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Can I use Time Machine over eSATA

sorry - yes, it's a late February Mac Pro (2x 2.8Ghz Quad XEON). The reason I ask is because, at first glance, I was under the impression that only an external USB/Firewire drive could be recognized by TM. Internal hard drives could only be used in addition to my current external USB drive. I'm probably mistaken.
 
Keep in mind that the eSATA cable is just a cable. The motherboard does not support hot-swap so your external drives need to be powered on when you boot. The drives won't be recognized after bootup if you tried to plug in an external drive using the eSATA bracket. I use a Sonnet Tempo E4P PCI-e 4 port eSATA controller to use for additional external drives.
 
Just to clarify - I have a MBP, and I'm getting an expresscard eSata card for it (I've never used eSata before). Is this different from USB/FW, where you can plug in a drive with the OS up and running, and it just mounts the volume/s?

But assuming you've got the drive mounted in eSata, Time Machine is happy to use that drive as it's backup target?

- padmavyuha
 
jb60606 said:
I am planning on buying the following items for use as an external drive.

OWC Mercury Elite-AL Enclosure

Newer Technology eSATA Extender Cable

I'd obviouly prefer eSATA over FW/USB for it's added speed. It might come in handy on TM full system restores.

Anyone know if this is possible? Or must I use USB/FW.
Click to expand...

Maybe this post will help you.

Hope it does. As for the eSata question, my answer would be I do believe it is possible to use eSata. I would recommend you would rather use FireWire, if you do have the decision. FireWire is so much faster.
 
RRutter said:
As for the eSata question, my answer would be I do believe it is possible to use eSata. I would recommend you would rather use FireWire, if you do have the decision. FireWire is so much faster.
Click to expand...

Seriously, dude - if you don't know what you're talking about, you shouldn't say anything. You've also said that MKV was video "format", not a container, and now you're saying FW is faster than eSATA?
 
Cave Man said:
Seriously, dude - if you don't know what you're talking about, you shouldn't say anything. You've also said that MKV was video "format", not a container, and now you're saying FW is faster than eSATA?
Click to expand...

Yah, I thought this forum was here to ask questions. I didn't think it was a container. I believe FireWire is tons faster. So have a nice day, cutiepie. :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D
 
RRutter said:
Maybe this post will help you.

Hope it does. As for the eSata question, my answer would be I do believe it is possible to use eSata. I would recommend you would rather use FireWire, if you do have the decision. FireWire is so much faster.
Click to expand...

I think you have eSATA mixed up with USB. eSATA is much faster than firewire.
 
RRutter said:
Opinions are magnificent. Thanks for not being so ridiculously rude like so many other people on this forum though. Maybe I have them mixed up, but I'm 99.99% sure I don't. K? THX!
Click to expand...

Whoa! Bud, what'd I do to you? I was just clarifying that firewire is not faster than eSATA...

sorry :confused:
 
RRutter said:
Yah, I thought this forum was here to ask questions.
Click to expand...

Questions are fine and you'll be treated respectfully if you ask them. But you make pronouncements that are factually wrong, and that's how your get hammered.

I didn't think it was a container.
Click to expand...

Judging by your exchange with the other poster, I suspect you didn't know how video files are assembled, thus what a container even was.

I believe FireWire is tons faster.
Click to expand...

But you're wrong. FW400 is 400 mbps. FW800 is 800 mbps. My eSATA is 3 gbps. The math is pretty easy.

So have a nice day, cutiepie. :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D
Click to expand...

Uh, yeah. Right.

TuffLuffJimmy said:
Whoa! Bud,
Click to expand...

I sure hope it's not "Bud" but "ma'am" because s/he just called me cutiepie. :eek:
 
RRutter said:
Opinions are magnificent. Thanks for not being so ridiculously rude like so many other people on this forum though. Maybe I have them mixed up, but I'm 99.99% sure I don't. K? THX!
Click to expand...

I ended up going with eSATA.

From the benchmarks I've seen on the web, eSATA is faster than FW-800 in almost all regards though the results, of course, can be diminished by other factors such as the eSATA controller or hard drive itself. I'm using the internal SATA extender mentioned in the original post, so that wasn't a problem.

Thanks
 
Interface Bandwidth:
FW800 is 800Mb/s = 100MB/s
eSATA is 3.0Gb/s or 3000Mb/s = 375MB/s
(Mb/8 = MB)

Easy. :)
 
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