[CentOS] Re: IBM X3200

CentOS List centoslist at gmail.com
Thu Aug 30 18:32:50 UTC 2007


> CentOS List spake the following on 8/29/2007 7:47 PM:
>>>>>> Hi ppl .
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I am getting a IBM x3200.. This machine can only support up to 4 x 
>>>>>> 250GB SATA. I need to have a usable space of 500GB and mirror it to 
>>>>>> other 500GB.
>>>>>> IBM proposed me to get 2 RAID cards. Do you guys think i can do raid 
>>>>>> 0 on the first 2 x 250GB HDD and raid 0 on the second 2 x 250GB hdd, 
>>>>>> both on hardware raid and then during the installation of centos 5, i 
>>>>>> raid 1 on both the 2 sets of hardware raids?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Thanks
>>>>> Buy a single raid card that can support raid 10 or raid 1+0.
>>>>
>>>> The card IBM recommended is only 0,1 and they will not warranty any 
>>>> parts which are not from IBM.
>>> Then you could software raid the two raid sets, as they will show up 
>>> looking like scsi devices. Is the card they recommend a true hardware 
>>> raid card? Not a fakeraid like the ICH7 intel stuff.
>>> So IBM will not warranty the raid card. They have to warranty the rest 
>>> of the system, and get a warranty on the raid card from the vendor. I 
>>> have done it with HP several times because the crappy Adaptec raid cards 
>>> they push are less than stellar performers, and their linux driver 
>>> support seems way behind the windows drivers.
>>>
>>> Which x3200 were you looking at?
>>> I could get up to 3.0 TB with 4 750 GB drives on the one I was just 
>>> looking at. And optional raid5. You could just raid1  with 2 500GB 
>>> drives.
>>
>> The model i am getting is 436242A x32. IBM insisted that this machine is 
>> not tested with 500GB SATA, and insisted me to pick up 4 x 250GB. If this 
>> machine is able to support 2 x 500GB,  I would just run software raid. 
>> The raid card IBM is proposing is a PCI card which cost abour USD$300. 
>> Can you recommend a good raid card which is able to do raid 10/1+0 and 
>> very well supported by CentOS 5?
>>
>> Thanks
> I see. I just went to IBM's custom shop and was playing with the "build 
> it" options. You are buying it through the Express Options program which 
> doesn't let you customize the systems. If IBM won't give you what you 
> want, you can try some of the other makers like HP. Or you can get a 3ware 
> (AMCC) raid card. They are the best supported SATA cards in linux.

Thanks everyone. I found a local 3ware dealer. Keeping this dealer handy. If 
this machine does not support the 500GB, i will get a 3ware 8506-4LP. 




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