Just set up my first RAID array, question about backup...

Studabaker · Apr 13, 2009

Alright, so I finally entered the speed leagues a couple of days ago by getting a couple of 250GB drives for a RAID0 array. So far I'm loving it. Stuff is pretty damn fast, especially decompressing big RARs, that's even more than twice as fast.

The thing is, in about 2 weeks I plan on getting a new mobo, and I have heard that RAID arrays cannot simply be transplanted. I'm thinking of getting a single 500GB drive for back up of the RAID array. My question is, can apps like Norton Ghost (or other apps, I'm also looking for recommendations) create backups of RAID arrays (the main problem being the drivers, I guess) and would I be able to backup my 250GBx2 RAID array onto a single 500GB drive?

I did Google but couldn't come up with anything quite useful; the words backup, mirroring, etc come up a lot when searching for RAID...

jagass · Apr 13, 2009

Well, congrats man...

Studabaker · Apr 13, 2009

jagass said:
Well, congrats man...

pssh, that helps a lot, jagass! :cool:

Wile E · Apr 13, 2009

Studabaker said:
Alright, so I finally entered the speed leagues a couple of days ago by getting a couple of 250GB drives for a RAID0 array. So far I'm loving it. Stuff is pretty damn fast, especially decompressing big RARs, that's even more than twice as fast.

The thing is, in about 2 weeks I plan on getting a new mobo, and I have heard that RAID arrays cannot simply be transplanted. I'm thinking of getting a single 500GB drive for back up of the RAID array. My question is, can apps like Norton Ghost (or other apps, I'm also looking for recommendations) create backups of RAID arrays (the main problem being the drivers, I guess) and would I be able to backup my 250GBx2 RAID array onto a single 500GB drive?

I did Google but couldn't come up with anything quite useful; the words backup, mirroring, etc come up a lot when searching for RAID...

What mobo do you have now, and what are you planning on getting? If they have the same chipset, the RAID will migrate, no problems. Hell, many times, it will transfer within a few generations of a chipset maker's RAID controller.

Studabaker · Apr 13, 2009

Wile E said:
What mobo do you have now, and what are you planning on getting? If they have the same chipset, the RAID will migrate, no problems. Hell, many times, it will transfer within a few generations of a chipset maker's RAID controller.

Right, I finally found ONE hit on Google where a guy said the mobo company's tech support said the RAID array should migrate. Another guy said a buddy of his got a successful migration from two different chipsets. I'm going from 610i to 750i so wish me luck.

Wile E · Apr 13, 2009

Studabaker said:
Right, I finally found ONE hit on Google where a guy said the mobo company's tech support said the RAID array should migrate. Another guy said a buddy of his got a successful migration from two different chipsets. I'm going from 610i to 750i so wish me luck.

If it doesn't migrate, transferring all your data to the 500GB, then redoing the RAID array will work as well. You might not be able to ghost the install straight across to a different controller, so I suggest just backing up your important data, music, game saves, movies, etc. Then just doing a clean install of windows. Even if it does migrate, a clean install may not be a bad idea, as sometimes swapping chipsets can cause other issues.

Personally, I use 2x320GB in a RAID0, and I only put Windows and programs on them. I use 2 1TB drives for storage of everything else, with no RAID, that way changing hardware doesn't effect my data. All I have to do is reinstall Windows and programs.

angelkiller · Apr 14, 2009

Whether or not it will migrate or not depends on the RAID controller used on the two boards, if it's the same one, it'll probably work. However, don't count on it. Plan on it not working.

If you get a 500GB backup drive, Windows based backup utilities will be able to copy it over, because Windows only sees two disks, the Raid 0 array and your backup drive. But if the utility works outside of Windows, I'm not sure.

Wile E said:
If it doesn't migrate, transferring all your data to the 500GB, then redoing the RAID array will work as well. You might not be able to ghost the install straight across to a different controller, so I suggest just backing up your important data, music, game saves, movies, etc. Then just doing a clean install of windows. Even if it does migrate, a clean install may not be a bad idea, as sometimes swapping chipsets can cause other issues.

Personally, I use 2x320GB in a RAID0, and I only put Windows and programs on them. I use 2 1TB drives for storage of everything else, with no RAID, that way changing hardware doesn't effect my data. All I have to do is reinstall Windows and programs.

+1 on all this.

Studabaker · Apr 14, 2009

Thanks guys. My Windows system only ever gets up to around 50GB total with everything I could think of installing in it including a handful of games. If they still made modern/fast drives in sizes like 40GB I would have gotten a couple of those and do it they way you have. Unfortunately I have to use this RAID array with a partition for the system and then another for my data because 500GB is almost all I'll ever need. It would just be going to waste otherwise.

Hopefully I'll be able to go SSD array soon and run my main/gaming rig off just a couple of 32GB SSDs and then the 2nd system will be the mass storage unit. For now, I gotta do it this way. I'll think about getting a 500GB drive for backup in 2 weeks when I go to do all this. In the mean time, for now, at least all the data I have on this system right now is still chillin on the 320GB PATA drive I just upgraded from, so I don't necessarily have to do a backup before attempting RAID migration across systems.

Deleted member 3 · Apr 14, 2009

RAID arrays are shown as single hard drives to the OS, you can do basically anything you'd do with a normal drive to them. Including Ghosting.

Wile E · Apr 14, 2009

DanTheBanjoman said:
RAID arrays are shown as single hard drives to the OS, you can do basically anything you'd do with a normal drive to them. Including Ghosting.

Yeah, but if his windows install doesn't have the proper RAID drivers already installed, it won't boot after ghosting it back.

System Name	Built Entirely With Parts From CompUSA
Processor	E7400 2.8 @ 3.6 [9.0*400/1.31v]
Motherboard	Gigabyte EP45-UD3R
Cooling	Masscool 8WA741
Memory	2x1GB Corsair XMS2 800 4-4-4-12
Video Card(s)	BFG 9800GTX+OC; GTS250 BIOS
Storage	2x WD 250GB AAKS in RAID0!
Display(s)	19" I-Inc LCD @ 1440x900
Case	Ultra X-Blaster Clear Side
Audio Device(s)	Audigy with X-Fi drivers; Logitech X-540s
Power Supply	Corsair TX750
Software	Vista 32-Bit

System Name	Built Entirely With Parts From CompUSA
Processor	E7400 2.8 @ 3.6 [9.0*400/1.31v]
Motherboard	Gigabyte EP45-UD3R
Cooling	Masscool 8WA741
Memory	2x1GB Corsair XMS2 800 4-4-4-12
Video Card(s)	BFG 9800GTX+OC; GTS250 BIOS
Storage	2x WD 250GB AAKS in RAID0!
Display(s)	19" I-Inc LCD @ 1440x900
Case	Ultra X-Blaster Clear Side
Audio Device(s)	Audigy with X-Fi drivers; Logitech X-540s
Power Supply	Corsair TX750
Software	Vista 32-Bit

System Name	The ClusterF**k
Processor	980X @ 4Ghz
Motherboard	Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD5 BIOS F12
Cooling	MCR-320, DDC-1 pump w/Bitspower res top (1/2" fittings), Koolance CPU-360
Memory	3x2GB Mushkin Redlines 1600Mhz 6-8-6-24 1T
Video Card(s)	Evga GTX 580
Storage	Corsair Neutron GTX 240GB, 2xSeagate 320GB RAID0; 2xSeagate 3TB; 2xSamsung 2TB; Samsung 1.5TB
Display(s)	HP LP2475w 24" 1920x1200 IPS
Case	Technofront Bench Station
Audio Device(s)	Auzentech X-Fi Forte into Onkyo SR606 and Polk TSi200's + RM6750
Power Supply	ENERMAX Galaxy EVO EGX1250EWT 1250W
Software	Win7 Ultimate N x64, OSX 10.8.4

System Name	Built Entirely With Parts From CompUSA
Processor	E7400 2.8 @ 3.6 [9.0*400/1.31v]
Motherboard	Gigabyte EP45-UD3R
Cooling	Masscool 8WA741
Memory	2x1GB Corsair XMS2 800 4-4-4-12
Video Card(s)	BFG 9800GTX+OC; GTS250 BIOS
Storage	2x WD 250GB AAKS in RAID0!
Display(s)	19" I-Inc LCD @ 1440x900
Case	Ultra X-Blaster Clear Side
Audio Device(s)	Audigy with X-Fi drivers; Logitech X-540s
Power Supply	Corsair TX750
Software	Vista 32-Bit

System Name	The ClusterF**k
Processor	980X @ 4Ghz
Motherboard	Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD5 BIOS F12
Cooling	MCR-320, DDC-1 pump w/Bitspower res top (1/2" fittings), Koolance CPU-360
Memory	3x2GB Mushkin Redlines 1600Mhz 6-8-6-24 1T
Video Card(s)	Evga GTX 580
Storage	Corsair Neutron GTX 240GB, 2xSeagate 320GB RAID0; 2xSeagate 3TB; 2xSamsung 2TB; Samsung 1.5TB
Display(s)	HP LP2475w 24" 1920x1200 IPS
Case	Technofront Bench Station
Audio Device(s)	Auzentech X-Fi Forte into Onkyo SR606 and Polk TSi200's + RM6750
Power Supply	ENERMAX Galaxy EVO EGX1250EWT 1250W
Software	Win7 Ultimate N x64, OSX 10.8.4

Just set up my first RAID array, question about backup...

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