Help with options for data back-up Raid SCSI?? Just some ideas

In my home network.
2 pc's and 1 tablet PC
All ran through router (wired and wireless)
Tablet does not need a redundant back-up

Main PC stores video and images
other PC stores images.

I lost 2 hardrives in 2 days!!!

Main PC has SCSI 160 card with 4 drives and 1 80gig IDE for backup
Secondary PC has 3 IDE drives, no back-up.

I want something that will keep 2 copies at the same time.
Can I convert my SCSI machine to something like RAID??

Or should I buy dedicated SATA drives with a raid controller and start
from scratch??

This would not be a major problem if I kept up with my DVD back-ups...
so I need something automatic and redundant.

thanks!

On 24/06/05 21:36, Fishhead wrote:
In my home network.
2 pc's and 1 tablet PC
All ran through router (wired and wireless)
Tablet does not need a redundant back-up

Main PC stores video and images
other PC stores images.

I lost 2 hardrives in 2 days!!!

Main PC has SCSI 160 card with 4 drives and 1 80gig IDE for backup
Secondary PC has 3 IDE drives, no back-up.

I want something that will keep 2 copies at the same time.
Can I convert my SCSI machine to something like RAID??

What OS are you running?
Most serious OS's nowadays have software RAID 1 facilities, exit MS.
Or you could get yourself a nice SCSI Hostadpter with RAID
functionality, provided you can get the drivers for the OS you use.
That way you can keep the performance bonus SCSI gives you when you use
4 drives.


Or should I buy dedicated SATA drives with a raid controller and start
from scratch??

A definite step back IMHO.


This would not be a major problem if I kept up with my DVD back-ups...
so I need something automatic and redundant.

thanks!

Fishhead wrote in message
ups.com...

In my home network.
2 pc's and 1 tablet PC
All ran through router (wired and wireless)
Tablet does not need a redundant back-up

Main PC stores video and images
other PC stores images.

I lost 2 hardrives in 2 days!!!

On the same system PC ? If it was, there's likely a reason for that.

Main PC has SCSI 160 card with 4 drives and 1 80gig IDE
for backup Secondary PC has 3 IDE drives, no back-up.

I want something that will keep 2 copies at the same time.
Can I convert my SCSI machine to something like RAID??

Yes, but thats got real downsides for backup.

It doesnt help if you need the backup for a virus
infection, user stupidity, fire, theft, flood etc.

Or should I buy dedicated SATA drives with
a raid controller and start from scratch??

Really depends on what you want to do about backup and raid.

This would not be a major problem if I kept up with my DVD back-ups...
so I need something automatic and redundant.

It isnt hard to do completely automated backup to a SATA drive.
That will fix the problem with a virus or user stupidity.

If its a removable drive, and you are prepared to take the
drive offsite and have another thats used when one is offsite,
that will fix the problem with fire/theft/flood etc too.

Not ideal if you are prone to dropping things tho.

In message . com,
Fishhead writes
In my home network.
2 pc's and 1 tablet PC
All ran through router (wired and wireless)
Tablet does not need a redundant back-up

Main PC stores video and images
other PC stores images.

I lost 2 hardrives in 2 days!!!

Main PC has SCSI 160 card with 4 drives and 1 80gig IDE for backup
Secondary PC has 3 IDE drives, no back-up.

I want something that will keep 2 copies at the same time.
Can I convert my SCSI machine to something like RAID??

Or should I buy dedicated SATA drives with a raid controller and start
from scratch??

This would not be a major problem if I kept up with my DVD back-ups...
so I need something automatic and redundant.

Try a UPS?

--
Jeremy Boden

"Fishhead" wrote in message
ups.com...
In my home network.
2 pc's and 1 tablet PC
All ran through router (wired and wireless)
Tablet does not need a redundant back-up

Main PC stores video and images
other PC stores images.

I lost 2 hardrives in 2 days!!!

Main PC has SCSI 160 card with 4 drives and 1 80gig IDE for backup
Secondary PC has 3 IDE drives, no back-up.

I want something that will keep 2 copies at the same time.
Can I convert my SCSI machine to something like RAID??

RAID is not as substitute for backup.

Or should I buy dedicated SATA drives with a raid controller and start
from scratch??

SATA and RAID are two different things. Yes you should use removable SATA
drives for backup and no they likely shouldn't be RAID.

This would not be a major problem if I kept up with my DVD back-ups...

Use removable SATA drives instead of DVD for backups but DVDR backups will
work but are likely too small for convenient operation.

so I need something automatic and redundant.

Actually you likely need neither. You need redundant backups where one is
always offsite but that's different from redundant storage like RAID 1 or
RAID 5. Having to manually initiate the backup nightly/periodically
shouldn't be too difficult. However automating that process to run
automatically is feasible.

Use something like Acronis TrueImage to create compressend image backups of
the HDs. Direct these image file[s] to removable SATA HDs in trays like
KingWin KF-83(~$30). Get =2 such SATA HDs and always keep one offsite.

"Arie Bant" wrote in message
...
On 24/06/05 21:36, Fishhead wrote:
In my home network.
2 pc's and 1 tablet PC
All ran through router (wired and wireless)
Tablet does not need a redundant back-up

Main PC stores video and images
other PC stores images.

I lost 2 hardrives in 2 days!!!

Main PC has SCSI 160 card with 4 drives and 1 80gig IDE for backup
Secondary PC has 3 IDE drives, no back-up.

I want something that will keep 2 copies at the same time.
Can I convert my SCSI machine to something like RAID??

What OS are you running?
Most serious OS's nowadays have software RAID 1 facilities, exit MS.

NO, RAID 1 is inexpensively available using MS OSs.

Or you could get yourself a nice SCSI Hostadpter with RAID

SCSI is very expensive for this purpose. [S]ATA RAID is much less expensive
and is the way to go IF realtime redundancy is needed. Usually such
realtime redundancy is not needed in a home network. HOWEVER even less
expensive backup IS needed.

functionality, provided you can get the drivers for the OS you use.
That way you can keep the performance bonus SCSI gives you when you use
4 drives.

What bonus does SCSI provide on a home network....none maybe?

"Rod Speed" wrote in message
...

This would not be a major problem if I kept up with my DVD back-ups...
so I need something automatic and redundant.

It isnt hard to do completely automated backup to a SATA drive.

Speedo gets it wrong again. Automated image backups to SATA drives are
easy.

That will fix the problem with a virus or user stupidity.

If its a removable drive, and you are prepared to take the
drive offsite and have another thats used when one is offsite,
that will fix the problem with fire/theft/flood etc too.

Not ideal if you are prone to dropping things tho.

Use a shock mounted tray like a KingWin KF-83 and get a padded carrying
case. That reduces the "drop threat" to very acceptable levels.
Non-spinning current HDs are not all that shock sensitive. They are shipped
all over the world daily in two layers of bubble wrap with few problems.

"Jeremy Boden" wrote in message
...

This would not be a major problem if I kept up with my DVD back-ups...
so I need something automatic and redundant.

Try a UPS?

A UPS is NOT a replacement for redundant arrays like RAID 1or RAID 5. A UPS
is NOT a replacement for backup.

I am doing video editiing and photo editing.
The SCSI drives are a big bonus!!!

My primary concern for backup (redundancy) is harddrive failure.

I keep my OS (winXP) and progam files and data on 3 separate drives.
I need a redundant real time back-up for my data drives