RAID questions about my new build....?

[Jsunn]

Hello All,

I have a few quesations about a new build I am going to start here at the beginning of January.

My systems is going to consist of:
1. GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3P LGA 775 (not going i7 for the time being)
2. E8500
3. G.Skill 8800 (2X2GB) 1100MHz RAM
4. Corsair 750W PSU
5. 3X500GB WD hard Drives in RAID 5
6. GTX285 (when they are released)
7. G92 8800GTS running PhysX
8. Vista 64bit


So , I am looking to go RAID 5 with my system, for increased speed and data protection. My questions are concerning being able to back up my system and being able to restore an image from a known good state.

I guess the way I would like to use the system is to:
a. Get windows installed on my system with all necessary software, games, and files.
b. Begin my overclocking efforts.
-I know that there will be multiple restarts of the system and many system crashes while I am trying to optimize my system.
c. After the system is running how I like it, restore the system image to correct any system files that were corrupted during the O/C process.

My questions are:

1. Can I create a image of a RAID array either with "System Restore" in windows or with Norton Ghost or other utility?

2. If I have 3 HD at 500GB in a RAID 5, how big does my backup volume need to be in order to hold the image of my Array?

3. Do I need to worry about this at all?

Thanks for your help!

-Jason
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[nimailni]

Re: RAID questions about my new build....?

hi,
1. Can I create a image of a RAID array either with "System Restore" in windows or with Norton Ghost or other utility?

I used Acronis Echo to create an image of my Raid 0 array and I was able to restore it. I also created an image with Ghost 8 boot disk, but I was not able to restore it (message: image size greater than destination disk size). I would like to know if there is any other software that can create/restore Raid arrays.



2. If I have 3 HD at 500GB in a RAID 5, how big does my backup volume need to be in order to hold the image of my Array?

I have 2 640Gb hard drives, my c drive was about 15Gb, and the image was slightly smaller. I had 35Gb empty on my external usb drive and the image fitted without problems.
You can try also raid 0, just for testing purposes, I would like to see differences between 5 and 0. (i have only 2 harddrives, cannot try raid 5)

[randers4]

Re: RAID questions about my new build....?

I'm running RAID 10 and unless, I'm missing something, backup programs as well as system restore just see your RAID volume as one big drive. They don't care if it's RAID or not.

I've use both Genie Backup Manager 8 as well as Norton Save & Restore without any issues.

As for your second question, again unless I'm missing something, the HDD you use for your backup image only has to be as big as the volume you're backing up, plus the headroom that your backup software requires. So if you your RAID volume is 500 GB, you need a perhaps a 550 GB HDD for your image. When you do the restore your backup software will simply think it's restoring one large volume. Your RAID controller software (e.g., Intel Matrix Storage Manager) will take care of recreating the parity information as the files are written, just as it does when you save any other file.

Do you need to worry about this?
If you are primarily worried about possible corruption with your system files, the easiest way to fix this is to simply use the built in system file checker. Simply use Start, Run, and type "sfc.exe /scannow" in the run box (make sure you include the space). sfc.exe (stands for "system file checker"). This will This command will initiate the Windows File Protection service to scan all protected files and verify their integrity, replacing any files with which it finds a problem. Note that in Vista you might need to right-click on "sfc.exe /scannow" and select Run As Administrator.

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: RAID questions about my new build....?

Ya, Norton Save and Restore 2.0 will work, as well Acronis True Image 11 or Echo.

As for your needed backup size well that just depends on how much actual Data you have on said backup source, and what program and compression method you use in that program.

There is of course Vista's Complete PC backup, but I have not used it to restore a array, but I believe it would work as well. But if it was me I would go ahead and get a copy of one of the above mentioned programs

[Jsunn]

Re: RAID questions about my new build....?

Great!! thanks for all of your help! I have decided to go RAID 0, I am going to try windows "complete system backup" and see if I can restore an image of my array. If not, I will get one of the above programs.

I am still going to get a program to back up files, as I was not impressed with the way windows did file backups.

Thanks again and Happy New year!

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: RAID questions about my new build....?

Let us know how it works out for you. Here is some info on how to supposedly use the Vista files to complete a Re-image from Complete Backup >>>
How to use Vista's Complete PC Backup and Restore utility
Windows Vista Complete PC Backup and Restore | Media | TechNet Edge

I do use both Norton Save and Restore 2.0 and Acronis True image myself, wish my Old Ghost 1.44MB floppy worked, loved that but sadly no go on SATA or RAID

Happy New year to you as well!!