<div>
<div class="content wysiwyg-content">
Hi Guys,<br />
<br />
Is it possible to use hardware raid on an external array enclosure? &nbsp;The external enclosure will be connected by fibre channel adapters to the server. &nbsp;The server is an IBM x3650. &nbsp;There will be two fibre adapters that will be connecting the server to the enclosure. &nbsp;The server will run Linux SLES 11.<br />
<br />
If that's possible, is it possible to make the external array drives apart of the same hardware raid as the drives in the server? &nbsp;Would that even be a good idea?<br />
<br />
Let me know if you would like more information.<br />
<br />
Thanks,<br />
Josh
</div>
</div>


Hi Guys,

Is it possible to use hardware raid on an external array enclosure?  The external enclosure will be connected by fibre channel adapters to the server.  The server is an IBM x3650.  There will be two fibre adapters that will be connecting the server to the enclosure.  The server will run Linux SLES 11.

If that's possible, is it possible to make the external array drives apart of the same hardware raid as the drives in the server?  Would that even be a good idea?

Let me know if you would like more information.

Thanks,
Josh

hardware raid on external array enclosure?

Servers are computing devices that are similar to desktop computers in that they have the same basic components, but are significantly different in size, configuration and purpose. Servers are usually accessed over a network, and many run unattended, without a computer monitor, input device, audio hardware or USB interfaces. Many servers do not have a graphical user interface (GUI), and are configured and managed remotely. Servers typically include hardware redundancy such as dual power supplies, RAID disk systems, and ECC memory, along with extensive pre-boot memory testing and verification. Critical components might be hot swappable, and to guard against overheating, servers might have more powerful fans or use water cooling.

Server Hardware

Storage devices include any device used for storing and retrieving digital information. Hard disk drives (HDDs) use one or more rigid ("hard") rapidly rotating disks (platters) coated with magnetic material. Data is accessed in a random-access manner, meaning that individual blocks of data can be stored or retrieved in any order and not only sequentially. The primary competing technology for secondary storage is flash memory in the form of solid-state drives (SSDs), but HDDs remain the dominant medium for secondary storage due to advantages in price per bit and per-device recording capacity. CD-RW (Compact Disc-ReWritable) is a digital optical disc storage format that allows information to be stored outside the mechanical HDD.

Storage Hardware

Computer data storage, often called storage or memory, is a technology consisting of computer components and recording media used to retain digital data. In addition to local storage devices like CD and DVD readers, hard drives and flash drives, solid state drives can hold enormous amounts of data in a very small device. Cloud services and other new forms of remote storage also add to the capacity of devices and their ability to access more data without building additional data storage into a device.

Storage

RAID stands for Redundant Array of Independent Disks.

RAID is data storage technology that allows multiple drives to be used together as a single virtual drive for reasons such as fault tolerance, reliability and performance. 

There are several different levels of RAID that determine how the data is stored and the level of redundancy achieved across the drives.