Disk Utility secure erase "3 pass secure erase"

[KKhan495]

I am needing to do a DOE-compliant 3-pass secure erase on a 12TB LaCie raid.

I have the option of using USB 3 or Thunderbolt. Does anyone happen to know how long it would take to do a 3-pass secure erase on either one of those cables?

I appreciate any help/info anyone has.

Thanks!!

 

[DeltaMac]

12TB?
Either connection will take several hours for a multi-pass erase..
So, start the secure erase. Let it go overnight.
Should be done the following morning.

Why will an hour or two difference be important for you?

 

[KKhan495]

An hour or two doesn't make a difference. But if it's a difference between several hours to days, I would prefer to use the quickest method.

I'm mainly just trying to collect as much info as I can to see if either way makes a significant difference.

 

[DeltaMac]

If your company has security requirements, and you really need to assure that all data is un-recoverable, then much quicker than the multi-pass erase is: pull the hard drives, drill several 10mm holes through the hard drives. A drill press will make quick work of that.
meanwhile, back at the bench - My gut feeling is that if you have TB2, that bus will be faster than USB 3.0. If your drives have a native thunderbolt interface (not all do), then the bus performance over TB will be faster. How much faster - depends on other factors, such as hard drive speed, and to some degree which Mac you use.

Just curious - Let us know which you used, and how long it *really* took.