HighPoint RocketRAID 1640 Controller

[mjn]

Anybody used one of these?

I'm trying to create a RAID 5 using 4 x 200gb DiamondMAX 10 drives, but i'm running into all sorts of problems. Arrays will create ok, but not verify, or rebuild.

I'm going to try the card in a different slot, and then a different PC if nothing changes. Already put a bigger PSU in the PC, incase it was that, but no luck.

Anybody have any tips/tricks?

 

[rhinoman]

I have a couple of the 4 way ide versions and an 8 way sata one, populated with 300gb maxtors, the 2* 4 ways came first and co-existed quite happily, could both be accessed from the management console or the bios utility, once I added the sata as well they are fine from the bios but the management console only sees the sata one.

I've moved arrays from 1 machine to another and replaced discs and verified it once, all without problems, ( 2 drives on the 8 way sata went down on Sunday and nuked the array but that isn't the fault if the card).

All 16 drives and a boot drive 4 case fans running off a cheapish 550w psu.

The only problem I had once with the controller was in a "very" chaep mobo where it wouldn't be picked up by the bios utilty, but it was fine in windows, replaced the mobo and transpanted the array and all was well.

Sorry my rambling probably wasn't much help.

 

[mjn]

I found the problem in that a rogue faulty drive is at fault! The 1640 array card disabled the drive in the end, so i ran the Maxtor PowerMax diags....which confirmed the drive is knackered.

2nd faulty drive in 7 days!!

 

[rhinoman]

Glad you got it sorted.

I must admit, with the 2 drive failure last week and another a month or 2 ago I'm now beginning to wonder if I should be buying the more expensive Seagate drives with a 5 year warranty.....

 

[mjn]

Do Seagate drives come with a 5 year warranty again? Seagate drives used to be well known for theirtendacy to develop bad sectors very easily.

I thought it was only Maxtor and Samsung which gave anything longer than a 1 year warranty?

 

[rhinoman]

All the latest ones seem to be, the maxtors of late only seem to have a year unless they are the enterprise class ones.

 

[mjn]

Well, more problems, after the 1st HDD failure, i was testing the other three, and another drive fails.....so i've two failed drives from the same order. The 1st replacement arrives today, and yep you've guessed it, the replacement is faulty as well! Can't believe it, 3 faulty drives out of 6! I suspect that the supplier / courier may be partly to blame though, the HDD's are shipped in bubblewrap, inside a plastic bag, and thats it! I'm sure the couriers don't treat them with extra care.

Oh well, will be getting another RMA tomorrow, and will be getting them to test the replacements BEFORE sending them to me!

 

[rhinoman]

That sucks, makes a mock of the advantages of raid 5.