Hello,
I have recently started using Windows Storage Spaces for RAID 1 protection of some of my data. I have been unable to determine if and how Windows Storage Spaces warns a user of any sort of failure to an array. Is this built in or would it be best to use another software to assist in monitoring arrays and checking for any issues?
Thanks!
Hi, from the problems I've seen in threads here you definitely need a 3rd party program to monitor your disks' health.
A particularly good one is Hard Disk Sentinel (not free).
Further possible options:
Top 7 S.M.A.R.T. Monitoring Software Tools For Windows
$subj
Not always forfaileddegraded (but still alive) virtual disks.
And because monitoring tools like zabbix, nagios or veeam monitor are overkill, some simple powershell script run as scheduled task should be optimal - it gives a chance to replace failed physical disk without data loss.
Good move. And of course, back up in the usual way... which could be more of a challenge size-wise.
Hi there
@Ocman76
Windows storage spaces IMO are very unreliable and break easily - especially when updating or re-installing systems. I've had these things break a few times on Windows and I steer well clear of them now.
You would be far better off if you need RAID of any sort on Windows to get a RAID controller card -- this would come with its own drivers and tools (usually). These things are cheap enough now - and as Windows file systems on storage spaces are highly proprietary the chances of say any external device that isn't windows --e.g phones, tablets, smart TV's, NAS boxes being able to access the Windows files will be problematical. (You can still access non windows file systems via the usual methods of course - SAMBA etc etc).
With a RAID controller at least you get proper RAID and can use standard Windows file systems -- not of course any data on RAID arrays - same as any other important data should of course be backed up regularly.
BTW if you DO use a RAID card you should also be able to use a RAID device as a boot device --the driver will allow that -- Storage spaces can't be used as Windows boot devices.
Cheers
jimbo
True- example thread where the user had a problem with the Storage Space not being recognised by a different build of Win 10.
Reconnect Storage Spaces Drives to New Install Win 10 Pro
Crystal Disk Info can monitor SMART statistics of physical disks included in Storage Spaces, it cannot inform you if some physical disk losts communication and virtual disk switches to degraded state or if some physical disks have Split status - in other words, CDI is Storage Spaces agnostic and cannot monitor them.Thanks for the help, I went with CrystalDiskInfo. Cheers!
User upgraded his Storage Pool metadata, it is not problem of Storage Spaces.True- example thread where the user had a problem with the Storage Space not being recognised by a different build of Win 10.
Any way to downgrade ver. of MS Storage spaces volume w/o data loss?
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Citation needed. Or evidence given by honest and qualified person; of course not by you.Windows storage spaces IMO are very unreliable and break easily - especially when updating or re-installing systems
File systems and shares on Storage Spaces volumes are the same as on other volumes; the only problem may occur if ReFS is used and client does not support Long File Names. Upgrade your MS-DOS equipmnent.and as Windows file systems on storage spaces are highly proprietary the chances of say any external device that isn't windows --e.g phones, tablets, smart TV's, NAS boxes being able to access the Windows files will be problematical.
NTFS and ReFS - which are used to format Storage Spaces volumes - are standard Windows file systems.With a RAID controller at least you get proper RAID and can use standard Windows file systems
Can you stop trolling and focus on things you can understand (if any exist)? Thanks.
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Example of Storage Spaces advanced configuration - tiered virtual disk consisting of fast 2xSSD Two-way Mirror (RAID1) tier and large 10xHDD Dual Parity (RAID6) tier (optimized for efficiency by number of columns), furthermore equipped with small Write-Back cache. Even if three disks fail (one SSD and two HDDs), volume is still fully functional for both read and write access.
And yes, this whole thing is completely created in Windows 10 Home edition 1903 (including ReFS formatted volume which is needed for appropriate operation of tiering).
Useful to know, thanks.Crystal Disk Info can monitor SMART statistics of physical disks included in Storage Spaces, it cannot inform you if some physical disk losts communication and virtual disk switches to degraded state or if some physical disks have Split status - in other words, CDI is Storage Spaces agnostic and cannot monitor them.
Hard Disk Sentinel (my recommendation) is said to be able to do this, confirmed by comments in a thread here:
Problem with Storage Space
But do feel free to challenge that with appropriate proof, of course. I note you did not make an alternative recommendation.
I can find no evidence (neither in the thread nor on the net) that HD Sentinel can monitor Storage Spaces objects like storage pools and virtual disks; only physical disk SMART health.Hard Disk Sentinel (my recommendation) is said to be able to do this, confirmed by comments in a thread here:
I did. Some Powershell commands in the picture are all you need.I note you did not make an alternative recommendation.
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And as you can see, if three disks are dead, volume D: is still alive:
Last edited by muchomurka; 17 Sep 2019 at 05:10.
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