It's a bird, it's a plane, it's... another RAID tutorial from TechMikeNY? (Yes, yes it is.) This time, we'll walk you through how to set up a RAID 1 Virtual Disk in UEFI Mode.For the following process, it is best if the server is in UEFI boot mode. TechMikeNY configures servers in UEFI before shipping so you should be good to go, but if you need help setting it up on your own, you can see our i...
If you don't have fault tolerance for your OS and your drive fails...no worky. As in, the magic smoke has leaked out. As in, your device won't boot. Enter: the BOSS card. Setting up a RAID 1 array on a BOSS card can provide data redundancy and fault tolerance for the OS. So here's how you do it.
Creating a RAID 1 Array in the F2 Menu
1. To begin setup, boot into the F2 Menu and head to...
Ever sat around and wondered about your RAID controller’s battery? Can’t say we have either. But turns out, Reddit is full of people who are curious to know what it’s for. So naturally, we had to talk about it.
RAID controllers come with a dedicated battery, the RAID battery, that works to preserve the controller's cache memory in the event of sudden power loss. In this blogpost, we’re talkin...
You've been on r/homelab. You've seen the photos of 14-rack-server setup running all sorts of virtual machines. Maybe you have an idea of the lab you want to create, but you're not quite sure where to begin.As you may know from our previous blogposts, a homelab can be an incredible resource for hands-on learning and experimentation. But with so many options, it's not always clear what equipment...
When it comes to types of server hard drives, there are so many variations out there that it can become challenging to keep track of all the considerations. "Can my server read a 4Kn drive?" "Can I mix SAS and SATA drives in the same machine?" "What about SSDs versus HDDs?"
While we've written extensively on hard drives, we thought it would be helpful to summarize all the types, formats, and ...
As part of our continuing series of TechMike's Quick Fix Troubleshooting Guide, we tackle common errors triggered by RAID controllers. (For your reference, here are links to our previous posts: PSU Quick Fixes and RAM and Cables).
RAID is such an integral component of virtually any Enterprise rack server that we had to dedicate an entire blog to it – it's TechMike's Quick Fix Troubleshooting...
Enterprise servers run on unique software applications that you don’t frequently see in the laptop and desktop consumer market. We’ve answered countless customer questions on these unique applications. We thought it would be helpful to add another installment of our “Customer Questions Answered” series: Software (SPOILER ALERT: Be prepared for a heavy dose of VMWare’s ESXi and Windows Server ...
SSDs vs. HDDs. It’s a raging debate within the IT world. Some folks swear that the performance of SSDs so vastly outperforms HDDs that the higher cost is unquestionably worth it. Others feel that HDDs offer decent-enough data transfer speeds at a much better price. The truth depends on your scenario and where you want to put your dollars!
This blog post will cover the basics of HDDs and SSDs ...
When you consider data mirroring through RAID, Hot-Pluggable PSUs, and Hot Swappable hard drives, there is no question that Enterprise servers – with their mission-critical applications – are built with redundancy in mind.
To that end, we thought it would be helpful to share what we suggest to keep on hand in terms of spares and the basics of hot-swapping vs. hot-plugging; and hot spares vs....
One of the unique services we provide to our customers is sharing our deep knowledge of the subtleties of enterprise server chassis. For example, a Dell R630 can have different drive sizes (LFF vs. SFF) and a different number of bays. Even though they are all under the same model designation, these differences can dramatically impact what components you can install (and even what cables you...
Mini vs. PCIe vs. embedded? Pass-Through/JBOD supported? SAS Supported? These are the frequent questions that get asked when it comes to RAID controllers in Dell servers.
We’ve put together a convenient Dell PERC RAID controller card comparison table, specifying its generational compatibility, interface, features supported, and cache, so you can have a high-level understanding of what func...
Our customers often ask for assistance in how to set up and configure a RAID array in their new TechMikeNY HPE ProLiant server. In this video tutorial, we’ll provide step-by-step instructions for setting up a RAID array in an HPE G9 server through HPE’s remote management tool, iLO. The server is an 360 G9, and the RAID card is a P440ar controller. The iLO version is Standard.
We’ll demonst...
What if there was a solution available where you could have two separate RAID arrays in a single server, controlled by different RAID cards, with lightning-fast speeds between the two disks?
If that sounds like an appealing solution to your server environment, then let us introduce you to Dell’s Split Backplane Mode (or FlexZone) functionality. This rare tool in specific Dell servers allows...
Transcript:
The blue clips that secure a mini-RAID controller in the Dell 12th Generation servers are prone to break after exposure to heat over an extended time.
In this tutorial, we’ll show you how you can replace these broken RAID clips to ensure your mini-RAID controller is securely connected to the motherboard.
The process will involve disconnecting all components from the motherboa...
Call us gearheads, but at TechMikeNY, we’re fascinated by all of the hardware and parts of an enterprise server. We often field questions from our customers on cable compatibility, specifically the many variables with Dell backplane cables.
To better inform, we thought it would be helpful to describe the nuances of these backplane cables. Call it Server Anatomy 101: Know Your Backplane Cab...
RAID: The magical configuration of physical drives into virtual disks that allow for speed and redundancy. Because RAID is such a large part of enterprise servers, at TechMikeNY, we field questions on RAID controllers and configurations daily.
In this blog post, we'll share some of the common questions we get about RAID arrays and controllers and give you the information, as well as some un...
You have a massive RAID array with several drives in a server. Disaster strikes, and the system board crashes. Recreating the RAID arrays from a backup could take a very long time, to say nothing of the reading/writing wear & tear on your drives. Wouldn’t it be great if you can just take all those functioning drives that house your RAID virtual disk(s) and install them in a new server ...
At TechMikeNY, a big part of what we sell are Enterprise rack servers. A big part of servers is RAID. (If RAID is a new concept to you, read our blog post here, which is a handy primer.) Since so many of our customer questions revolve around RAID configurations and trouble-shooting, we thought it would be a good idea to put down some typical RAID array server Do’s and Don’ts which can serv...
In a previous post, we shared a handy hardware RAID primer on how to choose a RAID controller by configuration, a RAID array controlled by a dedicated controller within your server or computer. However, you can also accomplish a RAID virtual disk through software tools without the need for a dedicated RAID controller.
This post will cover the key differences between RAID run through hardware...
Our customers often ask for assistance in setting up a RAID array in their new TechMikeNY server. In this video tutorial, we’ll provide step-by-step instructions for how to set-up a RAID array in a Dell PowerEdge server. The PERC – or PowerEdge Raid Controller – is an H730, and the server is a Dell R730 – but the steps are virtually identical between all Dell PowerEdge servers.
When the...
