Calling hardware SCSI RAID experts (and server experts)

[tahoedrew]

I am getting ready to implement my server in my house (a free PMG3/450 I got from my former employer with 1GB of RAM). It's a rev. 1 logic board but has two SCSI drives that it boots from. Because I just like to learn more about computers, I've decided I'd like to run a RAID configuration. For economical reasons, I've decided against getting an ATA RAID card or a SATA RAID card as I'd then have to buy new HD's as well. Ultimately my goal is to have the server serve iTunes to all the computers in the house as well as the iPhoto library and have each computer backup onto a drive (or a drive partition) on the server.

So, am what I am thinking of doing just completely idiotic for some reason I'm not seeing (like a SCSI RAID card is going to cost me as much as an ATA RAID card and two big HD's)?

Next, what would anyone recommend for a hardware SCSI RAID card?

Anything else I need to think through before trying to implement this? Please keep in mind I'm not a computer engineer, so this will all be a learning experience for me including setting up a RAID array, using SCSI hard drives and implementing a server and server software (though from an earlier suggestion from Paul F. I'll probably just be running the regular OS 10.4.x software with all the sharing capabilities enabled since I'm not operating some enterprise-class server).

Thanks for all the knowledge you guys always share!

~A

edit: I was thinking hardware RAID as I've heard mixed reviews about SoftRAID and its capabilities, is that still a fair assessment.

[mattkime]

I don't think a hardware raid is going to fit into your budget. OS X has software raid options built in. remember to make a backup - RAID 0 is twice as likely to eat your files as a single drive.

[jdc]

you dont need to build a RAID to know how one works

and theres no such thing as a "big" scsi drive, unless maybe 4 gigs is big to you...

[Buzz]

you probably just need to scrounge up a vintage U2WSCSI RAID card to mesh w/ yor existing drives... good news is, it should be pretty cheap compared to newer SCSI RAID cards, bad news is, good luck finding something compatible w/ a current OS. seems to be a major gap in Mac OS support for SCSI goodies... your best bet may end up being a software RAID off a standard controller card (for economical reasons...) to go Tiger, otherwise you may have to go back a few OS revs, and then not be able serve friendly versions of whatever you want to serve. good luck in your adventure.

[Filliam H. Muffman]

Unless you can get a box of refurb 147 GB SCSI drives for really cheap, you would likely get better performance from two 300 GB IDE or SATA drives and a controller card.

[Harbourmaster]

First you will need a couple of these bad boys: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6822148045

Then a Controller Card to run em with: http://www.adaptec.com/en-US/products/_e...APD-29160/

[jdc]

[quote Harbourmaster]First you will need a couple of these bad boys: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6822148045

Then a Controller Card to run em with: http://www.adaptec.com/en-US/products/_e...APD-29160/

pffft, why go 10,000 rpm when you can go 15,000?

2ms latency, w00t

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6822148079

[Harbourmaster]

[quote jdc][quote Harbourmaster]First you will need a couple of these bad boys: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6822148045

Then a Controller Card to run em with: http://www.adaptec.com/en-US/products/_e...APD-29160/

pffft, why go 10,000 rpm when you can go 15,000?

2ms latency, w00t

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6822148079
Because AFAIK there are no legacy PCI, Serial Attached SCSI cards to attach them to!

If you can figure out a way to connect these 7 pin drives to a 68 pin SCSI cable your a better man than me! Or perhaps you have a Legacy SAS card that you have been keeping to yourself for running your own private Smurf Server Farm!!?

[jdc]

hmm, thought my link was for a U320 drive, but i guess that might have the same issue =)

[JoeH]

Nah, a U320 drive will run at the U2W or U160 speeds just fine. They will even run single-ended if need be, but that trades off a lot of their performance. You may have been thinking of this drive, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.as...6822111151 , but newegg does not currently have it in OEM packaging, just retail. I suspect $1,100 is out of the price range of most here.

Some of the distributors do have new, open-box SCSI drives at considerable discount. But the supply varies from day to day. Usually they are returns from persons who ordered 68-pin drives when they needed 80-pin SCSI and vice versa. As for hardware RAID SCSI cards, about the only source is eBay. How well they will work depends, as a lot of work on Mac suppport for SCSI started ending at the point OS X came out. About the only cards still getting driver development for OS X are from ATTO, and they do not sell a hardware RAID card the last I looked.