RAID is a method of clubbing two or more hard drives together in an array that forms either a faster or more secure data bank. RAID can be configured in various types of arrays—RAID 0, 1, 5, 0+1 or 1+0. RAID 0 and 1 are the simplest, and can be built using a minimum of two hard drives. RAID 0 involves data being striped into multiple segments and each segment is stored on alternate drives in the array. The data being alternately stored on two or more hard drives in the array creates a faster read and write environment.

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The benefits of RAID 0 can be utilized for performance rigs where data transactions (read and write) to and from the hard drive are of high priority. RAID 1 is a mirroring mode which replicates the contents of one drive on the other. These types of arrays are usually employed in server environments where data needs to be backed up and always available. The data is safe in a RAID 1 array because in case of any one hard drive failure, the same data is available on the second hard drive, unlike RAID 0 where if one hard drive fails, all the data is lost. In this workshop, we show you how to build your own RAID 0 or RAID 1 array using two identical 500 GB hard drives to create a safe or a speedy data store.

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Step 1
Connect the two hard drives to the RAID controller. Check the motherboard’s user
manual to locate the RAID controller’s SATA ports. Usually, motherboard manufacturers mark the RAID supporting ports with a different color. Note: The data on these hard drives will be permanently lost, so ensure that you have taken backups of the same.

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Step 2
Enter the motherboard’s BIOS setup and locate the SATA controller fields in the respective menu to be changed. Here RAID 0 array RAID 1 array you will need to change the mode of the SATA ports from SATA IDE mode to RAID mode. Save and exit. Note: The screenshot and procedure mentioned here would differ from motherboard to motherboard. Refer to your motherboard’s user manual for more details of the RAID setup procedure and configurations for your motherboard.

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Step 3
Once the system reboots, the POST should display a set of key combinations that need to be pressed for entering the setup of the RAID configuration. Usually the keys should be [CTRL] + [F] or [CTRL] + [F10]. Check your screen for the key combinations.

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Step 4
Refer to your motherboard manual for the type of configurations you would need to build the RAID array. Different motherboards have different types of screen visuals that can be confusing. Choose the type of RAID array you want to create, and also the hard drives that need to be employed in the array, using the appropriate keys. Some motherboards support only RAID 0 and RAID 1, while others feature all RAID arrays from RAID 0 to RAID 5.

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Step 5
Once the configuration is done, depress the displayed key combinations to confirm the array formation and allow the RAID array to be created. Note: Carefully read the warning messages to make sure you are creating the array properly.

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Step 6
Now that the RAID array is created successfully, restart the computer. Boot with your operating system CD/DVD and continue with the installation of the operating system. Newer motherboard owners may have to insert the driver CD of the motherboard as the operating system might not recognize the new
RAID controllers in certain cases. Check your manual for the respective drivers and feed the path to the operating system during installation.

Now that you have created your RAID array, you can benchmark our system or just run regular daily applications and you will notice the performance increase if you have created a RAID 0 array. You can employ more hard drives and form a more secure and/or performance oriented RAID 5, 0+1 or 1+0 array. Note: Whenever a RAID array is created, all the hard drives employed in it need to be of the same capacity or else all drives will be recognized as having only as much space as the smallest one has, wasting the rest of the space on the larger ones. Also, the spindle speeds of the two hard drives should be similar for better performance. Hard drives with different capacities and spindle speeds can be used, but this is not recommended. Ideally, use identical drives from the same batch, series, and manufacturer.