IDE device configuration question #89,436 with RAID twist

[BP]

First: Anyone know of a good website that comprehensively discusses the best
configuration of IDE and ATAPI drive devices on the standard two EIDE
channels, and WHY? Maybe with the addition of RAID configurations?

My new system will have 1 EIDE HDD with plans to add a second down the road,
could be serial or IDE. 2 optical drives: CD-RW, DVD-RW, and a Zip drive.
(The zip is non-negotiable, it's an office procedures thing). I want to set
up the RW drives to be cross channel to the HDD, which I think is important
when burning disks. Now zip drives can't be put on the same channel as a
HDD, are notorious for not playing nice with others, and still use a 40 pin
cable, so I'm thinking of putting it alone on RAID 1 (for now), leaving all
the "fast" devices together and leaving one slave open on RAID 0 for some
future device. Would this work?

 

[JT]

First: Anyone know of a good website that comprehensively discusses the best
configuration of IDE and ATAPI drive devices on the standard two EIDE
channels, and WHY? Maybe with the addition of RAID configurations?

My new system will have 1 EIDE HDD with plans to add a second down the road,
could be serial or IDE. 2 optical drives: CD-RW, DVD-RW, and a Zip drive.
(The zip is non-negotiable, it's an office procedures thing). I want to set
up the RW drives to be cross channel to the HDD, which I think is important
when burning disks. Now zip drives can't be put on the same channel as a
HDD, are notorious for not playing nice with others, and still use a 40 pin
cable, so I'm thinking of putting it alone on RAID 1 (for now), leaving all
the "fast" devices together and leaving one slave open on RAID 0 for some
future device. Would this work?

You will find many RAID controllers don't play well with anything but hard
disk drives. It may not work with your zip drive. Better plan is to have
your HDD on the RAID controller, and use the standard controllers for all
ATAPI (CD, CDRW, DVD, ZIP, etc) drives.

JT

 

[BP]

:
: >First: Anyone know of a good website that comprehensively discusses the
best
: >configuration of IDE and ATAPI drive devices on the standard two EIDE
: >channels, and WHY? Maybe with the addition of RAID configurations?
: >
: >My new system will have 1 EIDE HDD with plans to add a second down the
road,
: >could be serial or IDE. 2 optical drives: CD-RW, DVD-RW, and a Zip drive.
: >(The zip is non-negotiable, it's an office procedures thing). I want to
set
: >up the RW drives to be cross channel to the HDD, which I think is
important
: >when burning disks. Now zip drives can't be put on the same channel as a
: >HDD, are notorious for not playing nice with others, and still use a 40
pin
: >cable, so I'm thinking of putting it alone on RAID 1 (for now), leaving
all
: >the "fast" devices together and leaving one slave open on RAID 0 for some
: >future device. Would this work?
: >
:
: You will find many RAID controllers don't play well with anything but hard
: disk drives. It may not work with your zip drive. Better plan is to have
: your HDD on the RAID controller, and use the standard controllers for all
: ATAPI (CD, CDRW, DVD, ZIP, etc) drives.
:
: JT

Doesn't the boot drive have to be master on the primary channel? Or has this
all changed with RAID? Can you pick which RAID controller and which channel
is the boot channel in the newer BIOS's?