ATA RAID - FREQUENT REBUILDS - HELP ?

[SalemCat]

I'm using a SIL PCI-680U-0 RAID card, set up as 0+1, (4) 80G HDs - (2) Maxtor ATA 133, (2) Seagate ATA 100, all 8M Cache, all 7200RPM.

The RAID setup is about two months old.

The Secondary Slave was failing four or more times a week, so I replaced that HD. Now with a NEW HD it fails and rebuilds about twice a week.

Today the Primary Slave failed as well, for the 1st time.

Each HD passes SMART, no Bad Sectors. The Secondary Slave that was failing frequently is in another computer now, as a single drive, with no problems at all.

I'm thinking of (4) possible issues:

01: Bad 80-Wire Cables ? Oddly enough I tried to upgrade from Flat Cables to Round, and the Computer would not boot at all. The SIL PCI-680U-0 RAID just does not like round cabling. I'm going to swap one 80-Wire Flat Cable for a new one just to see if that helps. I doubt it, though.

02: HDs get too hot ? Unlikely. The array will fail even when booted from cold. I'm going to pull a side panel today and touch the drives once in a while to see how hot they get.

03: Insufficient Power Supply ? MB is a SuperMicro 370SSM, CPU PIII 933MHz, Graphics Matrox 16M AGP. Other than the (4) HD RAID the load on the PS is rather light. I'm not sure what capcity the PS is - I'll look today. I am sure it is a no-name. Are there syptoms of a bad PS that I can check for ?

04: Perhaps the SIL PCI-680U-0 RAID card is defective ? Maybe I got a bad card, or maybe all SIL PCI-680U-0 RAID cards suck ? Does anyone have one that works fine ?

05: YOUR SUGGESTION - PLEASE.

[BipolarBill]

If you're running 4 drives, you need a GOOD 350W PSU. If it's generic, it should be rated 450W or more.

Update the BIOS on the SIL card if you can. Consider selling your drives for two *fast* drives and a copy of Ghost 9.0 or Acronis True Image.

[SalemCat]

Thanks !

I expect you are correct - it's a PS issue.

This RAID card is a real cheap one - it's not possible to flash the BIOS.

But would there be any other visible systems - or tests I can run - to confirm the PS is underpowered ? I sure don't want to buy anything I don't absolutely need.

[BipolarBill]

Originally posted by SalemCat
I sure don't want to buy anything I don't absolutely need. Who does? Did you *need* RAID 0+1? It's our nature to buy the things we want before the things we need, isn't it?

I can recommend a kick-bootie PSU for small bux:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817104966

It actually puts out over 400W.

[SalemCat]

Looks like a nice PS. Guess I'll have to "eBay" something - and then visit NewEgg.

I do tend to be very frugal with Computer Parts. Back in the AT days I must have shuffled a dozen MB's thru the same case old case that began life as a 386 - when a 386 was Kick-*** !

I can't justify Xmas Lites and the like for my computer. (Not that's there's anything wrong with those ! Before I had a family to support I feathered my nest with loads of sweet junk.)

I especially take care to hit "The Sweet Spot" with CPU's. But this PS you recommend looks like anything but a frill.

RAID 0+1 is way worth it. I search MS Access Databases all day, and the HD Access is much improved (when it's not rebuilding!)

[dajogejr]

Way too many drives IMO...8??



Opt for some SATA Raptors which spin at 10K or do this the right way...the SCSI way with 10K or 15K drives and a good Promise or other compatible SCSI card....

[causticVapor]

Relax, his drives are relatively new - and equivalent-sized setups using SCSI would be expensive. Complex, yes, and I would've opted for 2x 15k RAID1 - but that's the way he did it.

Get the Fortron PSU BPB recommended and you won't have probalos. :D

[dajogejr]

I'd bet once he gets that better PSU, there are still some issued.

For the price of those 8 hard drives, I'd bet you can get 3 good SCSI or SATA drives for ABOUT as much...and run a RAID 3 or 5 setup...

Just me...8HDDs are going to pump some heat, for sure.

And since reliability is the main goal here, or at least I'd hope it is, heat would be my next concern...

;)

[SalemCat]

I see where my post has confused some readers - sorry.

My RAID 0+1 has just FOUR 7200 RPM HDs in TOTAL.

(2) are 80G Maxtor ATA133, (2) are 80G Seagate ATA100.

A 16M Matrox Video Card, PIII 933 MHz CPU, and a NIC are the only other power-hungry components.

So the overall Power Comsumption is pretty modest. Still, the explanation that makes the most sense to me so far is that the PS is being over-extended. It's really cheap one that came with the case.

[causticVapor]

what are the voltage readouts like? (+5v, +12v, +3.3v)

[SalemCat]

what are the voltage readouts like? (+5v, +12v, +3.3v)


Where & how would I measure these ? I do have a cheap multimeter.

Is there a Web Page somewhere that would guide me in how to take these readings ?

[BipolarBill]

You can get them in BIOS Setup under PC Health.

[SalemCat]

I entered the BIOS and observed the Voltages for a few minutes.

IN0 (CPU1) 1.76 to 1.78
IN2 (+3.3V) 3.36 to 3.39
IN3 (+5V) +4.91 to +5.05
IN4 (+12V) +11.84 to +12.08
IN5 (-12V) -11.12 to -12.00

[BipolarBill]

Those are fine.

[SalemCat]

Wouldn't the load increase when I leave the BIOS, enter WINXP PRO, and I begin doing some Disk-Intensive Tasks ?

Would the voltages fluctuate worse then ? How could I monitor the voltages in Real Time ?

[BipolarBill]

Originally posted by SalemCat
Wouldn't the load increase when I leave the BIOS, enter WINXP PRO, and I begin doing some Disk-Intensive Tasks ?
Maybe, but those results are within normal limits.

I would still get a new power supply. What are you waiting for?

[SalemCat]

I would still get a new power supply. What are you waiting for?



My Tax Return.

[BipolarBill]

Heh. Understood.

[SalemCat]

For future reference, what Voltages would be unacceptable to observe in the BIOS ?

[BipolarBill]

Anything up to a 5% variance woud be acceptible.

[SalemCat]

Well, I visited NewEgg and purchased http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16817104966 This PS is rated 350W; the one I replaced came with the case and was rated 300W.

I also replaced (1) 80-Wire Cable I was suspicious of. I doubt this was an issue, though, as only the Slave Drives ever failed. And since each Slave is on a different channel, replacing just (1) HD Cable would not cure the problem.

I checked the (4) HDs, they were not too hot to touch, but they were too hot to hold for more than a minute or so. I had them stacked one above the other. So I removed them and then spaced them out. Now there is an empty 5-1/4 bay between each drive. That should help.

I'll run this setup for a while and report back.

[SalemCat]

Well, it has been nearly a month with only (2) Rebuilds. The new Power Supply Bipolar Bill recommended has made a big difference.

Both Rebuilds were very odd, and unlike any I had before. I left my computer on, and when I returned the Power Button LED on my Viewsonic 17" was flashing different colors, with no picture on-screen. The Monitor could not be turned off by its Power Button, either.

I had to turn the UPS off, and then turned the power back on. When back in XP a Rebuild had begun.

This happened twice. I then entered the BIOS and the Power Saving Screens in XP and disabled most Power-Saving features.

It's been (2) weeks now with no issues at all. I hope things stay this way.

[BipolarBill]

That's good news. :)