IcyDock Backup so I can do a clean upgrade to SL?

[noodlephoto]

I have just changed my backup solution. I now have a RocketRAID 2314 eSata card connecting an ICYDock to my Mac Pro. So I can now back up all of my "home" directories to that single enclosure.

I want to do a "clean" install of Snow Leopard on my Mac Pro so I can get rid of some gremlins I have with my current install. However now that I've switched my backup strategy, I'm having nightmares that I may have painted myself into a corner.

Here's my scenario:

I have the 4 drives in my ICY Dock set up as 4 seperate JBOD drives in the RocketRAID software. Therefore the 4 drives show up as individual drives in my disk utility. I used the RAID feature of my disk utility to make them all look like one drive. I've now backed up all my (and my wife's) home directories with _EVERYTHING_ we have in them.

My concern:

If I do a clean install of Snow Leopard, what will happen when I plug my ICY Dock in?

I expect that the OS (not having the RAID configuration) would again see the 4 individual drives? But then I wonder...

I will have to reinstall my RocketRAID drivers on the new install anyway... so will I even have the "arrays" that are created by the drivers anymore????

I'm worried that I've created this large disk capable of backing up my data, but if I blow away my OS configs, I seem to be stuck not able to connect to the data in this configuration and restore it. If that's the case, I'm wondering why I went through all the trouble to build this out.

Am I over thinking this? Am I just tired and not thinking clearly about what I've done? Am I not making sense and noone will respond to this?

If anyone can share their configuration/experience with this type of setup, I'd apprecaite it.

 

[noodlephoto]

too obtuse?

Okay, either no one has a Mac Pro and IcyDock, is upgrading to SL with alot of data, or just things my post is to obtuse... so I'll try a different angle.

Two issues if someone could comment on:

1.) How do you manage a backup/restore/reinstall of large amounts of data? As I think about my problem, it seems this would be the same if my system crashed and I had to restore the data. If my array is showing JBOD and my Operating System is creating an array of those drives, then any new install of the OS would render that data unavailable, correct? So instead of a 4Tb array, I could only use them as 4 separate 1Tb drives (which is annoying).

2.) Any IcyDock owners with recommendations on configuration or can provide any insight as to their experiences? What about anyone with external eSata "port multiplier" type enclosures?

Anybody?