[ale] RAID "inexpensive" disks?

[Keith Hopkins]

Jim Lynch wrote:
> Just to add to the fray.  At the computer show a couple of weeks back I
> bought a new MB with CPU (1.8 ghz) for $138.  It has 4 IDE ports and
> supports raid 0 and 1.  I don't know much else about it since I don't
> have the money to buy 8 drives to test it out.  8)  So hardware raid
> isn't all that expensive, really.

I hate to burst your bubble, but none of the MB based IDE RAID (Promise chips, HighPoint chips and the like) are not HW RAID.  These chipsets still require SW "drivers" that do all the RAID work.  The chipsets contain basic information that allow you to configure the drives for the SW drivers to use.

The only true IDE HW RAID I know to exist are the Adaptec 2400 (not 1200) cards, and the 3Ware Escalade cards (not sure which models).

There is at least one SCSI "RAID" card that uses the same scheme.  BusLogic Flashpoint "RAIDPLUS" cards have RAID setup utils in the BIOS, but the SW driver does all the RAID work.

-- 
Lost in Tokyo,
   Keith



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