Raid + Scsi

[texas_techie]

Ok I got a newbie question. I know scsi has a different interface than IDE. But i understand there are adapters. SO could I set up my scsi hard-drives in a RAID configuration?

Im not sure since i know I need a scsi host adapter, but could I connect the host card to a raid card (via an adapter)?
I think I may be nuts, but could someone with more know-how fill me in?

 

[Red_Zealot]

Your SCSI card might support RAID.

SCSI RAID is quite a high-end endaevor- Cards like this can cost thousands of dollars...You might want to check the classifieds to see if anyone is selling their SCSI RAID card.

"If you teach a child to read, then he or her will be able to pass a literacy test" - George W.

 

[jihiggs]

you can software stripe your drive with nt/2k/xp but if you want to mirror you need server.

i went to the tomshardware forums and all i got was this lousy signature.

 

[texas_techie]

OK guys. After reading a little about scsi and raid, and posting. I understand there are Scsi/Raid cards. Ie.. scsi cards that support raid. I saw several adaptec cards with this spec. The two I ran into were around 140$. One channel scsi with 2 internal connectors with 1 external. Ultra160.
Of course the hard drives for ultra160 are expensive too.
But holy cow, 160mb/sec throughput! ANyway. Im looking into this so i can do some video editing.
Here is the setup. I already have a 10k LVD scsi HD. Gonna put the OS on that one. Wanna get another 10k 40+ gig HD to put the files on. Raid 0 and a scsi/raid controller. Athlon XP1700, ddr2700..
Any thoughts for a mobo? I dont like the poor performance of the via southbridge...
Thanks for your input.

 

[Guest]

If you're really interested in speed, why not wait till later this year when Serial ATA becomes available? 600MB/sec transfers! No SCSI raid can compare to that, and the cost isn't supposed to be more than current IDE technology.

 

[texas_techie]

I have now looked into serial ata. I see that both SIS and ALI have serial ata on their roadmaps. But i find it hard to believe it will recieve widespread adoption among mobo manufacturers. Here is why:

1. Its point to point - which means you need a separate channel on your mobo for each peripheral. If you have 6 internal devices, that 6 slots of the mobo. Thats a LOT of wiring and money.
2. Will the storage folks like Western Digital, seagate and Maxtor adopt serial ata? If not, whats the point. You got nothing to hook your mobo into. Also will other peripherals like CD-ROM and DVD go with serial?
3. You cant daisy chain, so that means a LOT of wires running around inside your comp. YES, i know, the wires for serial are narrower and thinner. But that advantage is offset by having to run so many wires inside the case.
ergo.. 4 ata33 cables vs. 8 serial cables.

There are advantages to serial, no doubt about it. Master and slave become meaningless. Lower voltage demands. Smaller cables, higher throughput, let stress on the drives. But I still have my doubts about wide spread adoption.
I think firewire could be adopted as a better standard. I assumed it could be ported for use with internal devices instead of just external. Thats just my 2 cents.
Anyone else wanna chime in here on the pro's and con's ?