Question : Problem: Buildinga RAID

I am interesting in putting together a standalone IDE RAID but I'm am unsure of the best way to go.

My original idea was to setup a RAID-5 array with 5 drives on a p4 1.5ghz system running win2k.  I planned on connecting this directly to a workstation using gigabit ethernet and windows SMB sharing.  However, beofore I do this I would like to get a few oppinions and maybe learn about other options.

Does gigabit SMB traffic have a lot of CPU overhead?  Could a 1.5ghz p4 handle gigabit traffic as well as RAID-5 with 5 or even more drives?

What about a different possibility?
I would like to be able to attach the standalone RAID PC to the workstation's SCSI interface.  Is there some kind of driver or software that would allow this type of connection?  The PC would essentially have to act like a SCSI device - I'm not sure if this is even possible but it would be nice.

Any ideas at all would be appreciated!

Justin

Answer : Problem: Buildinga RAID

"I know that IDE operations consume CPU time"

Not any more; around 5% compared to 30% in old IDE controllers.

"Does hardware IDE RAID use more CPU time for read/write operations than a single IDE hard drive on a standard IDE controller?"

No.  The definition of a hardware raid controller is one that has its own dedicated processor for handling the overhead of spreading out the data.  From the main cpu's point of view a good hardware raid controller is little different from just a basic drive.

"Can I expect a significant performance increase on my workstation by using a mapped network drive to the RAID"

I highly doubt this; in fact it will probably be lower.  I suggest a quality hardware raid controller installed directly.  CPU loads are 5% or less for the controller while at least that high to handle the network traffic.

Furthermore, the only description we have of your use is that your system is a "workstation".  No idea what you use the thing for or why you have selected RAID level 5.  I suspect you've heard this term out of context.  Every level has its pros and cons and these need to be properly matched to the situation.  I wouldn't be suprised if 5 was not the correct level.

I suggest you read this excellent article on Tom's Hardware going over the pros and cons of 8 IDE RAID controllers:
http://www4.tomshardware.com/storage/20021112/index.html