Convert Raid 1 to Raid 5

[itchiTriGgeR]

Hey everyone,

    I am currently running 2- 3Tb WD reds in a Raid 1 for all my media and junk. I am purchasing 2 more identical drives and want to configure them in a Raid 5 for a 4 disc Array. I have an Asus Z-87 Sabertooth MB. I don't know what the smartest way to do this is. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

[Guest]

Any other drives to use in the interim? 

[Blade of Grass]

What software are you using for raid? How much storage space are you currently using? Like Windspeed36 said, do you have any drives for interim use?

[itchiTriGgeR]

I don't have any other drives that I trust. I am currently just using Windows mirroring as the raid controller. Do you think it's worth getting an actual raid controller. I probably should being raid 5. If it matters, only 2Tb are used on the drives. I didn't know if there was a way to take it out of raid, use 1 of the disks to transfer data and clear the other disc to create a 3 disc raid 5, then, add the 4th disc somehow. Thanks for helping. I definitely need it. This is my first raid setup so I'm a noon.

[R2D2_WD]

Hi there,

May I ask why you need the RAID 5 for? It is an important question which will help us provide some advices. In general, you can enable the RAID 5 settings with a software, but it may not perform so good, compared to a hardware RAID with a controller. I would look in the mobo's manual for additional information about setting up the RAID and check if some drivers are needed.

 

https://www.cdromland.nl/productpdf/00161813-manual.pdf – I believe this is your motherboard's manual

 

Hope this helps

[itchiTriGgeR]

I was thinking of using raid 5 for be more efficient with disc space. I guess if I got 2 more disc's I could set up a raid 10 but I would be "wasting" 3Tb or so. I don't mind buying a raid controller if that makes the most sense. Thank you for inquiring. Also, what would be the smartest way to set up a raid10 with my current setup.

[R2D2_WD]

If you go as planned, getting two more drives, you can go and do a RAID10. In general, getting a RAID controller may be the best solution. If I had the four WD Reds and needed a RAID, I would go for the RAID10. It is up to you to decide if you can afford to lose those 3TB of space.

[itchiTriGgeR]

How would I take my current raid 1 and migrate data to make the new raid array with the new discs? Does anyone have a suggestion for a raid card that can do what I need. I eventually see myself with 8 drives. I just rather get 2 at a time. Somewhere between 12 and 15 Tb's. Is there software I need to get to migrate?