setting up RAID 5

[Todo]

well i've been wanting to set up RAID 5. I guess i just need a few suggestions or pointers in the right direction, because i'm not sure exactly how to set it up. can i set it up with W2K Pro or do I have to run W2K Server? Should I set it up using Server on the software side or should I get a RAID controller. I will use 3 IDE drives and I don't think that 1 of the drives can be the boot partition for RAID 5, correct me if i'm wrong. any suggestions or point me in the right direction. Thanks.

[CyberTech]

To get the full benefit of a RAID 5 system I would definitely go with a hardware RAID controller.

If you want to do it with software you'll need to have Windows 2000 Server and at least 4 hard disks - 1 will be the boot drive and the other 3 three will make up the RAID volume.

The major draw-back is that only your data and NOT your operating system will be part of the RAID - kinda defeating the purpose, because if your system drive fails you're gonna have to re-install. Not to mention the performance would benefit greatly by having the operating system on a RAID volume.

[senectus]

I work with 5 different IBM server types (netfinity, AS400, e and x series, all have hardware raid, (both raid 1 {mirror} and raid 5)
Normally the raid1 is the system dirves, and (on my site) the 3,4 or 5 other drives are in raid 5.
I've never used software raid so I couldn't compare, but for reliability, ease of setup and performance, I'd say go Hardware raid for sure

[Todo]

Okay, so hardware RAID 5 is the way to go. I would HAVE to use Server for hardware raid 5 or could I use Pro?

[confus-ed]

You could even use win 3.11 for hardware raid, but since you are likely to be using your RAID for server purposes I would guess that gives you a clue.