Configure Ubuntu Server for RAID 5 with three drives.
Configure Ubuntu Server for RAID 5 with three drives.
So I'm trying to use an old computer that had a failed drive as a media server and smb server for home/family use. I've got a stock laptop and stock ps4 drive in it as well as a external hard drive plugged in, for a total of 3TB. I was able to get almost everything working for the media server but smb was fine but that was with one driver before I had the other two. Now I've added the other 2 drives and due to a mess up I'm starting from scratch and trying to set-up the raid during set-up of linux but I can't figure out how I should be setting up these partitions. So far I've gathered that I need to do one partition on a drive for the OS and then somehow link the remaining unallocated space, with the other two drives, to create the raid. I tried youtube but I can't find accurate info for menus for the latest Ubuntu Server, or the videos show a vmsetup which would be fine if they weren't using 4 drives for it which is making me more confused.
You're just starting out with Linux, that's totally normal. It's great you're thinking about storage options. Using a flash drive as a permanent backup is a solid idea, but it's not the only way. You could also set up a dedicated partition or use an external drive for regular storage. Just make sure to back up important files elsewhere too. What's your main goal with this setup?
See that little arrow pointing left below your post? It's to the right of the plus sign. You need to press that to quote people. When you quote them they get a notification that you replied. If you don't quote them (as you didn't quote me) they won't get notified and won't know you replied. Yes. It's a common practice in the enterprise to install the OS to a thumb drive then create the storage pools independently. This can prevent headache down the line. If you're particularly new to Linux you might have been better off going with something that has GUI like a WebUI for example. It makes system management easier for the less CLI savvy people. If you're looking to setup a pool via CLI I know how to use ZFS. Try running the command "zpool" in the Terminal and tell me what it says. If it doesn't recognize it you can install it.
You can handle it and probably stick to the YouTube tutorials that demonstrate a setup with four drives, using one as the operating system and the other three for RAID. Once you reach the terminal, you’d likely run zpool to manage storage. I managed to configure the server without a graphical interface, but when I tried to set up Plex on Ubuntu Desktop, I preferred the plan of removing desktop mode for a headless setup. Everything functioned well with one drive until I accidentally ran a command and damaged the OS. That forced me to start fresh, since the three drives were already prepared.
In the setup where the operating system is installed across multiple disks, a hardware RAID controller is typically employed. Be aware if you're using ZFS, avoid combining it with a hardware RAID controller—it's not recommended. Instead, consider using a few external thumb drives: place the installer on one and the installation media on another. If the four drives are similar, you can rely on all of them.
Yes, you're proposing using two flash drives for installation and the remaining drive in a raid setup.