I haven't had a chance to try out all that php based project management goodness, but we are getting close to setting up our Sharepoint glory. I'll share some of that coming up soon. But in the meantime let me just say I think the Dell PERC S300 Software based RAID sucks. First I thought we ordered our Dell server with a hardware RAID, but guess we didn't So no linux will work on this machine "yea!" Then I find out that they screwed up the RAID in the first place using 0 and we needed RAID 1 so I blow away the RAID Re-create it as a RAID 1 and next thing I know it takes two days and three hours with Dell tech support to get this thing to just be able to install Server 08 what a headache. I wish vendors would just stop witht eh software RAID. If you want software RAID you can get it through the OS, just offer hardware RAID or no RAID at all!

As this seems to be my most popular page let me spend an extra minute in the PERC S300 RAID. It is offered on many Dell models and is an upgrade from the S100. It is a software based RAID, though I would more accurately describe it based on Dell's description as a hardware assisted software RAID solution. If you open up the Dell R410, and I imagine other servers with the S300 you will notice a RAID card, this is the PERC S300 card. The S300 has no stable drivers, only experimental drivers for Linux currently, and by Dell's own admission only will work with Windows. This RAID differs from pure software RAID which is often used in an OS, in that the hardware card is present. Of course this is because the software resides on the card, as does the management console for managing RAID configurations and drives. As opposed to software installed on the OS which performs the same duties as a regular RAID card.

Anyways after getting this server with the PERC S300 we ordered what we thought was the replacement module card for the PERC 6ir card, but they sent us not once but three times the PERC 6i card, apparently their system was fubarred, but eventually we managed to get the right apart ordered after I did all sorts of research and brought it to our account manager at Dell. The PERC 6ir card looks exactly like the S300 card, identical actually. The only reason I know it is a 6ir is because on boot the RAID BIOS comes up and identifies itself. That and Linux recognized the virtual RAID disk now.

My recommendation to anyone getting a Dell, if you want to use RAID 1 or 0 only, spend the upgrade cost for the PERC 6ir or 6i if it's offered. The ir add on card for the R410 was only like $100 the 6i card which is a little more advanced and offers more features runs about $300. It will save you some headaches.

Now if you want to get into a question of performance of Hardware RAID over Software RAID I'd welcome that discussion, though I feel it is more a matter of preference. And the features and stability you want. Perhaps you want to chime in?