Re: Mirroring disks...New to SBS and 2K3 tooo

From: Bill (Bill_at_microsoft.com)
Date: 11/16/04 

Date: Tue, 16 Nov 2004 08:56:19 -0000

DON'T use SOFTWARE mirroring in Windows - its buggy to say the least.
I've seen the system RE-SYNC on bootup (thereby destroying your safety
net!!!)
Might as well not mirror

Most of the Experts will tell you its a HARDWARE fault....
not its NOT - its just CRAP software.
Happens on too often and too many systems to be HARDWARE fault.

Get a hardware Raid controller (you might get an addon or its just as cheap
to replace with below)
Its like defending "patching" as NORMAL - its really poor design
Windows proves theory that if you give a Monkey a PC - it may write a
letter - eventually :-)

Anyway :-
Adaptec do a 39320A-R controller that has Mirroring built-in (Raid 0, 1 and
10 level only)
This thing only cost £ 130 + VAT in the UK (very approx $235)

IMO - If you are serious about a server - Install SCSI hard disk
now if you are serious about RAID - use HARDWARE RAID Controller

DON'T DO THIS
If you want to pursue Windows mirroring - you need to convert to DYNAMIC
disk (both disks)
Then select partition and right click - mirror
(or use Diskpart command from DOS)

"Michel Herrscher" <mhc@herrscher.fr> wrote in message
news:4199b78d$0$6419$8fcfb975@news.wanadoo.fr...
>
> Hello,
>
> I'm totally new to 2K3 and SBS... so excuse me in advance if my problem
> looks trivial...
>
> I just receive a new HP proliant G4 with 2 HotPlug Scsi 36GB disks on the
> same controleur without any raid hardware.
>
> My project consists to have everything on the first one, and to use the
2nd
> as a mirror of the fist one.
>
> The installation of SBS completed succesfully. Now on the first disk (disk
> 0) where I have 3 partitions: (as seen in the disk management console)
> C = 10GB = SBS System disk
> D= 4GB = reserved for Swapfile in the future (if convenient as it was for
> NT)
> E = the rest ( aLMOST 24GB) reseved for users and data files.
> I also see 1 partition of 8mb at the begining, and also one more (same) at
> the end.
>
> On the 2nd disk (disk 1) I see :
> 1 small 8MB partition and 34GB unaffected space.
>
> What is the way to say SBS that the 2nd disk must be the mirror of the
First
> one ?
>
> using the disk management console, the mirror item is always grey, for the
> disk or for the unaffected space. If the disk is dynamic or not ...
>
> What are the basic itesm I did not see???
> Where did I miss something ????
> Is my project with 3 partition not supported for mirroring ? Should I have
> Only one ?
>
> Please help even if this looks easy for you..it is not for me...
>
> Thanks in advance.
> Michel Herrscher
>
>

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