What is the general opinion about software RAID? Does it actually work in most cases or is hardware RAID the real deal.
Devraj
Hardware raid is better, and if youve got the opportunity to pick it up then do. Its more reliable, faster, and its 'cleaner' because its all done nicely for you.
Most motherboards with 'RAID' these days rely significantly on windows drivers to make them work. They arent really hardware raid. There are some good cards around though.
Im using 3 disk software RAID myself, in a striping configuration. I havnt noticed any overhead (there will be some but it hasnt leaped out at me whilst using the system) and it does exactly what it says on the tin (although I back up regularly!).
If youre looking to run raid, and all other things being equal, then hardware raid should be the first choice. Failing that, software raid is a very good alternative.
James
