Maximum PC

I plan to build in May or June, specifications and links as are follows:
Gigabyte GA-890GPA-UD3H http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6813128435
AMD Phenom II X4 Black Edition [Deneb] 3.4GHz
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6819103727
G.Skill Sniper 8 GB [2x4GB] DDR3 1333 @ 1.5 volt
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6820231417
Western Digital Caviar Black 1 TB SATA 6.0 Gb/s
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6822136533
I will be using what will be Ubuntu 11.04 and following these instructions:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Insta ... ftwareRAID
My question is does anyone have previous experience with Ubuntu Software RAID? If so I would appreciate any tips or helpful comments. Obviously I will use 2 HDD for a RAID 1 array. I'm interested in things like stability and how well the array will handle Update mgr and other software updates. I want to use 64-bit as a host and Virtual Box to allow the running of at least 1 if not 2 32-bit guest. The main purpose is for redundancy once I get going with some open source CAD.

An additional Question is would a HighPoint RocketRAID 620 PCI-Express 2.0 x1 SATA III (6.0Gb/s) see link
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6816115075 take the load off the CPU? I know on-board mobo and software RAID are labor intensive for the processor bit that RAID card is not really a high end thing I mean it does not even have a battery so I think it would just transfer the load to the PCI express bus; or am I thinking backwards here?

RAID is no longer commonly used at home because it is complex and provides very little benefit in comparison with regular backups and offsite storage.

Having said that, a properly setup RAID array, whether software or hardware, should be completely transparent to you during day-to-day use. It will appear to be a single drive and the OS will use it as such.

I use a combination of a dedicated storage drive, Dropbox and optical disc backups for my professional work .. haven't lost a file in over a decade (and three HDD failures). RAID, to me, is an overly complicated solution to a simple problem.

I hear Ya Jipstyle; however I have already heard from WD that their external USB units software does not support Linux only Mac and of course MS.I looked at the website for HighPoint and with thae low cost card they are still using the software set-up for Ubuntu. I think if that is the case I'll just get an external case and pop a drive in it and mount it like a jump drive. Personally I think the mobo companies should explain their RAID better, I mean it is chip-set and BIOS. A true RAID controller does not tax the CPU. If I am going to put a load on my Phenom II X4 965 BE I think I'll go with the Software RAID in Ubuntu. I believe it will make upgrades to the OS and Apps better and adding disc in the future should be smoother. I also will not have to worry about BIOS dependency. So what do you think? I want the redundancy of a RAID 1 and I plan to use an external for separate back-up of certain files/folders.

I run software RAID 5 on my linux server (running Arch with mdadm) for the data drive mount. I would make sure to use LVM on top of the array.

No one uses RAID in favor of software? Everyone using software should restore now, broken or not.

Sorry Jip, RAID is not any more complex that it was a decade ago and is on the fly. No backup has trumped it yet. Carbonite is $50 a year and only does docs.

It isn't any simpler than it was a decade ago, either. My backup trumps it completely because it was much cheaper and is completely portable.

Carbonite offers "no limits on your backup storage space. Carbonite will back up all the user-generated files on your internal hard drive whether you have 1GB, 10GB or more." It is not limited to docs.

My solution (a combination of Dropbox and automated file transfers to a USB stick with occasional project-drops to a DVD) is doc-focused because that is what I need. I don't need to backup my environment ... just the docs I produce for clients.

Moving a RAID array is complex, setting it up CAN be complex, and it doesn't offer easy access away from your PC (unless you have 'net access to your PC). I can get my files from Dropbox from anywhere (including my phone) and I can bring my USB stick with me in my pocket.

A backup solution should be tailored to the user .. like any part of the PC experience. Personally, I feel that RAID is best for corporate environments and very large filesets that are not likely to move physical locations.

RAID 1 is stupid easy. Any new i7 board supports it out of the box. Buy two identical hard drives at build time and BAM! You are basically done. Slap the drives in, on boot jump into the chipset menu, make a volume out of the two drives and then format/install windows/OS of choice. And done!.

However, there is another thing to say here.... RAID isn't the be-all-end-all. However in the case of a hard drive failure you can be back up and running in a matter of minutes. With Jip's solution he'd be re-installing his OS and software, resulting in a day or more of downtime. For a home user that is probably acceptable (for me, @ home, that would be annoying as balls!).

That also said RAID won't protect you from corrupted files. Jip's method will, most of the time. If you back up a corrupt file you have two copies of junk. Dropbox is a good choice because it has versioning. I think Carbonite does too... and if it does it is the better choice (if mobile access isn't a requirement).

Software RAID is what I'm talking about not mobo chipset 'fake-RAID'. I think that if I place a boot sector on both drives it will make them portable to any machine running the same OS.

Don't expect good results. However it is theoretically possible.

I will be using Ubuntu not Windows and have been reading the avl. tutorial, though it is several years old. I think but am not sure that the software RAID 1 in Linux is just a mirror that is CPU taxing just like the firmware on the mobo but it is not dependent on the chip-set. I just have to be sure to install GRUB on both drive. I plan to add an external via USB 3.0 or e-SATA for 'critical stuff'.

All software RAID taxes the CPU. It is SOFTWARE and software is run on the CPU.

If you want to take the load off the CPU, you need a hardware solution. This means either buying an add-in RAID card or using a motherboard that has a RAID chip built-in. Some motherboards have RAID chips and some use RAID built into the chipset. Many offer both.

I've spent a few days researching LVM and can see where that would be very valuable for a complex RAID array. I will only have 1 logical volume/partition beside the boot partition and in a RAID 1 mirror so I do not know why I would need LVM; maybe you can explain it too me. I am trying to learn here.

I think for my purposes the software RAID might be better; if the chipset dies or wears out then I can pull the drives and put them into another system running the same OS and version and just fire it off. I looked at the chipset instructions for the mobo I am getting and the chipset set-up is the same as the Software for Ubuntu. I would prefer the hardware solution but my research has shown that the 'affordable' add-on cards are just chip-set. The real RAID controller cards are out of my financial means. But thanks for the advice and keep it coming, I learn a lot from you Jipstyle

Well after many months of reading and researching I have decided to use the USB 3 of the mobo to connect to an external drive for backup and storage. Thank You for all the replies it all helped me to go a-searchin' for information via wiki and from there the universe. New build parts are changed but I will update the sig. after on the grid, should be late second week of Sept.. I gotta KVM A/B switch to dial for help.