same exact data on them at any one time.

Can you support a 20 minute rebuild time?

RAID 1 is rarely the answer for a non corporate installation.
And if a corporate installation, there is also an actual backup.

RAID 1 can help in one and only 1 instance: An actual physical drive fail, and needing actual 24/7 ops.
For instance, if you were running a webstore. A RAID 1 might allow the system to limp along on one drive.

However #1 - RAID 1 is not a backup
However #2 - a physical drive fail is pretty damn rare.
However #3 - See #1.

 

[USAFRet]

We can go into other methods of what you actually want to accomplish if you want.
Methods that do not screw up your system, or reduce the actual performance.

Something that actually might work.

 

[gjdagis]

I'm game. I would appreciate another suggestion.

We can go into other methods of what you actually want to accomplish if you want.
Methods that do not screw up your system, or reduce the actual performance.

Something that actually might work.

 

[USAFRet]

OK
If you can survive a 15 or 20 minute rebuild of your C drive...
A regular, scheduled image, using Macrium Reflect.

I have my system set to do a full image of the C drive, to another drive, every night at 2AM.
Every night, keep for 2 weeks, deleting the oldest.
Every Sunday, do the same, to another PC on the house LAN, keep for 4 weeks (4 copies)

In case of actual badness happening. Bad drive, corruption, virus, whatever....choose which image I wish to use, boot from the Macrium Reflect rescue USB...reconstitute to whatever drive I choose.

A RAID 1 simply means the BadStuff happens on 2 drives at the same time. Opps, I deleted something by accident"
RAID 1 means Oops...it is GOnE.

This nightly imaging takes 15 minutes, at 2AM, unattended.

Other data on other drives is backed up via a File/Folder copy mechanism. I use SyncBackFree for this.
Or it could be done with the above mentioned Macrium Reflect.


There are other options in Macrium Reflect, where you could designate a whole other drive, as a direct bootable clone of your C.
Personally, I find that to be a bit overkill. I can survive a 15 minute resurrection time from an image, rather than designating a whole drive to a full clone.