# RAID1 with graid?



## atomant (May 21, 2012)

The system is set up and running. Still strugling how to make labels (another topic). I want to make RAID1 for my main disk (OS, boot) on FBSD FreeBSD 9.

I have searched everywhere but I haven't found one tutorial on how to make RAID1 with graid, instead there is only a manual page. In the FBSD FreeBSD handbook for RAID with gmirror says that *it* is inco*m*patible with FBSD FreeBSD 9.x but doesn't explain how to do it with graid.

Has anyone here a usable tutorial on this?


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## wblock@ (May 21, 2012)

First, gmirror works fine on 9.0, it just has to be done with MBR rather than GPT partitioning.  Even that's not strictly true.  Another way to do it is by mirroring GPT partitions: gmirror With Disk Partitions.

As far as I understand it, graid(8) can access RAIDs created with the BIOS.  Then boot FreeBSD, load the graid module (graid load), and install FreeBSD to the mirror.  I don't know if 
	
	



```
geom_raid_load="YES"
```
 is required in /boot/loader.conf or is done automatically.

It's important to realize that this ties you to the RAID controller format used by that motherboard.  So if the motherboard dies, moving the mirror to another computer with a different RAID controller might be tricky or impossible.


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## mav@ (May 24, 2012)

wblock@ said:
			
		

> It's important to realize that this ties you to the RAID controller format used by that motherboard.  So if the motherboard dies, moving the mirror to another computer with a different RAID controller might be tricky or impossible.



graid allows to use all supported metadata formats unrelated to the hardware it runs now. So it should be able to access data even after migration to another hardware. But booting indeed may become a problem if new BIOS won't handle old format and boot partition was not RAID1 or resides not at the beginning of the disks.


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## wblock@ (May 24, 2012)

mav@ said:
			
		

> graid allows to use all supported metadata formats unrelated to the hardware it runs now. So it should be able to access data even after migration to another hardware.


That's pretty cool!


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