Software setup RAID array and in a Windows environment, a much simpler task than under Linux systems, however, it also has its own characteristics. Often, incomplete and fragmentary knowledge in this area leads to difficulties, and among administrators there are myths and legends about the "capriciousness" and "buggy" of this mechanism in Windows. In this article, we will try to fill this gap.
Before continuing, let's recall the basic principle of building hardware arrays again: one element of the array is one physical disk. The basis of software arrays is a logical disk. Understanding this difference is the key to success, what is applicable to a hardware array can be disastrous for a software array, especially if we are talking about the failure of one of the elements of the array.
To create a software RAID in a Windows environment, we need to get acquainted with the concept of a dynamic disk, since software arrays can only be created on them. The reputation of dynamic disks is mixed, many administrators shy away from them like hell from incense. And in vain, remembering a few simple rules working with dynamic disks becomes as easy as with conventional ones.
The main rule: setting or Windows boot from a dynamic volume is only possible if the disk has been converted from a system or boot volume. Those. if you have several instances of the OS, then after converting the disk to dynamic, you can only boot the instance that is on the boot partition.
Based on this rule, it becomes obvious that only a mirror array (RAID1) can be created for the boot and system volumes, the creation of other types of array is impossible, since they imply installing the system on a pre-created partition.
Is the game worth the candle? Despite all the limitations, it's worth it. The main disadvantage of hardware arrays is binding to specific model controller. If your motherboard or controller burned out, you will need exactly the same one (or a motherboard with a similar controller), otherwise you can say goodbye to the data. In the case of software RAID, a machine with installed Windows server.
In practice, work with software arrays and dynamic disks is performed through the snap-in Storage - Disk Management V Server Manager. To convert disks to dynamic, just click on one of them right click mouse and select Convert to dynamic disk, in the window that opens, you can select several discs to convert at once.
It is worth remembering that this operation is irreversible and special attention should be paid system partition, remap boot disk you will no longer be able to (more precisely, after that it will cease to be bootable), the only thing you can do is expand the volume using unallocated space.
The next step is to create an array, right-click on the desired volume and select the desired option, in the case of system and boot volumes, there will be one option - a mirror, then you will be prompted to select a disk to host the mirror volume. Upon completion of the creation of the array, its resynchronization will immediately begin.
By connecting additional disks, we will get much more opportunities, you can either combine several disks into a separate volume, or create RAID 0, 1 or 5.
In general, nothing complicated, but many restrictions can scare anyone away. But do not rush to make hasty conclusions, there are no serious obstacles on common sense, since it is usually customary to spread the system and data over different disks, given the penny cost of modern disks, this does not entail significant costs. For example, we created a mirror for our test server for system disk and RAID5 for data.
Moreover, all this pleasure can be realized on the most ordinary budget motherboard, given that the performance of a software array is no different from cheap hardware, this technology looks very attractive. We will talk about methods for ensuring fault tolerance and actions in case of disk failure in our next article.
Greetings to all, dear readers of the blog site. I think many of you at least once met such an interesting expression on the Internet - "RAID array". What it means and why it may be needed by an ordinary user, that's what we'll talk about today. It is a well-known fact that is the slowest component in a PC, and is inferior to, the processor and.
To compensate for the "innate" slowness where it is out of place at all (we are talking primarily about servers and high-performance PCs), they came up with the idea of using the so-called RAID disk array - a kind of "bundle" of several identical hard drives operating in parallel. This solution allows you to significantly increase the speed of work, coupled with reliability.
First of all, the RAID array allows you to provide high fault tolerance for hard drives(HDD) of your computer, by combining several hard drives into one logical element. Accordingly, to implement this technology, you will need at least two hard drives. In addition, RAID is just convenient, because all the information that previously had to be copied to backup sources (, external hard drives), now you can leave it “as is”, because the risk of its complete loss is minimal and tends to zero, but not always, more on that below.
RAID translates something like this: a secure set of low-cost disks. The name comes from the times when large hard drives were very expensive and it was cheaper to assemble one common array of smaller disks. The essence has not changed since then, in general, like the name, only now you can make just a giant storage out of several large HDDs, or make one disk duplicate another. And you can also combine both functions, thereby obtaining the advantages of one and the second.
All these arrays are under their own numbers, most likely you have heard about them - raid 0, 1...10, that is, arrays of different levels.
Raid 0 has nothing to do with reliability, because it only increases speed. You need at least 2 hard drives, and in this case, the data will be "cut" and written to both disks at the same time. That is, the full volume of these disks will be available to you, and theoretically this means that you get 2 times faster read / write speed.
But, let's imagine that one of these disks has failed - in this case, the loss of ALL your data is inevitable. In other words, you still have to make regular backups in order to be able to restore the information later. Usually 2 to 4 disks are used here.
There is no reduction in reliability. You get the disk space and performance of just one hard drive, but you get twice the reliability. One disk breaks - the information will be saved on another.
A RAID 1 level array does not affect the speed, but the volume is only half of the total disk space at your disposal, which, by the way, in raid 1 can be 2, 4, etc., that is, an even number. In general, the main "trick" of the first level raid is reliability.
Combines all the best of the previous species. I propose to disassemble - how it works on the example of four HDDs. So, information is written in parallel on two disks, and this data is duplicated on two other disks.
As a result - an increase in access speed by 2 times, but also the volume of only two of the four disks in the array. But if any two disks fail, there will be no data loss.
This type of array is very similar to RAID 1 in its purpose, only now you need at least 3 disks, one of them will store the information necessary for recovery. For example, if there are 6 HDDs in such an array, then only 5 of them will be used to record information.
Due to the fact that data is written to several hard drives at once, the reading speed is high, which is perfect for storing a large amount of data there. But, without an expensive raid controller, the speed will not be very high. God forbid one of the disks breaks - the restoration of information will take a lot of time.
This array can survive the failure of two hard drives at once. This means that to create such an array, you will need at least four disks, despite the fact that the write speed will be even lower than that of RAID 5.
Please note that without a productive raid controller, such an array (6) is unlikely to be assembled. If you have only 4 hard drives, it is better to build RAID 1.
RAID controller
Raiding an array can be done by connecting multiple HDDs to a computer motherboard that supports this technology. This means that such a motherboard has an integrated controller, which is usually built into the . But, the controller can also be external, which is connected via a PCI or PCI-E connector. Each controller, as a rule, has its own configuration software.
A raid can be organized both at the hardware level and at the software level, the latter option being the most common among home PCs. Users do not like the controller built into the motherboard for poor reliability. In addition, in case of damage to the motherboard, data recovery will be very problematic. At the software level, it plays the role of a controller, in which case it will be possible to easily transfer your raid array to another PC.
How to make a RAID array? For this you need:
After creating a raid array in the BIOS, you need to go to "disk management" in OS-10 and format the unallocated area - this is our array.
You don't have to enable or disable anything in the BIOS to create a software RAID. You don't even really need raid support motherboard. As mentioned above, the technology is implemented through CPU PC and the means of Windows itself. Yep, you don't even need to install any third party software. True, in this way you can only create a RAID of the first type, which is a “mirror”.
Right-click on "my computer" - item "management" - "disk management". Then we click on any of the hard drives intended for the raid (disk1 or disk2) and select "Create Mirrored Volume". In the next window, select the disk that will be a mirror of another hard drive, then assign a letter and format the final partition.
In this utility, mirrored volumes are highlighted in one color (red) and marked with one letter. In this case, the files are copied to both volumes, once to one volume, and the same file is copied to the second volume. It is noteworthy that in the “my computer” window our array will be displayed as one section, the second section is hidden so as not to “irritate” the eyes, because the same duplicate files are located there.
If a hard drive fails, the “Failed Redundancy” error will appear, while everything on the second partition will remain intact.
RAID 5 is needed for a limited range of tasks, when a much larger (than 4 disks) number of HDDs are collected in huge arrays. For most users, raid 1 is the best option. For example, if there are four disks with a capacity of 3 terabytes each - in RAID 1, then 6 terabytes of space are available. RAID 5 in this case will give more space, however, the access speed will drop significantly. RAID 6 will give all the same 6 terabytes, but even lower access speed, and even require an expensive controller from you.
Let's add more RAID disks and you will see how things change. For example, let's take eight disks of the same capacity (3 terabytes). In RAID 1, only 12 terabytes of space will be available for writing, half of the volume will be closed! RAID 5 in this example will give 21 terabytes disk space+ it will be possible to get data from any one damaged hard drive. RAID 6 will give 18 terabytes and data can be obtained from any two disks.
In general, RAID is not cheap, but personally I would like to have a level 1 RAID of 3 terabyte disks at my disposal. There are even more sophisticated methods, like RAID 6 0, or "raid from raid arrays", but this makes sense when in large numbers HDD, at least 8, 16 or 30 - agree, this is already far beyond the usual "household" use and is in demand mostly in servers.
Something like this, leave comments, bookmark the site (for convenience), there will be many more interesting and useful things, and see you soon on the blog pages!
This is a mirror image of your data on several hard drives, if one drive fails, then all the information remains safe on the other. You and I bought two identical hard drives and combined them programmatically into an independent array of inexpensive drives, but this instruction not suitable if you want to install an operating system on RAID 1 Windows system, in which case it will be a little more difficult.
After reading the previous articles on creating a software RAID 1 array using operating system Of course, you will ask the question: “How to install the system itself on a RAID 1 array, or maybe there is a possibility of transferring a ready-made and configured Windows with programs to a raid array. After all, a hard drive with an installed operating system can suddenly break, and not just a secondary one. HDD with files? Loss of the operating system with all installed applications, Without backup, can put any organization out of work for several days, so I consider it mandatory to create a RAID 1 array at the workplace and install Windows on it.
In today's article, we will build a RAID 1 array of two hard drives on a motherboard. ASUS board and install Windows 10 on it
Friends, of course, you can not install anything again, but simply enable technology in the BIOS RAID, and then transfer the existing Windows to it using various programs, but we will do this in the following articles, and today we will easy installation systems.
If you want to assemble a RAID 1 array and install an OS on it, then again you will need two hard drives or two solid state SSD drive, and your motherboard must support RAID technology. For example, let's take two hard drives with a capacity of 250 GB each.
Installing hard drives system unit.
To set up a system with a RAID array, the first step is to enable the appropriate option in the BIOS and this is very simple. It is impossible to describe in one article the corresponding settings for all existing types of BIOS, in this article I will enable RAID on the ASUS motherboard, and in the following articles I will try to show similar settings on motherboards GIGABYTE and ASRock.
We turn on the computer and enter the BIOS by pressing DEL at boot. Go to tab Advance d, option SATA Configuration
SATA Mode Selection put in position RAID.
hot plug- (hot plug) set to Enabled for hard disks combined into an array.
To save the changes, click F10 and choose
After enabling RAID technology in the BIOS, on the monitor screen at boot for a few seconds you will be prompted to press the keyboard shortcut (CTRL-I) to enter the RAID configuration settings.
You can also see two hard drives connected to ports 4 and 5 SATA: Maxtor and WD, which are not yet in a RAID array (Non-RAID Disk). Click CTRL-I.
In the initial settings window, select using the arrows on the keyboard Create a RAID Volume (Create a RAID Volume) and press Enter.
In this window, we make the basic settings of the RAID array.
Name(Name RAID array). Press the spacebar and enter a name
for example "RAID 1 new" and press Enter. Scroll down with the key Tab.
RAID level: (RAID level). We will create RAID1 (Mirror) - "mirroring" - if one of the disks fails, an exact copy of the data will remain on the other disk and the controller will immediately switch to using a duplicate disk. Select this level using the arrows on the keyboard.
Capacity(volume) is set automatically. Our two 500 GB hard drives turn into 250 GB because we use the RAID1(Mirror) level and our two hard drives work as one.
We don’t change anything else and move to the last point Create Volume and press Enter.
A warning comes out:
WARNING: ALL DATA ON SELECTED DISKS WILL BE LOST.
Are you sure you want to create this volume? (Y/N):
WARNING: ALL DATA on the selected drives will be lost.
Are you sure you want to create this volume? (Y/N):
Press Y (Yes) on the keyboard.
RAID 1 has been created and is in the Normal status. To exit, press the key on the keyboard Esc
Are you sure you want to exit(Are you sure you want to exit? Press Y(Yes).
The computer restarts. Entering boot menu and choose to boot from the Kingston installation flash drive containing Windows files 10. If you cannot get into the boot menu of the computer, then in BIOS.
As you can see, the RAID 1 array we just created with the name " RAID 1 new" is also in the boot menu.
Booting from a flash drive into the program Windows installation 10. Next, we proceed as in a normal installation of the operating system.
Install
We accept the license agreement
Custom: Windows installation only
The Win 10 installer sees two hard drives combined in a RAID array as one.
Skip this step
Use default settings
Create a local account
Enter a name account and click Done.
Windows 10 is installed on a RAID 1 array.
Device Manager.
Disk management.
RAID 1 array and flash drive with Windows 10.
Friends, if one hard drive in an independent array fails, then the operating system will boot from the second working hard drive, that is, nothing will happen to your data, but we'll talk about how to recreate a RAID array in the next article.
Hello. Today I got two brand new hard drives in my hands, I thought for a long time what can be done with them in order to help my readers. On reflection, I nevertheless decided that I could hardly write anything better than the story about RAID 1 created by the operating system itself. So what is RAID 1?
RAID 1 is an array of two disk media, the information on which is duplicated on both disks. That is, you have two disks that are complete copies of each other. What is it for? First of all, for hobbies of reliability of information storage. Since the probability of failure of both drives at the same time is small, if one drive fails, you will always have a copy of all the information on the second one. On a RAID 1 array, you can store any information like on a regular hard drive, which allows you not to worry about an important project that you have been working on for a very long time.
Today we will look at how a RAID array is created using Windows itself when using two empty disks (I can confidently declare that this instruction works on Windows 7, 8 and 8.1). If you are interested in creating a RAID array using an already full disk, then you need on this topic.
And, in fact, the instruction for your acquaintance:
1) First, install the hard drives in the system unit and start the computer.
2) Open "Control Panel → System and Security → Administrative Tools → Computer Management → Storage Devices → Disk Management". When you turn it on for the first time, the utility will inform you about the installation of new disk devices and prompt you to select the layout for them. If you have a disk of 2.2 TB or more, choose GPT, if less, then MBR.
3) At the bottom of the window we find one of our new hard drives and right-click on it. Select "Create Mirrored Volume":
4) The image creation wizard will open. Let's go further. 
5) On this page, you need to add a disk that will duplicate the previously selected disk. Therefore, select the disk on the left side and click the "Add" button: 
Let's go further.
6) Select the letter that will be used to designate the new volume. I chose M (for Mirror). We press next. 
7) Set file system, cluster size, and volume name. I also recommend checking the box next to "Quick Formatting", let it do everything at once. And again further. 
8) Check what we got, if everything is correct, click "Finish". 
Good day, Dear friends, acquaintances, readers, admirers and other personalities. Today again about the raid array and its creation, configuration, etc.
As you remember, I have repeatedly written about the fact that hard drives are one of the bottlenecks in the performance of your computer. With the advent of the SSD, the situation has changed significantly, but not radically.
If you think about it, then, in general, disks are a "bottleneck" and are also safe, because: "a skiff to a disk = a kirdyk to data" (unless, of course, they cannot be restored to ). RAID arrays are able to solve both of these problems, therefore, in fact, they are used in servers. However, you can successfully use them at home, and you don’t need much for this (support for raids by a motherboard + a couple of identical disks).
I already wrote about what RAID is in the article "", but I'll tell you about how to quickly and easily make RAID at home using regular methods in the text below.
Let's get started.
As I said above, yours should support creating RAID "a. The instructions below are relevant for ASUS boards based on UEFI BIOS, but general principle similar as such, therefore, the manual is still recommended for everyone to familiarize themselves with.
To begin with, we go into BIOSusing the appropriate key (usually DEL), and there we find the section responsible for the parameters for the SATA controller (I hope that the IDE is no longer used anywhere).
Where we switch the position of the controller to RAID (usually ACHI stands there). I remind you that the disks should ideally be identical (preferably absolutely, and not just in size). Next, in fact, we reboot, after saving the changes in the BIOS.
At the disk initialization stage, i.e. even before the operating system is loaded, it will be necessary to press, as a rule (but not always) CTRL-F or CTRL-I . In general, watch carefully, because usually it shows which key combination you need to poke (there are still all sorts of F1-F12).
The simplest menu can be seen in the screenshot above. It does not represent anything complicated and conditionally looks like this:
We, in the framework of creating such a thing as a raid array, in fact, we are only interested in the second point. By pressing the corresponding button on the keyboard (ie the number 2) we get to the corresponding menu.
Here we can see the current arrays (in fact, they are visible in the screenshot), look at their settings ( Enter ), look at disks outside the RAID ( Ctrl + V ) or, say, create new raids ( Ctrl + C ). We are interested in the creation, and therefore we press the appropriate key combination.
Next, we will observe the menu for RAID creation- a (top) and the lonely (outside arrays) disks themselves (bottom). Parameters are switched by a space, the parameter items themselves are changed by the keyboard arrows.
I remind you that the 1st raid is a "mirror", i.e. the disks duplicate each other, and even if one fails, then the second one has a complete copy of the data.
0 is responsible for performance, i.e. both disks work in pairs to achieve the maximum available read-write speed. In more detail, I painted everything at the link that I gave at the very beginning of the article.
Next steps to create
In the screenshot above, everything needed to create a RAID 1 (mirror) is set, although there was nothing special to set there: all parameters were left by default, the raid type was selected, and two terabyte disks were indicated (Y in the Assingment column). That's all. I don't want to go into the details of all the parameters now, because this is a topic for a separate article (briefly from the practical side on sonikelf.name ).
Having set everything you need, press CTRL-Y. Next, either press any button (set the name by default), or repeat pressing CTRL-Y to set the name yourself. I chose the second way:
At the next stage, due to the fact that we chose the standard quick initialization option, a warning will appear that data from the disks will be deleted. Press CTRL-Y if you are sure that there is nothing you need on the disks.
At the last stage, you will be asked to choose the size that will be allocated for the raid array or take up all the available disk space. I chose at this point the decision to take up all the space on the disks (which, by the way, I recommend to you too), by pressing any button on the keyboard.
On this, the creation of a RAID can be considered completed, it remains only to exit the wizard and restart the computer.
Oh, and yes, do not forget, if necessary, to go into the disk management wizard and initialize and allocate space on the newly created RAID array. The master lives along the way" Control Panel - Administrative Tools - Computer Management - Disk Management".
Well, in fact, the allocation of space, i.e. the creation of partitions, also does not cause much problems and is performed in a standard way:
And, yes, it will be useful to install drivers for such a thing as a raid array, unless, of course, you have had them for a long time. Drivers are taken from the disk to the motherboard or from the website of the manufacturer of this motherboard.
On the sim, perhaps everything.
That's it. Briefly, quickly and clearly (although, I admit that the photos are not the most successful, but it’s somehow not convenient to take screenshots with an emulator or a DSLR, because, in this case, the main thing is the point), but now you can quickly assemble a raid array.
As always, if you have any questions, additions, thoughts, and so on, then welcome to the comments on this post.
Stay with us;)
