During my studies for the CompTIA A+ exam, I discovered the significance of RAID arrays (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) as a valuable tool for data storage. Inspired by the need to protect my valuable files, I embarked on building my first major computer with a RAID 6 setup. In this blog post, I will share my experiences and insights into why I chose RAID 6 and the steps I took to build my own array.
Why Did I Choose RAID 6?
The pivotal moment that pushed me towards building a RAID array was a devastating data loss incident. Years ago, I relied on an external hard drive for important storage without any backups. When the drive failed, I lost countless documents, messages, and an unimaginable collection of cherished photos. The pain and loss from that experience motivated me to find a robust solution that would safeguard my data and prevent a similar catastrophe in the future.
Choosing the Right RAID Configuration:
When exploring different RAID configurations, I sought maximum data safety. While striping alone did not offer data redundancy, mirroring caught my attention for its ability to protect against individual drive failures. RAID 5 with its use of parity seemed like a good option, but it left me vulnerable if two drives failed simultaneously. To mitigate this risk, I opted for a striped and mirrored configuration with RAID 6, which utilizes double parity. By employing four drives, even if two drives from the same side failed, my data would remain safe. Although RAID 6 can be slower in terms of read and write speeds, I planned to use this setup primarily as a “deep storage” drive, while keeping high-performance tasks on my M.2 drive. To keep costs reasonable, I decided to use HDD instead of SSD.
Building the Array:
For my production machine, I chose the Lian Li 011 Dynamic XL case due to its spaciousness and attractive design. It also offered four hot-swap bays at the back, perfectly suited for my RAID setup. After assembling the components, including a RAID card and four Seagate IronWolf 4TB HDDs, I encountered a challenge in finding a RAID card compatible with RAID 6. Although my motherboard supported other RAID configurations, I persisted in my quest for data protection. Eventually, I came across an LSI MegaRAID card with a SAS connection, which I connected to the drives using a SAS to 4 SATA cables. However, I faced a minor inconvenience with my case’s pre-attached SATA cables, requiring the purchase of additional male-to-male SATA cables. Despite this hurdle, I pressed on with determination.
Setting Up the Array:
Upon booting into UEFI, I realized that configuring the RAID array involved a more hands-on approach than I initially expected. The lack of user-friendly GUIs meant relying on my hardware knowledge to proceed. Although the setup process with the LSI MegaRAID card had limited documentation, I discovered a helpful step-by-step guide online. Following the instructions, I quickly set up the RAID 6 array, providing redundancy and peace of mind. After a reboot, I accessed Disk Manager to create a simple partition, and everything fell into place.
Immediate Hindsight and Future Precautions:
After several months of using my RAID 6 array, I am delighted with its performance. I haven’t encountered any major issues or alarms, and it provides reliable storage for my files. The initial file transfer from my external hard drives took considerable time, but considering the level of data security I now have, it was worth the effort. As an additional precautionary measure, I plan to purchase a spare drive to ensure quick and seamless replacement should any disk fail. While RAID 6 can withstand two faults,