I'm an Engineer. I am unfortunately forced to use Windows to use 1 of the many applications that I use. (most of the rest are home-brewed applications that are leverage OS X's UNIX base) I'm currently running a 2010 3.33 hex with 24GB of RAM. I have a 2 TB WD Black for OS X and another for Windows 7 Professional. Until now I have been manually backing up my Windows data to an External drive. I'm sick of doing this, and would like to to set up a software RAID 1 array with 2x 2 TB WD Blacks for Windows 7. Google searches have shown that there are issues with RAID and Bootcamp. I assume that this is only the case when you run both OS X and Windows off the same drive, just partitioned. Can anyone confirm That by having a separate OS X drive from the RAID 1 Array avoid any issues? or do I need to find another solution and if so any suggestions?
As mentioned, BootCamp cannot be used with a RAID of any kind.
You'd be able to continue with your existing configuration (RAID 1 for OS X), separate boot disk for Windows (or Linux if you need it).
If you're considering a hardware RAID card, a single card cannot operate a RAID for both OS's according to testing that's already been tried by MR members. Running 2x cards simultaneously may solve this, but it's not been tried before, and it's an expensive experiment if it doesn't work (restocking fees, shipping fees, and of course time, assuming all testing is completed before your return window expires).
As per a RAID 1 solving your need for backup, this is false. Things can still go wrong, particularly user error (i.e. accidental file deletion), so you still need to have a backup system for both OS's. I can't stress this one enough.
So the best thing I can think of (automation), is to sit down and figure out how much time you spend under each OS, and how often you boot into them. Then use a backup application that allows for scheduling under each OS (i.e. Time Machine, CCC, or Super Duper under OS X, and something like Acronis for Windows).
Otherwise, you'll be stuck doing it manually which isn't fun (and can be dangerous if you forget to perform a backup; such as when your back is up against a wall in terms of time to get a project completed).
