The easy way to setup and partition a level 0 RAID array is the following method:
1) Attach the drives to the RAID controller. Each drive should be master on its own channel (separate cable) for maximum performance.
2) Enter the RAID controller bios (usually you press CTRL+H after powering on the PC). Setup the RAID0 array with your preferred stripesize. The exact way of doing this depends on the controller. Note: Some controllers (e.g. the Promise-lite) does not allow you to change the stripesize.
3) Make sure you have a floppy with the RAID drivers. Boot from the OS installation CD, and when prompted press ‘F6′ to install third party RAID or SCSI drivers. Insert the floppy.
4) Using the installation program partition and format the drive.
5) Proceed with installing the OS on the boot partition.
The problem with the above method is that you can not specify the wanted clustersize when formatting (For NTFS the default clustersize is 4kB). If you choose to use NTFS it is not possible to change the clustersize without reformatting the drive. For FAT32, the clustersize can be changed at a later time with programs like Partition Magic.
Update: Partition Magic V8.0 [hard drive repair software]is able to change the clustersize of an NTFS partition. I haven’t tested this yet, but I expect it to be a slow procedure. So if you wan’t to test different clustersizes, the method below should be used.
If you want to use NTFS, or do some benchmarks with different stripe and clustersize combinations the recommended method requires a third temporary drive:
1) Attach the drives to the RAID controller. Each drive should be master on its own channel (separate cable) for maximum performance.
2) Attach the temporary drive to the normal IDE controller.
3) Enter the RAID controller bios. Setup the RAID0 array with your preferred stripesize.
4) Install the OS on the temporary drive.
5) Boot on the temporary drive. When the OS is up and running, install the RAID drivers.
6) Partition and format the RAID array with the preferred clustersize. In Windows XP, Disk Management provides the means to partition drives and formatting with a custom clustersize.
7) Optionally perform benchmarks on the array. Reformat the drive with a different clustersize or rebuild the array with a different stripesize. When the array is partitioned and formatted, the temporary drive can be removed.
Make sure you have a floppy with the RAID drivers. Boot from the OS installation CD, and when prompted press ‘F6′ to install third party RAID or SCSI drivers. Insert the floppy.
9) Install the OS on the boot partition of the RAID array. Make sure you do not format the array during installation, since this will reset the clustersize to the default value.
Related reading::How to set up RAID drives and enhance hard disk performance/How to achieve drives raid/What is the difference between RAID 0 and RAID 5E/What Types of RAID Exists And The Difference/Advantages of Using Software RAID Over Hardware RAID/Which Stripe And Clustersize Should I Use to Setup a Level 0 RAID.
