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RAID Set Up Question

Drew888

Drew888

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Apr 14, 2013
910
34
Los Angeles, CA
Question:

I just bought the OWC Thunderbay 4 Mini (Enclosure only) and 4 Crucial 500GB SSDs.

I am new to RAID, so go easy on me. (I pretty much just know the difference between RAID 0 and RAID 1.)

Do I need software to set this up? I didn't buy the OWC enclosure that includes the software. (Wasn't even thinking about it since I supplied my own SSDs)

I basically want to use the Thunderbay as a 1TB RAID 1. (2 of the 4 SSDs mirrored on the other 2)

Is this something that I could do within OS X? Or do I need additional software?

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance!
 
There will be 3 steps to take to create the RAID-10 with 4 disks you desire.

Follow the above steps for 2 of the drives, then again for the other 2 drives to "mirror" each pair in RAID-1.

Then, again using Disk Utility, create a RAID-0 using each of the logical mirrored drives just created. You will now have a 1 TB logical drive with dual redundancy.
 
Yep, Apple's Disc Utility will work great. It's all you need.

As a recent newcomer to RAID myself, I'm hesitant to offer up any advice on alternative RAID configurations to consider...not because I'm not knowledgeable...rather there are so many numerous options to suit so many different needs...and I'm sure you've already selected the option that's best for your needs. With that being said though, I think it would be worth pointing out that if you ever have the need for more speed than what this setup will provide you, it will be very easy to run all four SSDs in a RAID 0 array, and then you can RAID 1 that to 2 TB Thunderbolt spinning hard drive attached to the Thunderbay Mini. It would give you screaming fast speeds, increased storage, and be an inexpensive add-on. Of course, this would not be desirable if you're using this setup in a mobile environment or if you must have really fast speeds from your RAID 1 array should the RAID 0 array fail. But I thought it would be worth pointing out.

And finally, congratulations on this new purchase! The equipment you bought is a dream setup for so many people. You really picked out some winners!

Cheers,
Bryan
 
Thanks for the advice guys! I read a lot of people using SoftRAID. Is there any advantage of using that over setting it up in Disk Utility?
 
Drew888 said:
Thanks for the advice guys! I read a lot of people using SoftRAID. Is there any advantage of using that over setting it up in Disk Utility?
Click to expand...

Lots. Disk monitoring, it automatically emails yourself if there's an issue, Apple's RAID drivers haven't been updated in years. Honestly? Apple's RAID software is barer than bare. SoftRAID 5 is superb (yep, I use it with my two Thunderbay 4s).

I'd say download the free 30-day trial from SoftRAID's site, and see if you think it's worth it.
 
Drew888 said:
Thanks for the advice guys! I read a lot of people using SoftRAID. Is there any advantage of using that over setting it up in Disk Utility?
Click to expand...

+1 on SoftRAID.com software.

I am using it with my ThunderBay IV and really like it. It includes some diagnostic utilities, disk monitoring with eMail reporting, many RAID modes including RAID-5 which are transportable to other JBOD enclosures, and some of the best and most responsive technical support personnel I have ever encountered.
 
Stuck! Help! :)

Okay, so I think I got stuck.

I put the 4 SSDs in the Thunderbay, used Disk Utility set 2 of them as a Striped RAID Set, then set the other 2 as a Striped RAID set.

So now I have my 2 - 1TB SSDs. Now I am having a problem making a RAID 1 (mirrored) with those 2.

I tried making them mirrored first as someone suggested, and it works, but as 4 - 500GB SSDs. Couldn't get them as 2 - 1TB.

Anyone have advice? Thanks!
 
Drew888 said:
Okay, so I think I got stuck.

I put the 4 SSDs in the Thunderbay, used Disk Utility set 2 of them as a Striped RAID Set, then set the other 2 as a Striped RAID set.

So now I have my 2 - 1TB SSDs. Now I am having a problem making a RAID 1 (mirrored) with those 2.

I tried making them mirrored first as someone suggested, and it works, but as 4 - 500GB SSDs. Couldn't get them as 2 - 1TB.

Anyone have advice? Thanks!
Click to expand...

You read this?

http://pietrzyk.us/raid-10-using-mac-disk-utility/
 
SoftRAID would let you go with RAID5 and save you 500GB in space with little speed penalty. I have the Thunderbay4 with 4 spinning (7200rpm) drives and can get read/write speeds in the 400's.
 
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