Set up raid 1 with GA-EX58-UD5

[luxaeterna]

Hello all,

First time post here! I have a "maybe not so quick" question to ask...

I have put together computers and installed OS's for quite a few years now but the one thing I have never done is use RAID. Well, with my photo editing and so forth now, I would like to set up a Raid 1 (which I will use in conjunction with the Drobo) but I haven't the foggiest idea how to do it.

First off, if memory serves me (which it more often does not anymore), I think I installed AHCI drivers when I installed Vista 64. How can I check this?
Secondly, if I am in luck with drivers, how do I go about the RAID 1 creation? I know something needs to be set in BIOS, and I am not sure if I need to use Disk Management to set something up either?

Anyways, any help for this RAID newbie would be appreciated!

Thanks!

[Lsdmeasap]

Re: Set up raid 1 with GA-EX58-UD5

You will have to do a clean install no matter what drivers you are using now, and you will need 2 clean disks.

I am not sure what you mean by conjunction with the drobo? Do you mean using the RAID drobo plus another RAID or something else? I do believe the drobo does RAID By itself and would have nothing to do with the OS or motherboard/drivers. You'd need to read the manual on that to be sure.

If you mean you want a RAID for your OS inside your PC, not on the drobo then good because that would be how to do it.

We need to know for sure, further info like what disks you plan to RAID, and for sure if this is for your system or just addidtional backup because they may need setup differently. If it is for your system and not backup, and not on the drobo you will need to do a clean install.

You would first plug your 2 OS Disks into the first two Blue (Intel) ports on your board (SATA2_0 & SATA2_1) then go in the BIOS and enable these settings >>

Integrated Peripherals

Intel Controller (Yellow Ports)
SATA RAID/AHCI Mode (Intel ICH10R Southbridge) ............. RAID
SATA Port0-3 Native Mode ................................... Enabled (or Disabled, both will work)

Then save/apply/reboot and press Control + I on the IRQ Screen during the Boot process, you will see a note about it at the bottom of the screen. Then once inside the RAID ROM you will create your array, as shown in your manual in chapter 5, page 91
GIGABYTE - Support&Download - Motherboard - Manual - GA-EX58-UD5 (rev. 1.0)

Then during the OS where you choose your disk, you will install the RAID Driver (PRE-OS Install driver) Located here, at the very bottom, the last two, choose per your OS 32/64.
GIGABYTE - Support&Download - Motherboard - Driver - GA-EX58-UD5 (rev. 1.0)

Then proceed with the install. Nothing to be done in disk management

[luxaeterna]

Re: Set up raid 1 with GA-EX58-UD5

The Drobo is attached via firewire... it will be my 'external' backup of photos. I need the Raid 1 internal to the computer just in case something happens to one of the mirror disks before I get a chance to backup new photos/edits to the Drobo. The disks I will make the raid setup with are 2 new 1TB hard drives.

The Raid 1 setup is only for storing photos and related info... it will not have the OS installed on it. (I have Vista 64 installed on a separate 300gb velociraptor drive) I am not so concerned with the OS hard drive going bad (though it is a pain in the arse, I will agree... I'll back it up onto a different external drive periodically)... I can always reinstall an OS and programs if necessary but if I lose photos due to a hard drive going bad (and I have not had the chance to backup to Drobo yet)... well, those photos are permanently gone. Hence the Raid 1 I would like.