Hi experts - how can I install on RAID 0 non UEFI system


  1. Posts : 11,247
    Windows / Linux : Arch Linux
       #1

    Hi experts - how can I install on RAID 0 non UEFI system


    Hi there

    Any experts out there

    I've rescued an old small server(working with Red Hat enterprise -- but I can't have the OS as it's licensed by the office) from our office --was being chucked out but looks quite good to me.

    4 SATA bays populated with 4X 3TB HDD's (the HDD's were mine BTW !!!). I'm thinking of using this as a NAS server - 16 GB RAM and decent Intel CPU (i3 equivalent -- good enough for media server).

    The only problem is that it's MBR BIOS and I have two RAID 0 arrays consisting of 2 X 2 3TB HDD's.

    Installing Windows though -- No HDD's seen !!! yet there's 12 TB of them in the system.

    The RAID is onboard --not a separate RAID controller.

    Any help here or should I remove the HDD's and send the server on it's original journey to a one way trip to the City's TIP.

    (On board VGA good enough also for running a GUI - if I can ever install an OS on it -- preferably W10).

    Cheers
    jimbo
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 3,105
    W10 Pro + W10 Preview
       #2

    Hi jimbo.
    Although I have a raid 0 setup I am not an expert, but I believe MBR limitation is restricted to 2TB.
      My Computers


  3. Posts : 14,901
    Windows 10 Pro
       #3

    If I'm correct the boot partition can't be larger than 2TB with MBR.
    If I'm not correct, as @dencal mentioned the limit is 2TB.

    The key is partitions, each partition can't be larger than 2TB meaning that you can have 50TB in a RAID setup in MBR as long as the partitions aren't larger than 2TB.
      My Computers


  4. Posts : 11,247
    Windows / Linux : Arch Linux
    Thread Starter
       #4

    Hi folks

    I found it -- Had to buy our Networking Guru a Lunch and a few beers --but worth it.

    1) In the ODD space connected an SSD to the spare SATA port in the machine. The RAID config allows boot from the SSD / Port 5

    2) Hidden away in an obscure part of the bios menu is an "Advanced ROM" features -- and way down most of those incomprehensible options (at least to me) was something called a "Virtual Install Disk" -- enabled this feature.

    3) Created an old fashioned Windows install DVD (I've got a USB external DVD drive )

    4) Created the SSD as a SINGLE array and logical raid0 volume - left the other 4 as uninitialized so Windows didn't even see those

    5) On the menu boot menu was "Inteligent Provisioning" -- would never have found that in a MILLION years -- entered at boot time

    6) Set to install OS manually -- and then it looked for an ISO which was on my external DVD drive

    7) system did another reboot -- and hey presto windows could create a partition and INSTALL and BOOT from the SSD !!!!!

    8) now went back and created two more raid 0 arrays each of 2 X 3 TB HDD's -- probably better than one array of 4X 3 TB

    9) Installed apps and applied updates

    Very nice now -- I'd have never have got this going in a MILLION years by myself -- I see some of these I.T gurus and network guys earn their keep.

    Cheers
    jimbo
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 3,105
    W10 Pro + W10 Preview
       #5

    Hi jimbo
    Great to see you have got it sorted....way over my head.....but the important thing is how does it perform?
      My Computers


  6. Posts : 11,247
    Windows / Linux : Arch Linux
    Thread Starter
       #6

    dencal said:
    Hi jimbo
    Great to see you have got it sorted....way over my head.....but the important thing is how does it perform?
    Hi there

    The RAID 0 performs excellently -- I think with this server the RAID controller is a Hybrid mix of hardware / software but I/O is definitely much faster and no jerky video even when transcoding -- the cpu power isn't the inhibiting factor on transcode but the speed that transcoded I/O can get delivered to the server. (Ideally if you can avoid transcoding then fine - but sometimes subtitles require a new transcode).

    Very happy with it.

    Having the OS on the SSD is a winner too so all 4 HDD's can be used as data storage. There was a space at the top for a slim (9.5 mm) DVD drive - but decided to connect an SSD instead -- you don't need a DVD drive on a server !!!. If you must have one just sling a USB external DVD device on to one of the USB ports ( 4 X USB2, 1 USB2 internal, and 2 USB 3 ports). Using RAID 0 allowed me to boot from the SSD port -- otherwise you have to use one of the HDD bays - and with a non UEFI bios that means you can't use large (> 2TB) HDD's for the boot device. This way I get to use all 4 HDD's as data storage).

    Now I know how to load the RAID driver I probably will investigate running Linux headless or Windows 2012 server (still got an old TechNet license for that one). In fact to load the RAID 0 driver I had to use the W2012 one as there wasn't one for W10 --not sure if many people try to use a small micro server as a workstation - but the small footprint / power consumption of these makes it well worth a look -- not for intensive games etc -- but as a file and multi-media server -- can't be beat for the price.

    Just a note - if you use Macrium reflect you can load the drivers on to your boot media and you can restore a non RAID version of your OS to the RAID 0 SSD -- you can add the driver to the image so it will boot perfectly.

    BTW Server is an HP ProLiant Microserver -- I'd suggest using one of these as a NAS box rather than paying hugely more for a dedicated "NAS" server. For starters you can test with a bog standard OS )Windows / Linux etc) rather than a special OS which you can't really tinker with too much with.

    Cheers
    jimbo
      My Computer


 

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