File/Print Server question for PC network Gurus ?

Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di for Canon

01/18/2011 11:32:16 AM · #1

I'd like to replace our current file server (just an old, headless PC) with something simpler.

Desiring:

1. Hot swappable RAID so at the end of the week I can pull one hard drive out to take home as off site backup, and just plug a different hard drive back in to be rebuilt into the array.

2. Ability to easily set up different shares, with different permissions depending on the user.

3. 2 TB storage.

4. The boss wants it under $1,000, but I can talk him up to $3,000.

5. Gigabit Ethernet.

6. Able to share out a USB printer (?)

The catch is, as you see in the photo below, I need some method to share the plotter as well. I'd like to be able to share it from the file serving device, but maybe I need a separate device?

I'm looking at stuff like the Buffalo TeraStation

Any advice/experience would be appreciated.

Message edited by author 2011-01-18 13:06:43.

NeVeRyn

Canon EOS-40D

01/18/2011 11:44:49 AM · #2

I have a Buffalo Terrastation and think it's wonderful. (mine is kitted out to 3.5TB in RAID 5) It works well with both Mac and PC. I wouldn't recommend using the USB port on it though unless they've improved their firmware as I found it to be buggy and require resetting frequently. If your plotter is USB, the USBAnywhere product is very stable and can be connected via standard network connections and from multiple computers (though not at the same time)

edit- spelling/grammar

edit again -- That printer should support the JetDirect Module - these can be found fairly cheaply on eBay or from various computer parts vendors.

(Love the HP Printers - have a Z3200PS myself)

Message edited by author 2011-01-18 11:47:50.

Nikon AF Zoom-Nikkor 18-135mm f/3.5- 5.6G ED DX

01/18/2011 12:24:46 PM · #3

Thanks! I'll look it up.

=====================

I've added a new requirement above:

5. Gigabit Ethernet.

relent

Nikon D80

01/18/2011 12:28:44 PM · #4

I think you are misunderstanding the point of RAID5 - what you plan to do with it is going to cause you a lot of problems...

RAID5 uses block level striping with distributed parity. This means that if one drive fails there is enough information for the data to be reconstituted from the remainder.

1. What do you think you will be able to do with the "backup" you take? it will be useless as it only contain 1/(x+1) amount of the data (where x=the number of drives you own). If a drive crashes it may not contain the same information as the one that you took home, I'm also not sure if rebuilding the array will completely change the distribution of the data certainly as soon as you write any new data it will be, thereby rendering your "backup" a useless lump of metal and plastic. RAID5 is a reactive solution....you only replace a drive when another one breaks or looks like it is about to break, not before!

2. Rebuilding the array will take hours if not days depending on how much information you have, during the time that it is rebuilding if anything fails you will loose ALL your data as you have just removed the redundancy.

What are you trying to do with the backup? Consider this... what will happen if....

1. A harddrive fails?
2. The NAS fails
3. The building burns down?
4. Nuclear war

RAID 5 will only help with situation 1 and maybe 2. Situation is just a nightmare because depending on the problem you may be able to just buy a replacement, but if you can't then you won't be able to retrieve the data on the array unless you are lucky. As for situation 3...the only way to protect against this is to keep a COMPLETE backup offsite. Situation 4....are you still worrying about your data?!

If you are concerned about situation 3 (I don't think you have even considered 2) then you should be looking at either site to site synchronising or possibly RAID1 as a less than ideal solution

Message edited by author 2011-01-18 12:38:56.

NeVeRyn

Canon EOS-40D

Tamron SP AF 90mm f/2.8 Di for Canon

01/18/2011 12:38:11 PM · #5

I hadn't read that deeply into what he was looking to do. Definitely the Terastation is not what you're looking for if you want to take drives out and take them home - it is a box you stick on a shelf and look at occasionally for the pretty blinking lights to make sure none of them are red (error). If you want to have a drive you can pull out and take home, you are more likely looking for a RAID 1 setup or a 0+1 setup that use mirroring or mirroring and striping (you would take home two drives)

Rebuilding is not fast, regardless the specific purpose of the device running the rebuild as in RAID 5 it has to recalculate from check-sums what the missing block information is.

You might look into a SAN and either online backup or a backup software and an RD100 drive for fast backup and the ability to take it with you.

Message edited by author 2011-01-18 12:38:50.

relent

Nikon D80

Nikon AF Zoom-Nikkor 18-135mm f/3.5- 5.6G ED DX

01/18/2011 12:46:14 PM · #6

Originally posted by Strikeslip:

Thanks! I'll look it up.

=====================

I've added a new requirement above:

5. Gigabit Ethernet.

Sorry....I must be a little irritating just posting problems and no solutions however...is your router/switch/network gigabit enabled otherwise you won't see the benefits!

spiritualspatula

Panasonic LUMIX DMC-LX100

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED

01/18/2011 12:50:47 PM · #7

Chase Jarvis on file management
Chase Jarvis on file management Q&A
There is a lot in there that may or may not be of use to you, but he does detail everything he does, including an equipment list.

01/18/2011 01:02:51 PM · #8

Originally posted by relent:

OOPS! Dang, you're right, my bad, I wasn't thinking. I guess mirroring is the easy way to go, but I was hoping to avoid the performance hit as a few of us work off files residing on the share.

I'm going to alter my original post, above to avoid any extra scolding for this.