Raid or not to Raid

[snowbound]

Looking at relacing a 2 computer Win XP system using peer to peer for a Point of Sale system. Current system is 7 yrs old and new version of the PoS requires Win7 X64 Pro. Current system is using one machine as a "server" with a Promise Super Swap 1100 for RAID 1.

If I decide to use RAID 1 on the new system is hardware raid i.e. a separate raid controller still the preferred method of providing reliable raid in a business environment? If so any preferred controller cards or ones to watch out for? Was thinking of using WD RE4 or possibly WD Red drives.

Any help/suggestions are appreciated.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

7 years old is right on the line of maybe-the-motherboard-didn't-have-RAID-support. Depends on the chipset, of course.

Using a card gives you more recovery options in the event of a hardware failure. But since you're using a Desktop OS and consumer grade drives, I'm thinking motherboard RAID is in-line with your other choices (no more likely to screw you over than anything else.)

I would probably prefer a dedicated NAS appliance for this situation, since supporting a non-standard setup for one of your POSes will be a bit of a headache and having an end-user-operated workstation serving critical data to other workstations is bad juju.

("Gee, Ned, IE won't load my pr0n. What should I do?" "Well, Ralph, I think you gotta reinstall it. Hold that power button down until everything turns off, then press it again and the computer should come on." "Coming on like your wife last night..." "STFU Ralph." "Hey look, pr0n!" "Hey, why're all the other POS systems crashing?")

 

[Carson Dyle]

Using RAID is an appropriate choice here, since I would assume that any downtime costs you money. Using onboard RAID for RAID 1 should work well in your setup, which doesn't sound like it gets very busy. (In fact, I'm a bit surprised that it requires a server with just one PoS station, unless that's a requirement of the software you're running.) A dedicated RAID card is faster and it does give you the option of replacing the card if it fails, but you'd need a spare on hand for it to make much difference.

As always... Make sure you do regular backups. In a situation like yours where the systems might be targets for theft, keep the backups in a safe and/or take them off site.

 

[COPOHawk]

onboard RAID 1...and use Acronis 2013 with an external hard drive for a backup.

Lock down internet browser usage, this can be done with IE Content Advisor (password protected).

 

[snowbound]

Already using online backup on old box. Will probably image the new install so I have a base to restore to if need be.

Content Advisor of course only restricts IE users and not Firefox or Chome if those browsers are used. May implement something through the router to tighten down the security.

Well the "server" is also used for the account and to generate reports etc rather than tying up the store computer.

Are there any onboard Raid chips perferred over others these days or are all onboard about the same?