How to configure RAID in (Ubuntu) Linux - Tutorial

[Mrkvonic]

Hi all,

Something grand for today: an extensive, step-by-step tutorial on how to configure Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks (RAID) in Linux, including striping and mirroring, and how to install Linux on RAID devices, including the GRUB bootloader setup. Everything you ever wanted to know about RAID but never dared ask - is here.

http://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/linux-raid.html


Table of Contents:

1. Tools of the trade
2. Introduction
   1. Purpose of RAID
   2. Advantages
   3. Disadvantages
   4. Limitations
3. 3. RAID levels
   1. RAID 0 (Striping)
   2. RAID 1 (Mirroring)
   3. RAID 5
   4. Linear RAID
   5. Other levels
   6. Summary
4. RAID notation
   1. /proc/mdstat
   2. mdadm
5. Working with RAID - real-life examples
   1. Partitioning
   2. Edit partitions
   3. Change type to RAID
   4. Configure software RAID
   5. Create MD device
   6. Choose device type
   7. Choose number of devices
   8. Choose spares
   9. Choose devices
   10. Final layout
   11. Configure mount points
   12. Undo / Commit
6. Installation
7. After installation
   1. /proc/mdstat
   2. fdisk
   3. df
   4. swapon
8. RAID & GRUB
   1. GRUB menu
   2. Install GRUB manually on RAID devices
   3. Summary
9. GParted & RAID
10. Advanced configurations
    1. mdadm
11. Other
12. Conclusion

Comments and suggestions are welcome.

Enjoy,
Mrk

[lodore]

Hey Mrk,
very nice article.
one thing that seems to be missing is the difference between software raid and hardware raid (proper raid) and the advantages and disadvantages of both.

[Meriadoc]

Great article.

[Mrkvonic]

Thanks for your feedback.

SW vs HW raid is a good one, although I think problematic to discuss.
HW raid is setup outside OS, so it has nothing to do with Linux per se and is completely transparent to the OS and the user ...

Mrk