[SOLVED] NVME RAID on AMD platform for dual boot

[anvoice]

Hello, not entirely sure if this is the best place to post as the question is about both hardware and software, but here goes. I'm planning to do a new build with the Ryzen 7950X, tentatively using the Gigabyte x670e Aorus Master motherboard. It has 4 M.2 NVME slots, so I thought of doing NVME RAID to protect the OS and the more sensitive data at least. Although I've done a fair bit of web reading for a good setup, I'm not yet sure what the best option is. It doesn't help that hardware RAID, especially on AMD motherboards, doesn't seem to be well looked at. I also want a dual boot system (Ubuntu with Windows 11) so that might complicate things in some scenarios. So far my ideas are to either use either two or four Sabrent Rocket Plus 2TB NVMEs (Up to 7,000/6,850 MB/s Seq. Read/Write ), with the following potential configurations (I'm not considering RAID 0 as that seems risky in case of motherboard or disk failure, although I did once successfully salvage such a raid after a mobo failed):

1. 2 drives in motherboard RAID 1, then install Linux, then Windows for dual boot (last I tried this the Linux bootloader was fine installing Windows alongside Linux, but the Windows bootloader wasn't as happy).
2. 4 drives in motherboard RAID 10, then same as (1) above
3. 2 independent RAID 1 sets, one for Linux, one for Windows. I'm guessing this would allow me to do software RAID since there would be no need to boot off a single volume.

The biggest reason I am thinking RAID at all is for redundancy, and possibly slight increase in performance, at least for reads. Of course, I realize I'll take a hit on space. Please feel free to critique and suggest, I welcome any advice!

 

[hotaru.hino]

Rather than RAID1 this, just keep the sensitive data on a separate drive and have a backup system in place. If the goal is to protect data loss, RAID1 isn't really a good solution.

 

[DSzymborski]

Yeah, RAID is a data availability solution, not a data protection solution. This risks losing data more than it helps protect it.

 

[anvoice]

Rather than RAID1 this, just keep the sensitive data on a separate drive and have a backup system in place. If the goal is to protect data loss, RAID1 isn't really a good solution.

Yeah, RAID is a data availability solution, not a data protection solution. This risks losing data more than it helps protect it.

Would you mind clarifying? It's the first time I heard that doing RAID 1 is more harm than good. Something to do with possible failure of the RAID mechanism?

Backup is a nice suggestion, and I have a small QNAP NAS I can use for this, but it's a learning curve to get backups working properly and I've yet to delve into that.

 

[DSzymborski]

Would you mind clarifying? It's the first time I heard that doing RAID 1 is more harm than good. Something to do with possible failure of the RAID mechanism?

Backup is a nice suggestion, and I have a small QNAP NAS I can use for this, but it's a learning curve to get backups working properly and I've yet to delve into that.

RAID basically only protects from drive failure, not from the several other reasons you can lose files (malware, human error, file corruption, malware, etc). It also increases complexity greatly and software/motherboard RAIDs fail all the time and be quite janky to recover. We literally deal with people who have used their RAIDs as backups and lost all their data constantly. Pretty much anyone who works on a lot of PC problems (you may even get a few chiming in here) and one of the few near-universalities is a loathing of RAID for 99% of consumers.

If you're having issues with a NAS, then a RAID just doubles down; it's far more complex. Even simpler methods, such as simply having software automatically back up a full disk image elsewhere or certain key files every so often, are far superior to any RAID if you're interested in a backup solution. You generally want the simplest method possible for the task at hand. There's no need to buy a flamethrower to weed your garden.

Now, you'll see, for example, Linus Tech Tips having a huge RAID. That's because data availability is so important. They have huge redundant dedicated backups elsewhere (both on and off site) but they have a RAID because they're dealing with very large, sequential video files, and it's mission important things, meaning they lose significant sums of money if the editing staff is just cooling their jets for a few hours while some videos recover.

From what you've said, I don't see the use case for a RAID. I see no reason to give you gigantic headaches without a big upside for all that aspirin.

 

[DSzymborski]

(My apologies, some of those sentences in my last post read like a monkey wrote them. Hopefully you got the gist. It's late.)

 

[anvoice]

(My apologies, some of those sentences in my last post read like a monkey wrote them. Hopefully you got the gist. It's late.)

Thanks, really appreciate the info! Definitely got the gist. While I'm by no means new to computers, I am just starting to learn the real intricacies of the subject, so I really appreciate you taking the time to explain this to me.

It's not that the NAS is giving me trouble per se: I've not gotten around to learning how to use it properly yet. I absolutely will have backups running eventually, but also wanted to be able to safeguard against things like downtime from losing my OS drive and having to restore it. Also, I tend to overbuild no matter what I do.

To clarify, do you think it's a bad idea to have both RAID 1 or RAID 10 and backups? That is, basically no benefit? I'm no expert, but my current system uses a RAID 0 which has actually survived a previous motherboard's failure (a new, differently branded motherboard automatically picked up the volume once I set up RAID 0 on it), so I wasn't particularly wary of additional complexity/headaches.

 

[hotaru.hino]

Unless your time is literally money, there isn't really a reason to overbuild the OS drive system. I can reinstall an OS and get back on my feet within an hour simply because I pared down what I actually need to install, what settings I need, among other things. And I have about 3-4 other things that could order a replacement drive from Amazon.

All RAID does is protect you from downtime. How much that downtime is worth is up to you.

 

[Deleted member 14196]

If you’re not a business running critical services, then downtime is not an issue. Save yourself a headache and don’t go with any raid.

 

[USAFRet]

but also wanted to be able to safeguard against things like downtime from losing my OS drive and having to restore it.

With a real backup solution, the 'downtime' of restoring a drive, OS or otherwise, is maybe an hour.

I have nightly incremental Image (Macrium Reflect) save to my NAS.
Death of any individual drive could be recovered in about an hour or two. Or any of the other forms of data loss.
oops, I formatted the wrong drive.
oops, I deleted the wrong thing.
oops oops oops....

A RAID 1 or 10 does nothing for that.

Further, I can reach back into one of the nightly Incrementals (keep for a rolling 30 days), and retrieve a previous copy of a critical file.

ex: I need the copy of a resume from 2 weeks ago.
No problem.


A RAID 1 is good if you're running a service that really needs that uptime.
For instance a webstore, where downtime can mean lost sales and revenue.
A RAID 1 will let the system limp along until such time as you can schedule that downtime to replace the failed drive. Sunday at 2AM, for instance.
And any business that has a RAID 1 for that does (or should have) a comprehensive backup routine as well.


Too many people see a RAID 1 and think their data will be protected.
And then something happens, and they find out it isn't.

 

[anvoice]

Thank you everyone for the great feedback. I might still get two drives to install Ubuntu and Windows separately but will avoid RAID and configure backups.

If you don't mind, I'll select the detailed answer @DSzymborski gave as the solution, as that came first and about sums everything up.

 

[USAFRet]

Thank you everyone for the great feedback. I might still get two drives to install Ubuntu and Windows separately but will avoid RAID and configure backups.

If you don't mind, I'll select the detailed answer @DSzymborski gave as the solution, as that came first and about sums everything up.

Somewhat modified since I wrote this, but the basics:

What is your backup situation at home?

What is your backup situation at home? And if you don't do that, why not? Every single day, I read multiple threads here of "How do I get my stuff back?" or "That drive had 5 years of photos of my kids!!" Be it a dead drive, dropped phone, virus, accidental deletion, formatting the wrong...

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