Newbie: how to seamlessy integrate 2+ Hard discs

[vannibombonato]

Dears,
quite simply.
I am planning on having a MacPro with a Raptor as boot+applications drive, and one or two other HDs as data. I come from iMac.
1- My objective (i dont even know if this is possible) is to never have to deal with searching paths on wether a certain file is on one disk or another.
For example, i would like to see in the finder directory of "movies" all of the movies which are on my system, regardless of which drive i have saved them. Is it going to be this way?
In my idea, i would only have to specify HDs when installing apps (and i would choose the raptor). But for example, if i am downloading and i save an item on the desktop, on which HD is it positioned?

2- Plus, once i recieve the system, i'll have to install my HDs in the bays, boot the system from the DVD, and re-install everything (i won't be moving data from the iMac, im will be doing a clean install) on the Raptor, correct? And, How do i erase the OS that is already installed on the HD that comes with the MacPro?

Thanks a lot...being an Imaccer for the last years, i lost knowledge on these "PC" type of things...

Ciao,

Vanni

 

[tersono]

By default your applications AND home directories are on the boot drive, as is your desktop folder. You would have to specifically install applications, or save data, onto those drives by selection each time.

You CAN set things up as a RAID stripe set, which would make two drives appear as a single volume but I'd recommend against it, as if one disk fails you would then lose the whole array (together with all of your data). If you can afford it, you could go for the optional RAID card for the MacPro, that will allow you to set up a RAID5 array, which has redundancy built in.

Alternatively, set up directories for different sorts of data on each drive, then use aliases within your home directory to access them.

 

[edesignuk]

This is what I'm doing, and it might suit you too. I'm a bit confused as to what you want.

320GB stock drive will be my boot drive (you will have a Raptor for this). To do a clean install just pop in the Leopard disc and turn the Mac on holding the C key. Select your Raptor drive as the install drive.

I will then have a 750GB data drive. I will be moving my home folder to this drive using this method.

Then I will have another 750GB drive which the first 750GB drive backs up to nightly using SuperDuper!

Moving your home drive means anything you save to your desktop, anything you import in to iTunes etc will all be on a drive away from the OS+Apps. I will then have a backup of all my personal data that I wouldn't want to lose on the 2nd 750GB drive.

I don't care about backing up the OS+Apps since they're pretty static, they're just apps and can easily be reinstalled. My only concern is backing up my actual user data.

 

[GroundLoop]

Then I will have another 750GB drive which the first 750GB drive backs up to nightly using SuperDuper!

Out of curiosity, is there a specific reason that you use SuperDuper vs. Time Machine? (maybe you just don't have Leopard)

Hickman

 

[edesignuk]

Out of curiosity, is there a specific reason that you use SuperDuper vs. Time Machine? (maybe you just don't have Leopard)

I don't have a need to "go back in time". I don't want disk space taken up with multiple copies of the same file in different states. I don't want it taking backups periodically through the day slowing the machine down. All I want is for there to be a good, reliable copy of everything I care about. I decided against just doing a RAID1 with the 2 drives as I don't trust software RAID enough, don't want the overheads, and although I don't want to be able to go back in time, the ability to grab a file from last nights backup should I royally cock it up the next day is nice.

 

[GroundLoop]

I don't have a need to "go back in time". I don't want disk space taken up with multiple copies of the same file in different states. I don't want it taking backups periodically through the day slowing the machine down. All I want is for there to be a good, reliable copy of everything I care about. I decided against just doing a RAID1 with the 2 drives as I don't trust software RAID enough, don't want the overheads, and although I don't want to be able to go back in time, the ability to grab a file from last nights backup should I royally cock it up the next day is nice.

Understood. Sounds like you are the only user of the computer or at least the account that all of the media is on. Right now, both my wife and I share an account (didn't want to duplicate a lot of data - photos, music, etc and didn't want to go through the trouble of remote hosting all of the libraries for access from all accounts). That is why I prefer time machine in case one of us deletes something that the other one needs.

Hickman