keeping track of data on multiple external hard drives

[tillamook]

Any suggestion on how to conveniently summarize (in one central location) the names of folders and files stored on multiple external hard drives?
Some of the hard drives will not always be mounted, but I will still want to see the contents the last time they were mounted

 

[lorductape]

filemaker pro. you'd have to do it manually though.

or you could just raid them together and make life easier

 

[tillamook]

keeping track of data on multiple external hard drives

Thanks for the response. However, I don't have filemaker pro, nor a RAID setup. I have 2 desktop drives (different capacities), and several other portable drives all of varying capacities.

Other suggestions?

 

[senorfrog97]

I'm going to bump this rather that making a new thread. I can't find an answer. There should be an easy way to do this.

Multiple hard drives mounted on the desktop. Would simply liked to be able to view all the contents together one folder and go through and delete random files or add files. I basically would like them to be setup as JBOD/ concatenated or spanning (whatever you want to call it) but I don't want all the info to go bad if one of the drives fails.

 

[Fishrrman]

"Multiple hard drives mounted on the desktop. Would simply liked to be able to view all the contents together one folder and go through and delete random files or add files. I basically would like them to be setup as JBOD/ concatenated or spanning (whatever you want to call it) but I don't want all the info to go bad if one of the drives fails."

I'm going out on a limb, but I don't think that what you're asking to do can be done - at least with ordinary drives just connected via USB or firewire.

A folder is a visual representation of a drive directory. Multiple drives = multiple directories. That means an open window (folder) for each drive (or sub-folder on each drive).

The problem with RAID is that the directory "bridges" across multiple drives. I believe if one drive then goes bad, you can lose a LOT of data. And you said that you don't want "the info to go bad if one of the drives fails". If that's the case, I don't think RAID is for you.

I'm not a DROBO guy, but I'm wondering if that could be the solution for you?

 

[senorfrog97]

Say for example you have a 4 bay enclosure with a 30GB HD, a 500GB HD, and two 2TB HDs running the spanning/combine/Big/JBOD mode where it makes it appear as one large drive. If the 30GB HD fails then also ruins the rest of your 4+ TBs as well? That's how they make it sound.

I have 4 1TBs I want to run in spanning as one large drive but if one drive fails I just want the data on that drive gone not the other 3 drives too. I assumed this mode would simply fill up one drive with data and then move to the next so I don't understand when they say all the drives could lose data if one fails.

My setup is that I have two enclosures mirroring themselves. One is four 1TBs and one is two 2TBs. Might just have to do it all manually if I can't find a simpler solution.

I guess since I'll have a backup anyway I can just go ahead and put them in the spanning/big mode.