NOVEMBER 2007 MAXIMUMPC 45

DONE RIGHT

R AID

Learn how to perfect a

multidrive setup with our

encyclopedic guide to the

most common RAID confi gs

ike the eponymous bug spray, RAID gets results. But

in this case, the active ingredient isn’t a deadly poi-

son, but hard drives—or, to spell out the acronym, a

redundant array of independent (or inexpensive) disks.

RAID represents a storage schematic, a way to

use multiple hard drives to accomplish wondrous achievements

in automation and capacity. You can chain a number of drives

together to create one large super-volume, you can have one drive

automatically replicate the contents of another, you can do it all!

So where do you start? With this guide, because while RAID

may sound simple, the actual practice of setting up an array is

mildly daunting. But before we start attacking the various con-

fi guration options that smack you in the face with every RAID

setup, we’ll start with the easiest part fi rst, the shopping list.

To set up a RAID, you’ll need at least two items: a mother-

board with the ability to create and manage RAID volumes and

some hard drives. The exact number of drives will depend on the

fl avor of RAID you choose, the level of performance you hope to

achieve, and your budget, but the drives should be of an identi-

cal make and capacity, as your RAID confi guration will always be

limited by the speed and size of the slowest drive. If you’re plan-

ning to string together more than four drives, you’ll likely need to

invest in a RAID controller card as well (check your motherboard

manual for details about its integrated RAID support).

L

BY DAVID MURPHY