-- Remember to back up regularly.
The RAID 5 configurations used here won't protect you in the unlikely event of more than one drive failing.
-- If you do invest in a RAID subsystem,
you should go through a "dry run" of a single-drive failure before bringing the subsystem on-line. That way, you'll know ahead of time how to handle this situation. Make sure rebuild instructions and your vendor's technical-support numbers are posted near the array.
-- Consider configuring your array with drives
from several different manufacturers to reduce the risk of multiple drive failures. (One reason the drive makers quote overly optimistic MTBF [mean time bet
ween failure] rates in a RAID environment is that the drives in an array are likely to be from the same assembly-line batch; thus, when one drive fails, the others, being of the same age and manufacture, are likely to fail at or near the same time).
-- The cable and terminator pins
in the SCSI-2 Fast/Wide interface bend easily. Take care when connecting and disconnecting these devices.
-- Finally, don't forget to have a spare drive on hand.
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