Is this HDD configuration possible?

I would like to know if the following HDD Raid configuration is possible.

I am considering buying a laptop with dual HDD and I would like to do the following thing: (For simplicty lets suppose that each drive (drive 1 and drive 2) will be split in half, (partitions A and B))

Partition 1A and 2A configured in RAID 1 (mirroring) for increased security of important data.
Partition 1B: Windows
Partition 2B : Linux

Is such a configuration possible? I am asking because I would like to be able to enjoy the security of RAID 1 with the bigger storage space that 2 HDDs can provide.

And if this is possible could it be imaginable to push the complexity a bit further by doing something like that?
Partition 1A and 2A configured RAID1 (mirroring for security)
Partition 1B and 2B configured RAID0 (striping for speed)
Partition 1C : Windows
Partition 2C : Linux

So what do you think? Is this possible or even better, has anyone tried it yet?

 

I used to partition on my desktop hard drive
And at times I used raid as well
I read somewhere that partitioning can actually slow down the drive
My current desktop configuration is a single 10,000rpm raptor for the os
And a 7200rpm for storage

My main laptop has a Samsung ssd drive
These new drives are very fast


Alex

 

I dont think you could do it as thats alot of partitions.

I know you could do a raid 1 start and a raid 0 for the remainder and then sub partition this off inside windows but you would not be able to have your 3 different raid types on a drive.

I know that Intel Matrix Raid will let you have 2 raid arrays setup on the drives but I think its main use is to allow part Raid 1 and part Raid 0.

 

So if I understand correctly not even this configuration is possible

Partition 1A and 2A configured in RAID 1 (mirroring) for increased security of important data.
Partition 1B: Windows
Partition 2B : Linux

On the other hand I can have simultaneously RAID1 and RAID0. So perhaps a configuration like that would be possible:

Partition 1A and 2A configured RAID1 (mirroring for security)
Partition 1B and 2B configured RAID0 (striping for speed)

and then partition RAID0 as i see fit (for example creating one partition for Windows and one for Linux). Right?

Did that make sense or not?

 

Yes. It is possible if you have the Intel Matrix RAID chipset on the notebook (a ICHxR chipset, where x is a number of the chipset on a intel matrix chipset).
It will work just fine to have raid1 + normal HDD storage with no raid on the other partitions.

Doing partitions will NOT slow down the drive, that's just BS. A HDD has a high throughput at the beginning of the disc and gets slower at the end, so if you partition a smaller partition at the beginning you'll have the fast area of the HDD there, not affecting performance to the bad side.

For example, you have a 40GB partition + 260GB partition on a 320GB 7200rpm HDD that has 90-80MB/s at the beginning and 30MB/s at the end of the disc it'll have around around 80MB/s throughput at the first partition as it uses the fastest part of the HDD. And you'll also have better seek times there.

 

Tnx Michel.K! Very usefull info! +1 rep!

 

Thanks Michel.K
+2 rep
So I would actualy gain performance on my 320gb drive by partitioning into
a 40 for the os and the rest for storage
That way the os files would always stay on the faster part of the drive


Alex

 

No problem, just glad to help and thanks to you and permka!

You've understod me correct!
That's why you wanna partition a HDD and use the first partition for OS. And another postitive thing is when you have to do a clean install in the future you can just move your important files from the OS-partition to the other partition instead of the need to sweap the whole drive over again.

A 40GB is just an example, i myself use a 50GB OS-partition, you can configure how you want it for yourself, if you want the OS-partition not to be slower than let's say 80MB/s, just run HD Tach and see how the performance curve goes, when it drops below 80 MB/s, let's say it does that @ 20% into the curve, then just take 20% of 320GB (that's 64GB) that'll be 59.6GiB of those 298GiB (keep in mind that a 320GB hdd only shows 298GiB). Then you'll have a OS-partition that'll do around 85MB/s average if it's around 90MB/s at the beginning.