[K12OSN] server hardware advice needed

[Dale Sykora]

Jim Kronebusch wrote:

> [SNIP]
> 
>>You'll get some folks suggesting to go with at least SCSI, preferably 
>>SCSI RAID 5, and they'll be right, assuming that your budget 
>>allows for 
>>it (mine didn't). 
> 
> 
> One thing that always seems to be left out with a RAID recommendation is
> the option of using an IDE RAID controller.  I have seen a six channel
> IDE RAID controller that handles RAID 0,1,5 for $276 at Buy.com.  Then
> you can buy 200GB IDE drives for about $200 each, add the complimenting
> hot swap trays for about $40 each and for about $1800 you have 1.2TB of
> hot swapable IDE drives in RAID 5 (probably cost you $20,000 with SCSI).
> 
> 
> Of course you could add whatever drives you wanted, say 80GB for $75,
> and skip the hot swap trays.  But either way you have the benefit of
> SCSI style RAID with an IDE price.  This could be just enough to help
> the lower budgets afford performance.
> 
> Just my 2 cents worth.
To add to Jim's suggestion, I have heard good things about 3ware raid 
cards.  I'm not sure if this was the card seen at buy.com