Member Avatar for cb2

I have two 80g WD drives that i have setup into a Raid 0 right now on an old computer. Well i have a new laptop and want to turn that old computer into a linux box to play around with. So i was wondering if there was a external hd case that would let me turn those 80g's into and external RAID 0 for backup?

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Short answer for : yes — you can turn those two 80 GB WD drives into a single external RAID‑0, but pick the right enclosure and procedure. Two common approaches are (A) a multi‑bay enclosure that implements RAID in its own controller (hardware RAID) so the box presents a single logical disk to your laptop, or (B) a diskless / pass‑through (JBOD) enclosure or separate USB‑SATA adapters that expose each physical drive individually so Linux can run software RAID (mdadm). (man7.org)

Practical implications: hardware‑RAID enclosures are convenient (one device to connect) but the RAID metadata and configuration live on the enclosure/controller and are often controller‑specific — reconfiguring the enclosure will erase array metadata and data. Software RAID under Linux (mdadm) is portable between Linux hosts if the drives are presented as separate block devices and the superblocks are intact. If you want to preserve an existing mdadm array, do not create a new hardware RAID on those disks. (manuals.plus)

If you go the mdadm route: always back up first. Then attach the drives to the Linux box in a way that each drive appears (e.g. /dev/sdb and /dev/sdc). Use mdadm --examine to check for a superblock; mdadm --assemble will reassemble an existing array without rewriting data. Creating a new array will destroy existing contents. Example (illustrative): 

sudo mdadm --examine /dev/sd[b-c]
sudo mdadm --assemble --scan
# or (will wipe data): sudo mdadm --create /dev/md0 --level=0 --raid-devices=2 /dev/sdb /dev/sdc
sudo mdadm --zero-superblock /dev/sdX   # when you need to remove old md metadata

Refer to the mdadm manual for options and exact safety steps. (man7.org)

Hardware / product notes: look for enclosures that explicitly support JBOD or “pass‑through” if you want software RAID (consumer examples exist), and for laptop use prefer USB‑C / Thunderbolt or enclosures that implement UASP for better throughput. If you prefer a self‑contained external RAID box, pick a diskless RAID enclosure (TerraMaster, OWC and similar product lines are examples) but accept the controller‑specific risks and back up before changing modes. Finally, RAID‑0 has no redundancy — keep a separate backup. (imicro.com)

This expands on ’s note that enclosures exist and refines ’s point: yes, hardware RAID uses a dedicated controller and can wipe metadata, but Linux/software RAID can be reassembled if drives are presented individually and not overwritten. (man7.org)

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Member Avatar for Coconut Monkey

There are such things - you just need to find a store to sell them to you! A quick google picks up the links below, but you will want to research further.


http://www.usbgear.com/USB-RAID-System.html

Member Avatar for cb2

There are such things - you just need to find a store to sell them to you! A quick google picks up the links below, but you will want to research further.


http://www.usbgear.com/USB-RAID-System.html

Thanks for your reply. But im looking for external cases with out drives. I have 2 80 gig drives that i want to put into a single external drive in a Raid 0.

Member Avatar for Coconut Monkey

Thanks for your reply. But im looking for external cases with out drives. I have 2 80 gig drives that i want to put into a single external drive in a Raid 0.

None of those enclosures linked have drives supplied with them.

Member Avatar for redage

external raids have to have a dedicated controller. when setup before as a software raid, all your data is gone.

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