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Yes, it's another... hard drive question!

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  • 18-11-2002 1:16am
    #1
    michaelpwilson
    Registered Users Posts: 51 ✭✭


    Hi there,

    I’ve been running into some storage problems recently and was wondering if anyone might be able to give me some information on whether I can add more hard disks to my configuration.

    At the moment, I am running two IDE hard drives (80gb and 40gb) from one of my motherboard ATA connectors, and a DVD-ROM drive from the other connector. This leaves one free slot for another IDE device. My problem is: I would like to add at least one more IDE disk to my configuration, as well as an IDE CD-RW, and two into one won’t go.

    I have a SCSI controller already but I haven’t yet plunged to the depths of insanity which would convince me to pay a huge premium for a SCSI hard drive or CD-RW. Basically, buying SCSI devices is not an option I’m willing to consider.

    Is it possible to buy a PCI card which would allow me to add more IDE hard disks to my configuration so that, for example, I could run two IDE CD / DVD drives and four IDE hard drives simultaneously? I have thought about buying a RAID controller card, but to be honest I don’t know very much about hardware and I don’t really want to get into striping or mirroring. I don’t know if a RAID card would allow me to just add more IDE disks to my system in much the same way as I add them at the moment.

    I would consider both of my current hard drives too good to just get rid of one of them; the smaller one at 40gb is still big enough (even these days) and I don’t want to have to go through the torture of copying all the stuff from it to a new hard disk. So, in a nutshell, I was wondering:

    (1) Can I buy a PCI ATA controller card which will allow me to add more hard disks to my system, and would it affect the existing ATA connectors on my motherboard functioning as they do now?

    (2) Can I buy a PCI RAID IDE controller card which will do the same thing?

    (3) If “yes” to (2) above, do I have to use RAID facilities such as striping / mirroring?

    (4) Would you recommend any particular hardware to accomplish what I’m trying to do?

    Any help anyone could give would be greatly appreciated.

    Michael Wilson


Comments

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    #2
    BioHazRd
    Registered Users Posts: 2,088 ✭✭✭BioHazRd


    Yes you can get a pci ide controller to fulfil your needs. The two main companies making these would be HighPoint Technologies and Promise.

    Have a look at these two sites and you should find something that will suit you. I know Komplett sell products from both these manufacturers, so I reckon you're sorted :D

    Bio


  • Options
    #3
    Gerry
    Registered Users Posts: 4,432 ✭✭✭Gerry


    Raid cards can run hard drives fine in normal ata mode. Thats their default method of operation. If you wanted raid, you have to set that up explicitly.

    Just remember that these cards are not designed to run cd drives on, so only put your hard drives on the raid controller.


  • Options
    #4
    michaelpwilson
    Registered Users Posts: 51 ✭✭michaelpwilson


    Many thanks to both of you for your replies. I’m still a bit confused as to what RAID card (if indeed I decide for RAID) I should purchase, or whether you can still run two IDE HDD’s off each channel on RAID cards. However, at least I now know it’s possible to do what I want to do, and I have some places to start researching the subject. Thanks a million.

    Michael


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