Which RAID?

[bielen]

I'm looking to purchase the a RAID drive to pair with my unibody MacBook Pro?

I've narrowed it down to:

• Guardian MAXimus from OWC
• G-RAID2 or G-RAID3 from G-Tech
• Western Digital MyBook II Studio Edition

I'll be using the drive in RAID 1 mode. Initially I'll connect via Firewire 800 for Time Capsule backups, high definition video editing from the Camcorder and streaming of iTunes videos to other Macs or AppleTV.

If you own or have used any of these drives, how quiet do you find them? Any recommendations on these or other units to consider?

Thanks

 

[milk242]

I have a MyBook Studio Edition II 2tb and I can say that its very quiet since it has no fans. The temp does get pretty high if you're transferring files to and from constantly for 3+ hours but their temp sensor still says its in an okay operating range and at idle the drive is not hot at all. I'm also pretty satisfied with their raid management software and also when you pick up the drive you probably want to do a firmware update if available.

 

[cuestakid]

+1 for the MyBook Studio

 

[MacFanJeff]

Why not look into a Drobo? Much better in my opinion and works well with just about any drive, plus very easy to use and replace drives.

 

[bielen]

Why not look into a Drobo? Much better in my opinion and works well with just about any drive, plus very easy to use and replace drives.

I like the Drobo, but I question the long term reliability. If the drive fails, I have to get a replacement Drobo. If I have a RAID 1 unit and it fails, I can simply pull out the drive an put it in another enclosure.

I'm also not sure if the Drobo is capable for basic video editing or if it's too slow.

 

[MacFanJeff]

I like the Drobo, but I question the long term reliability. If the drive fails, I have to get a replacement Drobo. If I have a RAID 1 unit and it fails, I can simply pull out the drive an put it in another enclosure.

I'm also not sure if the Drobo is capable for basic video editing or if it's too slow.

Hang on a second there, as this must be corrected so others will know too. I don't know where you got that information from.

First and foremost, everything you said about the Drobo is totally wrong. You do NOT have to get a "replacment Drobo" for a simple drive failure. In fact, that is what the Drobo is all about. Please check out their web site and read the details on this item along with their great demo video. It explains all this a lot more.

Also, if a drive fails it is "hot swappable" and has external indicators showing the drive status so you know when a drive is failing to replace. All you do is pop the bad one out and slide the new one in, no data loss or extra work required.

Last, the Drobo has improved with the most recent model which supports Firewire 800 now.

It is just as reliable as any RAID out there and much better to use. Also, they do seem to have a very solid reputation. Do you listen to any podcasts like TWIT, TMUP, TWIP, etc? They have used Drobos for some very important data protection and even listeners have praised them.

If you still prefer a RAID card or other company to Drobo by all means go for it. But you must know the facts of the product.

 

[bielen]

Hang on a second there, as this must be corrected so others will know too. I don't know where you got that information from.

First and foremost, everything you said about the Drobo is totally wrong. You do NOT have to get a "replacment Drobo" for a simple drive failure. In fact, that is what the Drobo is all about. Please check out their web site and read the details on this item along with their great demo video. It explains all this a lot more.

That was my mistake, I typed incorrectly. I meant to write what happens if the Drobo unit itself fails? (not the drive) My understanding is I must replace the Drobo unit in order to recover the data? I cannot simply mount the hard drive using and access the data. The drive must be in a Drobo unit to recover.

 

[alphaod]

The drive must be in a Drobo unit to recover.

Yes. And there is a chance that the Drobo failure could corrupt your data.

Even Data Robotics suggests that you backup your Drobo or at least the important stuff off-site.

 

[MacFanJeff]

That was my mistake, I typed incorrectly. I meant to write what happens if the Drobo unit itself fails? (not the drive) My understanding is I must replace the Drobo unit in order to recover the data? I cannot simply mount the hard drive using and access the data. The drive must be in a Drobo unit to recover.

OK, that is a different story then as you state above. From what I know, there is only a 1 yr warranty and the answer is YES, the Drobo will have to be replaced if it fails to read your data. I know now what you are saying and believe this is the case as it states on the Drobo.com web site support area:

"Question:
What if Drobo fails and I need a replacement?

Answer:
If for some reason Drobo fails:

- Drobo is covered by a 1 year Limited Warranty

- Make sure you have registered your Drobo

http://www.drobo.com/Support/Register.html

- If you have owned Drobo for more than a year you will need to purchase DroboCare;

http://www.drobo.com/Support/DroboCare.html

Once you receive the replacement Drobo;

Properly shut down your drobo by first putting in Standby - disconnect FireWire/USB/Power - eject drives. Insert drives into replacement Drobo while Drobo is Off, once drives are properly seated connect FireWire/USB then Power. The drobo disk packs are readable from system to system."

To be certain I would email them. In terms of doing what you want and popping in your drives if the RAID array itself fails, you will need to go with a RAID array that mirrors the drives, such as RAID-1, RAID 0+1 (striped and mirrored) etc.

I would point out that even the other drives or RAID cards can have failure and may be out of warranty if it happens. However, if you don't plan to replace your RAID hardware on failure then going with something like a RAID card or hardware solution such as Guardian MAXimus from OWC will allow you to use those drives that are mirrored without the RAID hardware. If you are going to replace the RAID hardware though, the point is moot if you want to backup your Drobo.

Hope that helps, best of luck in your shopping.

 

[MacFanJeff]

Yes. And there is a chance that the Drobo failure could corrupt your data.

Even Data Robotics suggests that you backup your Drobo or at least the important stuff off-site.

The same goes for any hardware RAID failure. I don't know of any company that says they fully guarantee your data if the RAID device itself fails.

However, unless there was some strange issue, the whole idea of RAID 1 or RAID 0+1 is just for that case. Drobo may be different, but having RAID 1 as for as I have known, would be no different than making a full drive backup using something like "SuperDuper" as it should "mirror" the exact data on the other drive. If one drive fails, just pop in the other one and if the hardware fails, those drives should still be fully intact. NOTE: this does not apply to Drobo, as far as I know, so you will need to backup that data to be safe.

 

[bielen]

The same goes for any hardware RAID failure. I don't know of any company that says they fully guarantee your data if the RAID device itself fails.

However, unless there was some strange issue, the whole idea of RAID 1 or RAID 0+1 is just for that case. Drobo may be different, but having RAID 1 as for as I have known, would be no different than making a full drive backup using something like "SuperDuper" as it should "mirror" the exact data on the other drive. If one drive fails, just pop in the other one and if the hardware fails, those drives should still be fully intact. NOTE: this does not apply to Drobo, as far as I know, so you will need to backup that data to be safe.

I think what I'm going to do get the Icy Dock Dual Bay RAID enclosure and pop in two 1TB Seagate drives. While nothing is a guarantee, I feel more comfortable knowing that I still could use the drive even if the enclosure fails or IcyDock is no longer around. The IcyDock enclosures while a little pricier than others, generally seem to get positive reviews.

 

[nanofrog]

I think what I'm going to do get the Icy Dock Dual Bay RAID enclosure and pop in two 1TB Seagate drives. While nothing is a guarantee, I feel more comfortable knowing that I still could use the drive even if the enclosure fails or IcyDock is no longer around. The IcyDock enclosures while a little pricier than others, generally seem to get positive reviews.

Compared to Promise, IcyDock's prices aren't too bad.