RAID card recommendation

[Matthew Wakeling <matthew(at)flymine(dot)org>]

We're about to purchase a new server to store some of our old databases, 
and I was wondering if someone could advise me on a RAID card. We want to 
make a 6-drive SATA RAID array out of 2TB drives, and it will be RAID 5 or 
6 because there will be zero write traffic. The priority is stuffing as 
much storage into a small 2U rack as possible, with performance less 
important. We will be running Debian Linux.

People have mentioned Areca as making good RAID controllers. We're looking 
at the "Areca ARC-1220 PCI-Express x8 SATA II" as a possibility. Does 
anyone have an opinion on whether it is a turkey or a star?

Another possibility is a 3-ware card of some description.

Thanks in advance,

Matthew

--
Now you see why I said that the first seven minutes of this section will have
you looking for the nearest brick wall to beat your head against. This is
why I do it at the end of the lecture - so I can run.
                                       -- Computer Science lecturer