I do like RAID5 systems, with hot swap capability and automatic re-striping of a replaced HDD. Those have worked well. But if the RAID controller innards go bye bye, you are right, one is totally screwed without a good backup (and image if it is a boot array). RAID is really good for increasing reliability and performance as well in the correct configurations, when it comes to the ability to survive the loss of a single HDD in an array. But it does nothing to assure me of the ability to scrap a backup/imaging strategy.
Gil > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] > [mailto:[email protected]]on Behalf Of Kevin Cully > Sent: Thursday, December 18, 2008 7:51 AM > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [NF] Heads up to Buffalo NAS owners > > > I don't know how many RAID systems I've seen fail because the backplane > failed. 5? When they go to order a new backplane for the RAID system, > they can't get a replacement because the tech is too old and it's out of > stock. They want to put the drives in a new RAID system but ... HD > technology has moved on and the drives aren't compatible so ... they'll > have to order something. Which means days of down time. > > I'm a fan of cheap duplicated redundant simple systems with failovers. > I think the costs come out to be the same, setup and recover are cheaper > and faster. $0.02. > > -Kevin > CULLY Technologies, LLC > > > Michael Madigan wrote: > > I've had to fight excessively to have backup systems and RAID > systems because the nitwits always think that RAID means you > don't have to do a backup. > > > > I wonder if they argue with their doctors as much as they do > with their computer guy. LOL > > > > ************************************************* > > > > > > > > --- On Wed, 12/17/08, Gil Hale <[email protected]> wrote: > > > >> From: Gil Hale <[email protected]> > >> Subject: RE: [NF] Heads up to Buffalo NAS owners > >> To: [email protected] > >> Date: Wednesday, December 17, 2008, 8:34 PM > >> I have a blend of brands for my external HDD units that I > >> use for disk image > >> and file backup purposes. But not being the trusting type > >> I also back up > >> the backup HDD units to a 2nd set of external HDD units, > >> connected to a Dell > >> 840 Server via eSATA. Since having gone to a 2nd layer of > >> HDD protection > >> (which is backed up weekly to an LTO3 tape drive unit, on > >> any one of 3 sets > >> of tape media) I have only lost one primary backup HDD. I > >> bet if I did not > >> have the backup HDD units backed up at a 2nd level, much > >> less via LTO3 tape, > >> I would have lost a lot more <g>... > >> > >> That said, a friend of mine in SoCal had a Lacie 500Gb RAID > >> external USB2 > >> unit. He told me last year that he could never lose data > >> on that unit > >> because of its RAID configuration. "Wanna bet?", > >> asked I. Sure enough, the > >> other month he lost the Lacie unit. He could not find > >> anyone who was > >> willing to touch it for less than $1,000 to try to recover > >> data. And I was > >> not out there to try to help him out. Luckily he moved it > >> from being used > >> as a primary storage device to file backup only, otherwise > >> he would have > >> lost a lot of client video he was storing. > >> > >> He has now gone to the primary/secondary external HDD > >> backup strategy. Once > >> he has the bux to do so he is going to get an LTO4 Tape > >> Drive and start to > >> behave in a responsible manner. Some of the video he > >> shoots is for the > >> medical community for training. Once in a while they ask > >> him to splice in > >> or out changes, then recompile the output file. So if he > >> ever lost the > >> source files used for his compilation he would be > >> "almost" screwed. He > >> tells me he has the original tapes, and can rebuild the > >> projects if he has > >> to. I advised that I would not put that much faith into > >> tape, and pointed > >> out the hours of tape restoring and recompilation he could > >> save by not > >> taking chances. > >> > >> I have been using the Seagate FreeAgent External HDD units > >> for the past year > >> (5 year warranty) with good results. If you want to use > >> these with anything > >> other than XP or Vista you will need to connect the HDD via > >> US2 to an > >> XP/Vista machine, then run the Seagate software to turn off > >> the sleep mode > >> (default = 15 minutes, I set it to never sleep, gets saved > >> in the HDD > >> firmware). That way on a Linux/Mac/Windows Server 2003 > >> machine the HDDs > >> never "disappear" when they go to sleep. It is > >> the only flaw I have > >> experienced thus far with that model. BTW, I found their > >> utility software > >> works fine with USB2, maybe with Firewire, but certainly > >> not with an eSATA > >> connection. > >> > >> Gil > >> > >> > >> > >>> -----Original Message----- > >>> From: [email protected] > >>> [mailto:[email protected]]on Behalf Of > >> Kevin Cully > >>> Sent: Wednesday, December 17, 2008 7:47 PM > >>> To: [email protected] > >>> Subject: Re: [NF] Heads up to Buffalo NAS owners > >>> > >>> > >>> Thanks Michael. I've got a Buffalo LS (250G) > >> that's been running > >>> reliably for about 5 years now. I'd hate to lose > >> her. > >>> -Kevin > >>> CULLY Technologies, LLC > >>> > >>> > >>> Michael Madigan wrote: > >>>> I just had a problem where my NAS wasn't > >> recognized by the > >>> network anymore. I could ping it, but I couldn't > >> see the shares > >>> and I couldn't get into the web admin. > >>>> In my case, and I suspect in many cases, the > >> flash memory got > >>> trashed. By just running a firmware update downloaded > >> from > >>> Buffalo, that fixed all my problems. > >>>> Keep that in your memory banks. > >>>> > >>>> [excessive quoting removed by server] _______________________________________________ Post Messages to: [email protected] Subscription Maintenance: http://leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profox OT-free version of this list: http://leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profoxtech Searchable Archive: http://leafe.com/archives/search/profox This message: http://leafe.com/archives/byMID/profox/[email protected] ** All postings, unless explicitly stated otherwise, are the opinions of the author, and do not constitute legal or medical advice. This statement is added to the messages for those lawyers who are too stupid to see the obvious.
