external hardrive question before i buy??

[smuggs]

I am close to buying a icy box sata 3.5 external raid harddrive usb3.0.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/IB-RD4320StU3-External-Storage-Enclosure-interface/dp/B003OWGK3M/ref=reg_hu-rd_add_1_dp

i will then add 2x 1tb sata 3.5drives £150 all in total i hope.

question1- first am i right that raid means that i fill disk 1 up with photos,,camcorder videos,films and music and the second disk will back it up so if one every goes faulty i will replace it and the one that was ok will used to back the new one. Im trying to make it so i cant lose my files?

question2- i have a accer laptop by my hifi/hub/sb hub. my laptop is usb2.0 as i gather i can this as 3.0 is backwards capable?

question3- If i format the sata drives to fat32 will there be a 4gb limit?

question4-once all my stuff around 300gb atm is stored on both discs and usb is connected to my laptop will my squeezebox server that runs on my laptop see a folder on the unit and stream to my duet through the network as it does now?

question5- i want to stream dvix,mpeg,avchd,vob,mp4 files and photos to my ps3 as i do now will the ps3 still get them. I guess i saying to the last couple of questions will everything just be as if the harddrives were in my laptop so nothing changes?

I like the laptop on 24/7 cause i have a 5m hdmi into my amp so when i watch iplayer/you tube ect i can watch through my tv and the mrs knows how to use everything now. But is there anyother options around the £150 mark where i can back my files up and lets me get a couple of 3tb disks when they become cheaper.

 

[Anonymous]

I am close to buying a icy box sata 3.5 external raid harddrive usb3.0.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/IB-RD4320StU3-External-Storage-Enclosure-interface/dp/B003OWGK3M/ref=reg_hu-rd_add_1_dp

i will then add 2x 1tb sata 3.5drives £150 all in total i hope.

question1- first am i right that raid means that i fill disk 1 up with photos,,camcorder videos,films and music and the second disk will back it up so if one every goes faulty i will replace it and the one that was ok will used to back the new one. Im trying to make it so i cant lose my files?

question2- i have a accer laptop by my hifi/hub/sb hub. my laptop is usb2.0 as i gather i can this as 3.0 is backwards capable?

question3- If i format the sata drives to fat32 will there be a 4gb limit?

question4-once all my stuff around 300gb atm is stored on both discs and usb is connected to my laptop will my squeezebox server that runs on my laptop see a folder on the unit and stream to my duet through the network as it does now?

question5- i want to stream dvix,mpeg,avchd,vob,mp4 files and photos to my ps3 as i do now will the ps3 still get them. I guess i saying to the last couple of questions will everything just be as if the harddrives were in my laptop so nothing changes?

I like the laptop on 24/7 cause i have a 5m hdmi into my amp so when i watch iplayer/you tube ect i can watch through my tv and the mrs knows how to use everything now. But is there anyother options around the £150 mark where i can back my files up and lets me get a couple of 3tb disks when they become cheaper.

1. There are several different RAID options, but if a secure copy is needed it is better to physically separate them. RAID will prevent some problems but not all (fire, you accidently deleting the database).

2. yes

3. yes. why not use ntfs? or even ext3 with ext2fsd?

4/5. I seen no reason why not. The pc will just add the drive to the system. Only problem is that the drive letter may change depending on the usb port used and other attached storage like sd cards and usb sticks. I think there must be a way to solve this, by other means of addressing, but I am not sure.

Re: the last question:

- 24/7 is a lot. Drives produce heat and noise and consume power. Are you sure you want it in the room?

- you may regret not investing is a NAS option, or at least an option with an additional gbit network so that you can put in anywhere in the house, and all devices (including your smartphone) can access it through the network. NAS shares can also be mapped to a drive, if needed.

- I do not understand your setup, can't you use the ps3 as receiver through your network (I assume uyou have a network), without using the 5m hdmi? I.e. use the ps3 as mediaplayer for your system?

 

[smuggs]

hi pete thanks for the reply i was going to using raid 1- and external hardrives when possible and back up files and leave at work incase anything happens.

glad usb 3.0 is backwards that helps alot more options.

i am glad i can format sata disks to something other than fat32 as i want a bigger limit than a 4gb files incase i want to look into copying blu rays when it becomes ok to do it.

i had gathered than squeezebox server see the folder as if it was part of the laptop so thats good.

laptop is fine to be on 24/7 it sits under the stairs never really get hot display goes off after 5mins so never on and uses between 15-90 watts so less than 15p a day i can live with that. I only use ps3 for movies,photos,camcorder footage,youtube downloader ect. When i play chess,fantasy football,skype ordering stuff online i find that if take a hdmi to my denon amp and then select that is better on the bigger screen and with a wireless keyboard and mouse better than ps3 or xbox but theres a place for them all.

i do like the idea of a nas but it will take about £260 for a decent one to run squeezebox server and get 2 decent sata disks. Have you got any decent nas's for close to £100

 

[Anonymous]

Is this http://www.pixmania.co.uk/uk/uk/1747670/art/netgear/rnd2000-100iss-readynas-d.html#pix-review

close enough?

 

[michael hoy]

Have you looked at Vortexbox, they provide hardware and or free software.

 

[smuggs]

cheers guys

 

[entropy2]

Hi Smuggs,

I've been having a similar dilemma about storage. I've become quite paranoid about losing my home movies, photos and itunes library.

Here is my set-up

I use a drobo to house all my media and stream to relevant computers in the house & Apple TV. The Drobo is a beyond raid system and can survive a hard drive failure and still keep data safe

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Drobo-Bay-FW800-Storage-Array/dp/B001CSZMRK/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1310072432&sr=1-1

and now the real paranoid bit.

in case the drobo breaks. I have a drive dock similar to the below. I bought two internal drives which I alternate. One full back up of all my important files which stays at home incase the drobo breaks and a 2nd internal which I back up once a month or so and I keep at my parents house incase of fire/theft etc

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Icybox-IB-111StUS2-Wh-Docking-2-5-inch-3-5-inch/dp/B00485FCIS/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1310072714&sr=1-1

I know the above might sound excessive but you have to ask how important is your data. Our family photos are irreplaceable & so are our home movies which I store on the computer.

 

[The_Lhc]

The Drobo is a beyond raid system and can survive a hard drive failure and still keep data safe

Any NAS with a mirror or RAID-5 setup can do that, that's kind of the point of them.