Ni Hao All, I am about to install a big system for a client - part of it is an e-smith mail server. This machine will be a built box by us, using RAID1. We have budgeted for hardware 3ware raid - but I have 2 questions. The system will be backed up to the main office server, a Compaq ML350 running E-smith with a Compaq raid controller, which itself is also backed up to a Compaq SCSI DAT drive. Now... Since this little old mail server will have raid - backed up to a nice tough Compaq with raid and daily DAT backup, how important is the need for hardware raid on the mail box (mail and web mail ONLY). Which is easier to do? And with the software RAID (Is it the new Linux raid system that is being put into the 2.4 kernel?) how does the system deal with a degraded array? Does the system detect bad writes/errors/hassles and then degrades the array and marks the drive as 'bad' and not in use - like a bad sector. If so, how is a sys admin notified of a degraded software array (our other Red Hat box with a 3ware card emails my mobile!)? And even if logical things like - one hard dive per channel, both as masters is done - what happens if the system is rebooted with a degraded array? Will the system boot? If the failed drive was on channel 0 and the bios is set to scan and boot channel 0 and then channel 1. Can I be sure that the software raid will take the drive down - or mark it in such a way that the bios will not attempt to boot from it - avoiding a partial lilo "LI 0 00" like prob. Cheers, Richard.
