RAID

Ubuntu - How to Create Software RAID 1 in 12.04 Ubuntu Linux - Tutorial

There are several guides for creating software RAID's on Ubuntu on the internet. Most of them we've found to be not very comprehensive or difficult to understand and follow. This is why we've created this tutorial as easy to use as we could. Pictures on every step and detailed instructions. In fact, it may be a little to comprehensive, but that's ok. At least you'll be confident you created the RAID correctly. If you do have any questions or run into a problem, feel free to leave a comment below and we'll try to help.

Linux software RAIDs work differently than normal hardware RAID's. They are partition based, instead of disk based. This means that you must create matching partitions on all disks before creating the RAID. Hardware RAIDs have you add the disks to the RAID and then create the partition.

This tutorial was created while installing Ubuntu 12.04 64 bit Server Edition. It's intended to be the first in a series of Linux software RAID tutorials. Future tutorials will cover topics such as how to recover from a failed disk.

This server has two 16GB disks installed. We will be creating 2 partitions: a 2GB swap partition and a 14GB root partition. After we are done, the server will stay in operation if one of the two disks fails. Most of the pictures in this tutorial are self-explanatory. The option you need to choose will be highlighted. We will provide comments on the picture if there is any special considerations.

How to setup a Windows Software RAID Mirror and Convert Basic Disks to Dynamic

This is a beginner level guide for Windows Administrators who are looking for clear and easy to follow steps on how to configure a Windows software RAID and convert basic disks to dynamic disks. Windows Software RAID is a simple and quick way to setup a RAID when you have limited resources. No special hardware is required, as so with a normal RAID (also known as a hardware RAID). In my example, I have two 1 terabyte hard drives. One of the hard drives has the OS installed on it, while the other hasn't been partitioned. This example is being performed on Windows Server 2003 Standard, however, most other Windows OS's have very similar steps.

To begin, open up Disk Management: Start > Run > diskmgmt.msc

disk1

You see the both disks. The online disk is listed first, and the second disk is labeled "Not Initialized". Right click on Disk 1 and choose "Initialize Disk":

disk3

Now right click on Disk 0 and choose "Convert to Dynamic Disk..."

disk2

A dialog box will pop up asking which disks you would like to convert to dynamic disks. Choose Disk 0 and Disk 1:

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