[mythtv-users] Question re: available SATA ports and linux software RAID

[John Drescher]

>> (I was considering the HighPoint 2300 PCIe controller card but after
>> communicating with their web support, they confirmed to me that multiple
>> controller cards of theirs (any?) cannot be used in conjunction to form an array
>> (one card = 4 slots so I couldn't buy 2 cards and build an 8 drive array on the
>> same mobo).)
>
>
> Their telephone support folks are mostly unaware of "software RAID",
> they they were really thinking "Highpoint hardware-assisted RAID" there.
>
> However, I would not get a "RAID" card, and especially not a "HighPoint" RAID.
>
These are known to be of pretty low quality.

>
> The problem with HighPoint in particular, is that their BIOSs have a nasty habit
> of corrupting data on "JBOD" ("non RAID") drives.  The BIOS writes a "metadata"
> block to any drive it detects at boot time, without regard to whatever data
> or filesystem might already be on the sectors it overwrites.  Duh..
>
> If you have the slots, then get a few 4-port SiliconImage cards from DealExtreme.
> Otherwise tread very carefully with the HighPoint cards, and heed the metadata
> warnings.  Here is the text I put into my sata_mv kernel driver as a reminder:
>

For an non raid card I recommend the following controller under linux:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16816117157&cm_re=intel_sas-_-16-117-157-_-Product

John