Articles on: ggRock

VI. - ⚙️ Configure the ggRock Array


This guide walks you through your first-time ggRock Array setup. The Array stores all your Windows system images and game/application images. Getting this right ensures speed, reliability, and scale.



Table of Contents


Instructions


In order to install and set up ggRock we would need to complete following steps:




🛠️ Initiate Array Configuration


  1. From the ggRock Web UI, click the "Array" tab in the left sidebar.


  1. Click the "Configure" button in the top-right corner of the Array page.




🧠 Things to Know Before You Configure


🔧 The ggRock Array is made of Stripes, and each Stripe contains one or more Drives.
⚠️ By default, your array is not redundant!
🛡️ To ensure data protection, use a RAID type that supports redundancy (RAID1, RAID10, RAID5, RAID6, etc.).
🚫 You cannot include your Debian OS drive in the array.


✅ Recommended Configuration: Use RAID10 for the best balance of performance and fault tolerance.



🔐 Select a RAID Type (Ranked by Data Security)


Choosing the right RAID configuration is critical to balancing performance, data protection, and storage efficiency. Below are the most common types, ranked from most secure to least secure:




✅ Best balance of speed, reliability, and fault tolerance

✅ Survives multiple drive failures (as long as they're not in the same mirror pair)

⚠️ Requires at least 4 drives


Visual Layout:


[Drive 1] = [Drive 2] ← Mirrored
[Drive 3] = [Drive 4] ← Mirrored
↑ ↑
Data is striped across mirrors



🥈 RAID1 – Simple Mirroring


✅ Every drive has an exact mirror

✅ Very reliable and easy to recover

⚠️ Only 50% of your drive space is usable

⚠️ Slower write performance compared to other types

Requires at least 2 drives


Visual Layout:


[Drive 1] = [Drive 2] ← Identical data on both



🥉 RAID5 – Striping with Parity (Space Efficient, Some Redundancy)


✅ Can tolerate 1 drive failure

✅ More usable space than RAID10

⚠️ Slower write speeds due to parity calculation

⚠️ Rebuild time can be lengthy with high failure risk

Requires at least 3 drives


Visual Layout:


[Data A][Data B][Parity AB]
[Data C][Parity CD][Data D]




🚀 Fast read/write performance

❌ Any drive failure = total data loss

⚠️ Should only be used for temporary or non-critical environments

Requires at least one drive.


Visual Layout:


[Data A1][Data A2][Data A3] ...
Data split across all drives for speed, but no backup



💡 Pro Tips


  • Want both speed and safety? 👉 Go with RAID10
  • On a tight budget but want some redundancy? 👉 Try RAID5 (with caution)
  • If your data is mission-critical, never use RAID0
  • If you’re unsure, contact ggCircuit Support — we’re happy to help you choose!



🧮 Example: Planning Array Size


Let’s walk through a sample setup:


  • Writeback per PC: 10 GB
  • Machines in center: 60
  • Games image size: 2 TB
  • System image size: 200 GB (0.2 TB)
  • Game writebacks: 100 GB (0.1 TB)


Calculation:


Writebacks: 10 GB x 60 = 600 GB (0.6 TB)
Total usage: 2 TB (games) + 0.6 TB (sys writebacks) + 0.2 TB (system image) + 0.1 TB (game writebacks)
= 2.9 TB
⚠️ If you only have a 3 TB array, you’re close to maxed out — not enough room for snapshots or expansion.
Consider larger/more drives or reducing PC count.



🧠 Maximum Games Image Size Calculator (New Install)


790jscalcInitial Array Size Calculatormiddle300



🧠 Image Expansion Calculator (Existing Install)


https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-t58j-ToEbcJGsBo4FuUwD6UKgJdIECcBC0B4yWPh50/edit?gid=0#gid=0



✅ Confirm Successful Login


  1. You should see the Machines page (initially empty):



🎉 Congratulations! You've successfully configured your ggRock array!


You may now proceed with the "Configure Client Machines for Diskless (PXE) Boot" guide.


Updated on: 24/12/2025

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