replace internal drive with RAID?

[nihs12]

Hi folks- I am a longtime Series 2 owner and thinking of upgrading to one of the hi-def models. Would it be possible to replace the stock internal drive (the a drive) of a new Tivo with a 2TB RAID 1? I could get a RAID with an eSATA ouput and connect it to the SATA port of the internal drive mount.

I realize I could always just back up the internal drive and replace it if it dies, but a RAID seems like an easier and more robust solution in the long term.


Thank you!

[robomeister]

I'm not a RAID expert, but I'll take a stab at this.

The short answer is: Possible, yes; Practical, no.

In order for the TiVo to use any drive, you need the TiVo software on the internal drive (A drive) and any external (B drive) must be "married" to the internal drive. I have seen some posts on this forum about implementing a RAID as the external drive, with some success. I haven't seen anyone do a RAID as the internal drive. There is not much room inside to put all the hardware required for a hardware RAID.

But here is the thing. The current version of the TiVo software limits the size of any partition to 1TB (terabyte). So, for example, when you upgrade a TiVoHD with the 160GB hard drive, your would be able to expand it to a maximum to 1.16TB. The mfstools expand by keeping the existing partitions and simply adding a new partition of the rest of the drive, or 1TB, which ever is smaller.

Adding the RAID as an external drive would work, but you are still limited to a 1TB partition on the external drive.

Now, it is not impossible to add larger partitions, but it involves manually changing stuff in the partition table and some math and stuff. And the result may or may not be compatible with any mfs tools or future software releases from TiVo. So you could be using a mega TiVo, but only till the next software update, or until your drive fails, whichever comes first.

So there you have it. It is possible, but probably not worth the trouble.

Sorry,
robomeister

[nihs12]

Thank you for taking the time to answer my question.

My main interest was in creating a RAID of the A drive. Drive failure has been my only problem with TIVOs (I am on my third TIVO). So having a RAID for an A drive seems like a big advantage, and keeping the drive heat outside of the TIVO with an external RAID seems like another minor benefit. Both should help me extend the life of a new TIVO considerably.

Let me see if I understand your response:

1) I could create a RAID (externally housed) of the A drive, as long as I kept that RAID to the same size as the A drive that came in the original TIVO, or followed one of the upgrade guides to expand the A drive size. I would have to figure out how to run a cable from the drive mount inside the TIVO to an external RAID 1 array. I don't know what cables and adapters I would need to to do that, but I assume it could be done. I guess I may also need to drill a hole in the case to accommodate the cable, pop out the phone jack that I will not use, or some other inelegant approach.

2) I could marry an external drive (RAID or otherwise) using the external eSATA port if I did not increase the size of my A drive. If I did use an external drive, it would be limited to 1TB.

Did I get it right?

Thanks again.

[JamieP]

Using an external RAID1 is possible and practical with a TiVoHd, if the additional cost isn't a concern. Prepackaged RAID1 kits are available from weaknees: link (http://www.weaknees.com/tivo-hd-tcd652160.php#path2). Exceeding 1TiB of usable capacity may be a problem in a RAID setup, due to the issues that robomeister mentioned.

[nihs12]

Thank you- I checked the link and watched the video and it does seem like what I am looking for. I noticed in the video that they left the internal drive powered on. And switching STATA cables is a very simple and elegant solution.

Do you know if I can disconnect the power without throwing off something on the TIVO motherboard? It would run cooler without the drive.

[JamieP]

Do you know if I can disconnect the power without throwing off something on the TIVO motherboard? It would run cooler without the drive.Seems so from this comment: link (http://www.tivoblog.com/archives/2009/03/09/attaching-a-weaknees-raid-1-external-drive-to-my-tivo-hd/#comment-312168).

I'll bet you could do a 2TB RAID1 (2 x 2TB drives) with a TiVoHD-XL.