software raid

[copyfile]

I have post in a few post below a question about my server and raid. The question i now have is is it possible to normaly format the 2 disks and than make in windows 2000 server a way that a program makes from disk 2 a mirror ? Like raid 1 ? If it cane how cane i do it than ?

[copyfile]

so my question is also how cane i format the second disk and did smartstart autmaticly format disk one ?

[Uwe Zessin]

As far as I can tell Windows 2000 mirrors *partitions*, not physical disks because each disk needs a different signature.

[copyfile]

Oke buth now i want to try if it works. How must i (in steps please !) install windows 2000 with the smartstart buth than. Howe cane i makt it so that drive 2 is also formated ? And if i cane get a array controller later cane i than also make than one work or can't ?

[copyfile]

or must i format the second disk when i have installed windows 2000 on the first disk with help of smartstart ?

[JohnWRuffo]

Your best bet, if you do not have an Array Controller now, is to build your O/S "Assisted Install" on "ONE" disk.
Then, after the system is built and running smooth, make both disks "Dynamic" and RE-BOOT

Then, you can select, from "Disk Management" in the Computer Manager, the second disk and select to "Mirror" them together in a software RAID.

[kcpant]

to add the above answer, you must have some space left on both the disk if you want to make them dynamic. If you have partitioned disks with win2000 itself, then there is no problem because W2K manages free space for it.If the disks are already partitioned by any other OS, then I recomend you to repartition them with windows 2000. remember, the partitions you are planning to mirror ( software RAID1)must be exactly same in size.
once you partitioned the disks, after installing W2K, make disks dynamic ( go to disk management for this), which is a must for S/W RAID implementation. after that, select the partitions of both the disks you are going to mirror and select "mirror" by right clicking on them.

PS: please consider assigning points to the answers you got .

thanks

[copyfile]

i have now installed windows 2000 server on the first drive. buth now i didn't see the second one in "my computer" buth if i go to hardware i see hem there. so now must i first make one partition and format the drive. how cane i do this on the best way ?

[copyfile]

nobody ?

[kcpant]

Instead of going directly to my computer, please follow carefully the directions given on the prior answers( go to disk management for partitioning , formatting the partition and making partitions on both disks as dynamic). after that, try to mirror them.

regards,