I bought a new Dell R210 server, but I chose this option with 1 disk;

C1 MST No Raid with On-board SATA Controller, Min. 1 Max. 2 SATA Only Drives

Now I decided that I would like to setup a software RAID 1. Can I just buy an additional identical HD from Dell and install it myself into the server (without warranty issues)?
Also, this;

C3 MST R1 with PERC S100 (Embedded SATA Software RAID), Exactly 2 SATA Drives

Can I install PERC S100 manually after purchase, or is this only possible by selecting this option when ordering?

Thanks!

jaap34,

Per the PERC S100 documentation, the implementation is done via the chipset. As long as you are running the Intel Ibex Peak chipset, you should be able to enable the PERC S100 in the chipset. Page 43 describes the Pre-install & install steps for the controller drivers- pay particular attention to PERC S100 instructions since this doc covers S100 and S300.

The documentation on the PERC S100 here: http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/storage/Storlink/PERC_S100_S300/en/PDF/ug_en.pdf

Let us know how it goes.

Thanks, I think i'll be able to install the drivers using the manual, the chipset is correct. One more question, can I setup the software RAID1 when Windows 2008 is already setup? Or does it require 2 formatted disks?
And does opening the server myself influence the Dell support (manual states it should only be opened by Dell certified professionals)?

Thank you.