Storage suggestions

Oceanwatcher · 2007-04-27, 22:07

I work in the TV and film business (tech stuff and creative stuff) and thought I would share a couple of tips about storage that I have learnt while working with really big files and systems.

When you are looking for a harddrive today, you have to consider how you are going to use it. If it will just be a few hours now and then, any drive will do. But if you want the system to stay on 24-7 then you need to choose carefully.

The drive model that is used a lot now is Seagate Barracuda ES series. If you are going to run a server, you need to use something like this.

Also, when you have a lot of digital pictures, music and videos, you need some kind of security. Burning to CD and DVD is not secure enough, only if it is used together with something else. If you use cheap media for burning, it can become unreadable in less than a year. Not good!

One solution is to have a RAID in your server. And then you need to find a good RAID controller. My recommendation here is to use a SATA controller from 3ware. They are top performing controllers and the only one I would even think about using for something like this. Yes, they cost more than competing brands, but they give you peace of mind...

Just wanted to share this. Hope someone finds it useful.

FlipGer · 2007-04-27, 22:28

Hi there,

thanks for those tips. I also use the Seagate Barracuda series and am very pleased with those hard drives.

Do you have any experience with NAS, especially in the home area? I am currently considering to use one, but I am not sure if it would make sense, to spent that extra money...

Flip.

Oceanwatcher · 2007-04-27, 22:43

Just to specify - the recommended drive is not just any Barracuda. It is the ES series. The other series are not meant for 24-7 use.

You could use a NAS instead of a server. But if you are running a server, you do not need a NAS. Still, I am looking at a couple of NAS boxes. One called Thecus and the other is called Synology. Both have a two bay NAS that can be set up with RAID 1 (mirroring). I still do not know how they perform under heavy load, but for normal homeuse, they are probably fine.

2007-04-27, 22:07	#1 (permalink)
Oceanwatcher Portal Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Goiania, Brazil when I am not travelling because of work. Posts: 15 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Country:	Storage suggestions I work in the TV and film business (tech stuff and creative stuff) and thought I would share a couple of tips about storage that I have learnt while working with really big files and systems. When you are looking for a harddrive today, you have to consider how you are going to use it. If it will just be a few hours now and then, any drive will do. But if you want the system to stay on 24-7 then you need to choose carefully. The drive model that is used a lot now is Seagate Barracuda ES series. If you are going to run a server, you need to use something like this. Also, when you have a lot of digital pictures, music and videos, you need some kind of security. Burning to CD and DVD is not secure enough, only if it is used together with something else. If you use cheap media for burning, it can become unreadable in less than a year. Not good! One solution is to have a RAID in your server. And then you need to find a good RAID controller. My recommendation here is to use a SATA controller from 3ware. They are top performing controllers and the only one I would even think about using for something like this. Yes, they cost more than competing brands, but they give you peace of mind... Just wanted to share this. Hope someone finds it useful. __________________ Regards, Oceanwatcher

2007-04-27, 22:43	#3 (permalink)
Oceanwatcher Portal Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Goiania, Brazil when I am not travelling because of work. Posts: 15 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Country:	Just to specify - the recommended drive is not just any Barracuda. It is the ES series. The other series are not meant for 24-7 use. You could use a NAS instead of a server. But if you are running a server, you do not need a NAS. Still, I am looking at a couple of NAS boxes. One called Thecus and the other is called Synology. Both have a two bay NAS that can be set up with RAID 1 (mirroring). I still do not know how they perform under heavy load, but for normal homeuse, they are probably fine. __________________ Regards, Oceanwatcher

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2007-04-27, 22:28	#2 (permalink)
FlipGer Super Moderator Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Leipzig, Germany Age: 33 Posts: 2,234 Thanks: 29 Thanked 53 Times in 39 Posts Country: My System	Hi there, thanks for those tips. I also use the Seagate Barracuda series and am very pleased with those hard drives. Do you have any experience with NAS, especially in the home area? I am currently considering to use one, but I am not sure if it would make sense, to spent that extra money... Flip.