M.2, RAID 0 and RAID 1 on Z170 Board

[cLoUless]

Hi

I am new to the site, but I've been watching LTT on YouTube for quite some time now.

As my old System is about to die on me, I am planing to build a new system. My idea was, as I am using 2 NAS with RAID 1 configuration and 4TB each atm as backup, to implement at least one RAID 1 onto the motherboard directly. I have not chosen any specific components, yet, only that the system and work related software will be installed on a M.2 256 Samsung 950 and that I'd like to use a Z170 motherboard, as I do play games from time to time, too.

As far as I know now, SATA port 1 will be blocked by this. But is it possible to set the remaining SATA ports, that they operate a RAID 0 AND a RAID 1 simultaneously. I searched the web and did not find any satisfying answers and the board I am using now only supports one RAID configuration 0, or 1.

thx for any help

cLoUless

[MorganO]

2 minutes ago, cLoUless said:

Hi

I am new to the site, but I've been watching LTT on YouTube for quite some time now.

As my old System is about to die on me, I am planing to build a new system. My idea was, as I am using 2 NAS with RAID 1 configuration and 4TB each atm as backup, to implement at least one RAID 1 onto the motherboard directly. I have not chosen any specific components, yet, only that the system and work related software will be installed on a M.2 256 Samsung 950 and that I'd like to use a Z170 motherboard, as I do play games from time to time, too.

As far as I know now, SATA port 1 will be blocked by this. But is it possible to set the remaining SATA ports, that they operate a RAID 0 AND a RAID 1 simultaneously. I searched the web and did not find any satisfying answers and the board I am using now only supports one RAID configuration 0, or 1.

thx for any help

cLoUless

AFAIK you can only have one raid on a mobo

[SCHISCHKA]

 

I can have two different sets, two ports and four ports. My board is not your board.

Do you even need RAID1

[ItsTheDuckAgain]

AFAIK only one Raid-Set, but not sure. But if you really need more than one raid, get a raid card, they cost next to nothing if they only need to serve 2 disks --> https://www.amazon.de/Adaptec-RAID-1220SA-RoHS-Kit/dp/B000K8AU20/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1478783621&sr=8-4&keywords=adaptec+raid+controller

[Naeaes]

38 minutes ago, cLoUless said:

Hi

I am new to the site, but I've been watching LTT on YouTube for quite some time now.

As my old System is about to die on me, I am planing to build a new system. My idea was, as I am using 2 NAS with RAID 1 configuration and 4TB each atm as backup, to implement at least one RAID 1 onto the motherboard directly. I have not chosen any specific components, yet, only that the system and work related software will be installed on a M.2 256 Samsung 950 and that I'd like to use a Z170 motherboard, as I do play games from time to time, too.

As far as I know now, SATA port 1 will be blocked by this. But is it possible to set the remaining SATA ports, that they operate a RAID 0 AND a RAID 1 simultaneously. I searched the web and did not find any satisfying answers and the board I am using now only supports one RAID configuration 0, or 1.

thx for any help

cLoUless

Maybe. If by simultaneously, you mean a combination of RAID 1 and 0 as in RAID 10, then it's up to the RAID controller manufacturer. It may or may not support RAID 10, so check the manual or the manufacturer's website. Then again, you might not have the required ports for four-drive array.

If by simultaneously you mean two separate RAID arrays totaling four disks or more, then it depends on how many sata ports are connected to the RAID controller. In addition to the one(s) lost to M.2, you need at least four ports in the RAID controller. But all RAID controllers today support multiple arrays of RAID 1 and 0. 

Now, keep this in mind; while Z170 does support six sata ports and RAID 10, it's not a given that the motherboard manufacturer is utilizing it all. For instance, there can be a second RAID controller for some of the ports and obviously all the drives in one array need to connect to the same controller.

 

This I haven't seen tested, but I'd be willing to bet that you can't have the M.2 drive in the RAID array. Or at least you shouldn't, given the drastic loss of performance.

[cLoUless]

First of all thx for the answers, especially Naeaes.

But I do realize that I should have been more precise. I will use the M.2 as the system drive, and for some additional software, not in a RAID. The RAID 0 will be, as in my old system, a drive for large files I am working with. For the moment, this is a strip of two 2TB HDDs, so 4TB basically.

The additional RAID 1 (and not a combo with RAID 0 as a RAID 10) should be, as I thought, on the same board, as well.

The Z170 supports RAID 0,1,5 and 10, has altogether 6 SATA ports with up to 6GB/s, but as soon as you use a M.2 in SSD mode, SATA port 1 can no longer be used. So 5 ports remain, or as I thought, the possibility to run a RAID 0 (equals two more ports occupied) with two 2TB HDDS, again as a 4TB partition, and then another two ports used as a RAID 1 with two 6TB HDDs as one 6TB partition (and another two ports full, one remains). If all ports are connected to the RAID controller is exactly the point, or better how they are connected/supported.

The point for this idea is that the NAS’s that I use atm are connected via a 1GB /s Netgear Switch. But for safeguarding my data, the copying process at the end of the day takes still quite some time from my PC to one of the NAS's. I do this every day, as I lost data before. BUT if the main bulk of the data could be copied internally onto a RAID 1 array, then I would safe quite some time, by my calculations up to 2 hours every day and the data is relatively safe, too. And finally I would only once per week make another backup from this new internal RAID 1 to the remaining NAS.

And the idea of plugging in another RAID controller into the system is all well, but I did have some issues with that before and therefore would prefer to use the already existing RAID controller of the Z170 chipset.

The alternative solution to this is, that I upgrade my intranet to optical fibre, get new NAS's as well, but why spending another 1000 Euros or more on that (so I thought), if I could run two RAIDs on my new board...

For me the most important phrase was:

10 hours ago, Naeaes said:

But all RAID controllers today support multiple arrays of RAID 1 and 0. 

So I will get the system asap and will post it here, if I run into trouble...