JBOD, DriveBender, DrivePool etc

[jmizzle]

Hi guys,
Quick stats:
HTPC -
6x3TB WB Green HDDs
1x120GB SSD
Win 7 Ultimate
Intel Core i5 2500K

All my drives are set up as separate drives. I want to combine them all together.
Not really interested in RAID, it does my head in (plus no spare PCI slots)

Just some questions:
Do I need a RAID controller to setup JBOD?
What are the advantages/disadvantages of JBOD over a drive pooling application?
Some of my disks have existing data, will this be a problem in setting up a JBOD or using a drive pooling app?

A little concerned about redundacy though.
I was thinking if I use a program like DriveBender or Drive Pool then I can get it to duplicate and back up my files (on the fly?). So kind of like a RAID 1 setup but without me having to fork out $500 for a dedicated RAID controller.
Anyone have an opinion on this?

[Vulcan]

Some of your questions would be better suited to a Windows configuration / sys admin forum IMHO, but here are a few comments to start off:

6x3TB WB Green HDDs
[...]
All my drives are set up as separate drives. I want to combine them all together.
Not really interested in RAID, it does my head in (plus no spare PCI slots)
[...]
Just some questions:
Do I need a RAID controller to setup JBOD?

That depends on what you mean by JBOD in this context, as being something new - I think most people would say that, since you are using these as separate drives, then they are already JBOD! Either you're using the wrong jargon, or something is confused in your description.

Some of my disks have existing data, will this be a problem in setting up a JBOD or using a drive pooling app?

Any configuration change to disks which have existing data, will have risks - and in some cases can be destructive to the data. So your answer depends on exactly what you are trying to do but, in any case, even if the documentation for your chosen plan says that it is safe for existing data, you are taking a risk by believing that! Have backups on different media (drives / tape etc.) in case of problems.

A little concerned about redundacy though.

With 6 drives, you have 6 times the chance of having one of the drives fail, than if you only had one drive. Whether you need redundancy (software or hardware RAID) and backups, or just need backups (note: backups and RAID are not the same!), depends on several factors including the importance of you having uninterrupted access to your data, the length of time to recover from backups, what types of problems you are trying to protect yourself from, your budget, what sys admin time you are prepared to spend (or pay someone else for) etc. etc. There are many (perhaps too many!) options.

[jmizzle]

Ok thanks for your reply...
Basically I have 6 separate drives and I want to view them all as one (one drive letter). I was asking for opinions on the best way to do this.
Yes they are a just a bunch of disks but they are not setup in a JBOD configuration, so i was asking what are the advantages of doing this, hence my question.
I am aware that I am 6 times more likely of drive failure. That's why I was asking about the file duplication method using a drive pooling application.

[Vulcan]

Basically I have 6 separate drives and I want to view them all as one (one drive letter).

There are some (potentially significant) disadvantages to that plan (research what RAID [hardware or software e.g. pooling] does not protect you from, and see if you're happy with that) but if you really want to do this...

I was asking for opinions on the best way to do this.

There is no "best way" - there are choices, each with their own tradeoffs / pros & cons (differing cost, complexity, performance, limited OS support, sys admin time and hassle, ease of backup / restore etc. etc.). Since this seems to be a new area for you, a Windows-oriented sys admin forum is probably a better place for you to get a handle on those tradeoffs when using Windows, as this is nothing to do with data recovery or the drives themselves, which are the focus of this forum.

As I tried to explain before

I see the frustration in your reply. We're obviously talking at different levels - you seem to think you're asking questions with easy answers. With respect, you're not. You're asking very open questions, with insufficient parameters specified (I gave examples of them before), so your options are (almost) limitless, because there is no "best way". If such a thing existed, then everyone would use exactly that "best" configuration

Yes they are a just a bunch of disks but they are not setup in a JBOD configuration

You obviously mean something special by "JBOD", which is different from mine. I work with disk arrays every day, so I know the industry-standard definition, and you seem to be saying "they are just a bunch of disks, but they are not just a bunch of disks". I can't help when there is that kind of confusion.

I'll stop here. Perhaps someone else can understand you enough to answer all your questions because, unfortunately, I don't.

[jmizzle]

OK thanks for clearing some things up. Yes I am new to this area of technology but i'm learning... slowly lol.

[fzabkar]

Are you wanting to create a "spanned" volume?
http://howto.cnet.com/8301-11310_39-573 ... n-windows/