Raid 1 advice needed...

Hi
I am planning on purchasing a new Mac Pro. With the purchase I am also considering of a neat way of cloning the main drive.
Currently I am using Lacie drive and PSynchX do do regular bootable backups on a regular basis.
Going forward I would like to be a little more up-to-date with backup's. So here is what I am considering:
1. Purchase the Mac Pro Raid card and a 2nd internal drive and go for RAID 1 config.
2. Purchase a G-Drive Safe (RAID 1 backup) and then continue to use something like PSynchX but now I am storing the backup on 2 drives. http://www.g-technology.com/Products/G-SAFE.cfm Yes this is not the same as #1 above but better than just backing to a single Lacie drive!
So far this is all I have for ideas. Please provide your recommendations/suggestions as to the #1 and #2 and well as any other solution.
Primary reason is to have a backup plan of action in case the main drive fails. As I have important work on the machine (Images, Code etc etc). Cost is a consideration so I am not looking for a solution that will cost me $1000's
Thanks in advance.
Message was edited by: Max Shafiq

I thought my using a RAID 1 mirror if one of the drives failed then the other would continue as if nothing happened
When all works as it should then yes, you should be able to simply keep on going. You'll get this if you have a straight hardware failure of one drive although it doesn't always work out that way. If directory, or other, damage also occurs during the failure it may also damage the other drive which would bring down the set.
What do you mean by rebuild?
Restoring or adding one or more drives into the RAID 1 set.
I know this may sound stupid but why would someone want to run a RAID config then?
Because RAID 1 should pretect you against what it was intended, a hardware failure in one or more members in the RAID set.
I recently had a client that decided to let their Mac OS X server run off its UPS until the power from the UPS went out during an extended power outage. Well, if it weren't for RAID 1 they would have been royally screwed as not only did the RAID controller kick a drive off the set but there was substantial directory damage to the other drive. If there was a single drive it may not have been recoverable.
By the way, when you use RAID 1 you don't have a "master" drive and then copies. What you have is two or more original drives. It's a subtle but very important distinction. They are ALL the same. So when the RAID controller get told to write data to the drives it send identical commands to all drives so that all drive command are queued at exactly the same time and in exactly the same way. When it reads it should split the reads between the drive to improve performance although Apple software doesn't do that very well (which is beside the point here). This is why it's important to have identical drives in any RAID set to ensure the same performance properties.

Similar Messages

External Raid Advice Needed

Hello,
I have a Xserve (Intel) and I am setting it up in a co-location. They only accept rack equipment and I am in need of a raid 5 option for my server.
I dont want to spend the money and buy a Xserve since this is only for mysql database and one website.
I was told to go NAS but I am not sure thats a good option.
I wanted Firewire 800 but rack raid cost is not in my price range.
I have a fibre care for my xserve and was looking at rack units.
Anyone use any of these and have good luck with it?
My Xserve software raid has needed to be rebuilt twice in 3 months for no apparent reason so I cant trust it.
Please post experience and places for me to buy these options.
Thank you

I dont want to spend the money and buy a Xserve since this is only for mysql database and one website.
I assume you mean an XServe RAID since you already have an XServe...?
am in need of a raid 5 option for my server.
Have you considered the Hardware RAID card that is now available for the Intel XServe? It allows you to use the three internal drives as a RAID 5 array.

Video intensive work on Mac Pro? Advice Needed

Hi everyone,
I've been originally saving up for a while now for an iMac 24" as it offers the best specification price wise. But now I leaning on the Mac Pro and therefore need some advice.
I know that there are alot of posts on advice - need to buy mac etc. so therfore I would really appreciate if I am afforded some help.
I am mostly going to do ALOT of video encoding (via handbrake) and I am looking for the best configuration available to achieve lowest waiting time.

I think you should go back and look at the other threads with advice, your budget. There is "ideal" and "affordable."
Will it pay for itself in 24 months so you can afford the next revision at that time?
Start with an 8-Core 3GHz.
Add a Port Multiplier controller and two drive cases, 5 drives each, nearly 400MB/sec RAID.
Throw in 8GB RAM.
Add in costs for software upgrades, two sets of backups, four internal 500GB drives.
Seagate has 750GB, as does WD. Hitachi has their $450 1000GB monster.
Give yourself time to build, test, and optimize your setup, and expect to change it over time as you learn more.
Can't afford that? then trim the 8-core. But Apple has shown how efficient next generation applications already are for video when it comes to 3GHz 8-core Mac Pro.

Newbie lesson - xServe RAID boxes need 2 Controller modules to work well!

So I thought I'd share my experience with my xServe RAID box, because I built it from parts (via eBay) I thought I could run it with a single controller with up to 7 drives until I needed to expand it later, I had all sorts of strange problems:
- Could't build new RAID arrays
- Couldn't update firmware
- Restarting box often led to the array disappearing
- Existing array sometimes didn't show up in Disk Util.
I tried replacing cables and Fibre cards but no change until I added a second RAID controller and then suddenly everything worked great!
Thanks to everyone here for trying to help me out with my problems, the box now runs great
So the lesson here is that an xServe RAID box needs 2 controllers to function properly, with only 1 it runs in some kind of undocumented failsafe mode.

See my response to your crosspost in the Xserve RAID group.

Advice needed on buying iphone as gift

I went to apple store, they do not want to sell iphone to me unless I sign AT&T 2 years plan. I thought AT&T has locked the phone and users must subscribe in order to use it. Why Apple store still not allow me to buy?
Please advice, if I want to buy online iphone for my brother, do I or my brother have obligation to sign out AT&T plan?
One more advice needed, I found the shipment takes weeks, do I have option to arrange for self-collection?
My brother birthday is coming soon, I need above advice urgently.
Thank you very much

Tamara wrote:
I'm guessing English is not your first language. It's possible that you misunderstood them. Apple Store employees won't refuse to sell you an iPhone and you don't have to sign up for service in the store.
Well that's not entirely true.
Apple Stores have been instructed not to sell you an iPhone if any of the following is true:
You state that you will not be signing up with AT&T.
You do not have an ID from a US state, also indicating you will not be activating with AT&T
You do not have a credit card
For example, I've seen US Apple Store managers refuse to sell iPhones to European residents because of the AT&T lock-in.

Had to have a rebuild of my laptop....advice needed!

Had to have a rebuild of my laptop....have now lost all my music from my itunes, but I can't transfer back on from my ipod. Also had to register my laptop (same) as another computers, so now no music showing as purchased, though I have. Also have hours of uploaded music from my own purchased, legitimate CDs, but won't transfer from ipod...it says it will erase. So very frustrated....thanks mr technician! PLEASE ....help, advice needed!

I believe that if you do a clean reinstall from your HD's recovery sector (D) or Recovery disks, the hard drive sector C is wiped clean. Everything goes, apps, data, address books, music, pix, viruses
Is that what you did?

I am using InDesign CS5. I have a body of text which is ranged left with tabbed indents. My client now wants the copy to be justifed, keeping the tabbed indents. Help and advice needed please!

I am using InDesign CS5. I have a body of text which is ranged left with tabbed indents. My client now wants the copy to be justifed, keeping the tabbed indents. Help and advice needed please!

Hi
That screen grab helps a lot. There’s a much easier way of doing what you’re doing.
Remove all your tabs and set the text in justified paragraphs.
I’ve typed in dummy text in the example I made below, but after “19.1” put in a space and put your blinking cursor after the space and before the ’N’ of ‘Notices'.
Then hold down the Command key and hit Backspace (on Mac at least - it’s the key between the Inverted commas/ apostrophe key and the return key).
The text will jump into place the way you want it to.
Hope that helps
Paul
PS You can set a tab, instead of using a space, in the description I gave above. So, after 19.1 or 19.2 or 19.185 etc etc insert a tab, then hit the Command Backspace after every paragraph number and they'll all line up exactly together. You'll find that editing text within the paragraphs
after you've set it will be LOADS easier this way.
You can put the tab anywhere you want it to be using 'Command-ShiftT' and putting a 'left align' tab just after the number. Just type the Command Backspace after the paragraph number and it'll work

MOVED: Various advice needed to overclock cpu using my MSI k8n platinum sli

This topic has been moved to Overclockers & Modding Corner.
Various advice needed to overclock cpu using my MSI k8n platinum sli

what HSF for cpu/ cooling for the case do you use? And also, where are the flashing lights?

Urgent: Advice needed for buying my first RAID

Hi,
I am looking to place an order today as I have a pile of editing to get through - so I would love to hear your recommendations!
First of all I am a networking and RAID newbie so don't go all acronym and geek-speek-tastic on me or I won't have a clue what you are talking about. Seriously I don't know my NAS from my elbow!
My requirements are:
1. Suitable for working with HDV
2. 2TB of storage
3. Must work with PowerMac G5 2GHz Dual (later model)
4. Must support RAID 5
5. RAID must be controlled by hardware (on RAID box or via PCIe card)
The following have been suggested - has anyone used them?:
Opt1: http://www.enhance-tech.com/products/desktop/t4_cr.html
(Would probably need to put an eSATA card in my Mac but RAID control is on the box.
Only goes to 80MB/sec - is this good enough for working with ProRes 422? I am looking to convert my HDV to ProRes 422 before output to mpeg2 as I believe this can give better results.)
Opt2: http://www.g-technology.com/Products/G-SPEED-eS.cfm
(Would need to put a RAID controller in my Mac so not so good for connecting to other Macs.)
But I found this and was wondering if it was also suitable (as its cheaper!):
Opt3: http://www.thecus.com/products_over.php?cid=11&pid=28&PHPSESSID=091b7808cfa54754 383932fc512ea056
(Would connect by 1Gb/sec ethernet to my Mac. RAID controller on the box. Someone said stay away from ethernet but I don't understand why?).
Any advice gratefully received. I need to make a decision real quick!
Keep it mellow, B.

It appears that you need to step back and rethink your business. Heck, we don’t even know that you have a business. What you’re up to might just be personal editing. So I apologize if what I’m about to say overestimates you or underestimates you.
FORMAT
You say, “suitable for working with HDV”, but you don’t say whether you MUST work with HDV. As others in this thread have pointed out, HDV is a “poor man’s Hi-Def”. It compresses images so diabolically in Long GOP that image quality suffers, and, as Shane points out, “the long GOP format is very complex and takes a LOT of time to do things.”
The other extreme is recording and editing in 1080i/p at 4K. Very few people in this world demand extreme quality. So, the best format overall is DVCPro HD. Today, DVCPro HD cameras cost only about a third more than the next nearest HDV. What’s more important, to me, is that DVCPro allows you to move away from having to use tape at all. It’s the year 2008 (almost). Tape is over. If it’s too late to sell your camera and switch, then so be it.
STORAGE
You say, “2TB of storage”. For HD work, that’s a bare minimum. My recommendation is to get a 4-tray or 5-tray box with room to grow, even though the extra trays will remain empty your first 6-12 months.
Buy an empty enclosure that you can populate with your own drives. That way, you can use 1TB bare drives. (Don’t buy anything smaller.) You can put together a stack of 5 1TB drives in an eSATA RAID box for less than $2,000.
RAID
You say, “PowerMac G5 2GHz Dual...via PCIe card”. You mean PCIx card. PCIe is for Intel Macs.
You write, “I want RAID (esp. RAID 5... If a drive fails I want to simply be able to swap a new drive in, restore, and be under way again.” But several of your comments indicate that you really don’t need in-line failsafe. For that reason, let me recommend mirroring or something even simpler: a backup drive.
JBOD (Just a Bunch Of Disks) treats each drive in your stack as a separate volume. So, what you see on your desktop is Drive_01, Drive_02. If you subtract the cost for the RAID controller (in the box or in your PCI slot), you can afford to buy TWO plain JBOD boxes, and maintain one as redundant. That satisfies your, “If a drive fails I want to simply be able to swap a new drive in, restore, and be under way again.” In fact, you can skip the “restore” part.
Ken Summerall wrote: “If you are shooting HDV then you have the tapes, those are your backups. If a drive goes down you recapture.”
You responded, “that is not the same as having redundancy of data - and simply being able to swap in a new drive and do a restore.”
You make it sound as though you expect this to happen once a week. It won’t. Backup is good enough. That kind of “time saved” once every year or two isn’t worth it.
SATA vs. FIREWIRE
Again, it’s the year 2008 (almost). Why would you want FireWire? Apple is being so stubborn, pretending that eSATA does not exist, because it has so much invested in its FW technology. But even Apple will be forced to come around in its next models.
While we’re talking about it, the claimed 80MB/sec for the Enhance T4 CR probably refers to the FireWire and USB interfaces, not to the SATA.
ENCLOSURE SHARING
You write, “I also wanted to use the same RAID box with a Macbook Pro. So how would two Macs share the same RAID box?
What kind of sharing do you mean? If you mean that you and your partner can access the same video simultaneously in adjoining rooms, then you need FibreChannel. But, as Shane points out, “...a Fibrechannel setup, then an XServe Server...is NOT cheap.”
As Ken writes, “You can get a eSata card for your G5 and an ExpressCard for your MBP and share the box. With this you could get a Kona or Blackmagic card and capture your footage as DVCProHD and also have a way to monitor your HDV footage.”
Amen.
VENDORS
G-SPEED is reliable, with good support. Caldigit has a platinum reputation. Of course, there are MaxxDigital, Sonnet and Dulce Systems.
Enhance is the new kid on the block, and they are significantly less expensive with, in my experience so far, excellent build quality and quick (human) response. They manufacture in Taiwan, but they’re headquartered in -- and ship out of -- Lower California. So they don’t talk to you in Taiwanese as the cheap enclosure sites do.
So there.
Message was edited by: Al Hatch

RAID 0 Questions - advice needed

I am stepping up to a new BTO Mac Pro (2.8Ghz with 8GB third-party RAM) and considering the Apple RAID Card vs. Software RAID. I have a few questions regarding RAID 0 on the startup volume and hardware vs. software RAID. I am a graphic designer and running Adobe CS3 and working often with pretty large files.
1. Does RAID 0 on a startup volume offer any performance boost if working data is on another volume? Does the working volume need to be in RAID 0 or RAID 5 to reap the performance beneftis. This is a point I am not entirely clear on yet.
2. I understand the risks of running RAID 0, especially on a startup volume. Any advice on whether or not this offers any real world performance boost?
- OR -
Would a single Raptor offer similar results. Or better yet, would a partial-stroked 500GB SATA II disk offer the same results as a single Raptor at a fraction of the cost, without the RAID 0 risks?
2. Is a hardware RAID card (i.e. the Apple RAID Card or better yet, the new CalDigit RAID Card for less $$$) a better option than software RAID (either Apple or SoftRAID)? With a RAID 0 startup volume and a RAID 1 pair for storage, will hardware RAID offer any performance gains? Or would a single startup volume with a 3-disk RAID 5 storage volume be a better option (I know RAID 5 is not possible with software RAID).
3. Any advice/feedback on the Apple RAID Card? I have read some horror stories about battery charging, at least initially. I have not seen much about the strange recharge cycle which apparently can cripple your machine for days every 3 months. The new CalDigit RAID card appears to be very promising. Supports the 4 internal drive bays as well as external drives, which the Apple card does not.
Thanks in advance for any help/advice.

I usually avoid linking to other forums, but in this case, there is a similar discussion over on MacNN forum setting up a Mac Pro to use RAID.
Apple RAID software has continued to improve. The difference in performance between Apple and SoftRAID has narrowed to the point both are excellent. SoftRAID though alerts you on any I/O time out or read/write errors, and use a stripped read which is nice, when or where it is needed.
I've never stopped upgrading and trying to improve on performance. The trick is not everyone can go out and spend $800 for a drive case and controller plus another $500 on disk drives for an external setup, and buy 3-6 drives for the existing SATA ports.
Rather than buying the fastest, I bought some 160GB RE WD drives, cheap, good for RAID, and planned to use those as the base. Then got the 320GB model. Then bought WD RE2 500GB $115 ea , which seems to be a nice price and still does nicely, optimized for writes. That means I can do some mix-and-matching.
Some can take their existing SATA drives to get started. And probably has some drives that can be used for backups and such.
Here is my own shopping list:
Sonnet Tempo E4P:
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Sonnet%20Technology/TSATAIIE4P/
SeriTek Case: $525
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Firmtek/SATA5PM/
Or something cheaper,
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Norco%20Technologies/DS500N/
Dual bay case to use with 2 ODD ports and NewerTech kit:
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other%20World%20Computing/MESATATBEK/
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Newer%20Technology/MPQXES2/
(takes some work to access those two ODD SATA ports, but worth it, always on)
OWC XLR8 Specials, usually have Friday specials:
http://eshop.macsales.com/Specials/XLR8YourMac.cfm
10K Raptor $210 vs WD RE2 750GB $220 if you look under hard drives.

Advice needed installing XP Pro onto RAID Mirror with XP Home on IDE already

Hi Y'all,
I have the rig described below.
Currently, I'm running Win XP Home SP2 booting on the 80gig IDE drive, with another partition on it holding my files.
I want to clean install XP Professional SP2 (slipstreamed) onto the 120gig SATA Mirror RAID array and use that as the boot drive. This is empty but has been formatted and partitioned so the system recognises it as a drive.
Once that's done I want to wipe off XP Home and use the IDE drive as a pagefile and backup drive.
I had thought of doing it this way:
1. Prepare floppy with SATA RAID drivers v1.0.0.19 (Files: fasttx2k; txtsetup.oem; Fasttx2k.cat; fasttx2k.INF; fasttx2k.sys; README.TXT)
2. Erase all partitions on the RAID mirror but leave both physical drives installed
3. Remove the IDE drive
4. Boot from Win XP Pro SP2 CD ROM and install the SATA drivers at the F6 prompt
5. Continue WinXP install as normal onto the RAID drive
6. Reconnect the IDE drive after OS has installed
7. Select Win XP Pro as the OS to boot
8. After bootup erase Win XP Home partition
9. Partition the RAID drive to have 2 partitions, one (C:) for the OS, the other (D:) for my files
10. Use Files & Settings Transfer Wizard to repopulate the OS with my stuff (previously exported to a safe place).
11. Get on with life...
Can anyone please advise if they forsee any problems doing it this way.
Just to show that I am really confused, advice I've read in the Windows XP Forum says I should break the mirror before doing trying to install any OS to a RAID array and use just one of the physical 120gig SATA drives to install XP Pro onto. Once this has been done I should rebuild the mirror and the drives will automatically become mirrored once the data has been duplicated to the 2nd SATA.
Is this the only way to do this? Is this the best way to do this (does WinXP install badly to a mirror RAID that has already been created)?
Advice I've already read on the forum here has only confused me further because:
a) it assumes a level of knowledge that I don't seem to have
b) it doesn't deal with my exact circumstances.
All help gratefully received.

An update on the situation.....
I am trying to install Win XP Pro SP2 (slipstreamed) onto a RAID Mirror of 2 Hitachi Deskstar SATA drives on my MSI K7N2G-ILSR. This is the exact procedure I've followed:
1. Formatted (both SATA drives) as drive I: using Windows Disk Management tool in WinXP (The mirror is seen by the BIOS & Fastrak BIOS)
2. Started Win XP Pro install via CD in d:\
3. Pressed F6 when requested
4. Windows Setup loads normally
5. Options to install 3rd party drivers for mass storage devices & other things appear
6. Press S to start installing RAID drivers
7. Insert floppy into A:\ & press Enter
8. Select Promise Fastrak 376 Win XP driver
9. Get following error message:
File \WINXP\fasttx2k.sys caused an unexpected error (18) at line 2113 in d:\xpsprtm\base\boot\oemdisk.c.
10. Press Enter to continue
11. Setup doesn't recognise the SATA drive I: so it doesn't appear in the list of partitions on which to install XP Pro
I've tried it every which way.
The following with IDE1 HDD disconnected, i.e. no operating system installed:
1 SATA drive only (mirror broken)
1 SATA drive striped array
Both SATA drives (mirror functional)
The same with IDE1 HDD connected and starting Windows Setup from within XP Home...
The only difference is if I use the original Win XP Pro disc (without SP2 slipstreamed) when the error message changes to:
File \WINXP\fasttx2k.sys caused an unexpected error (18) at line 2108 in d:\xpsp1\base\boot\oemdisk.c.
In a thread here there is mention of an error in a file but it isn't directly related to my mobo, so I am reluctant to fiddle with the file unless someone can explain clearly what needs changing. I'm just trying to find the thread at the moment.....
This is the text contained within txtsetup.oem:
[Disks]
d1 = "Promise FastTrak 376 Driver Diskette", \fasttx2k, \
d2 = "Promise FastTrak 376 Driver Diskette", \fasttx2k, \nt4
d3 = "Promise FastTrak 376 Driver Diskette", \fasttx2k, \Win2000
d4 = "Promise FastTrak 376 Driver Diskette", \fasttx2k, \WinXP
[Defaults]
scsi = FastTrak_TX2K_xp
[scsi]
FastTrak_TX2K_xp = "WinXP Promise FastTrak 376 (tm) Controller", fasttx2k
FastTrak_TX2K_nt5 = "Win2000 Promise FastTrak 376 (tm) Controller", fasttx2k
FastTrak_TX2K_nt4 = "WinNT Promise FastTrak 376 (tm) Controller", fasttx2k
[Files.scsi.FastTrak_TX2K_xp]
driver = d4, fasttx2k.sys, fasttx2k
inf = d4, fasttx2k.inf
catalog= d4, fasttx2k.cat
[HardwareIds.scsi.FastTrak_TX2K_xp]
id="PCI\VEN_105A&DEV_3376", "fasttx2k"
[Files.scsi.FastTrak_TX2K_nt5]
driver = d3, fasttx2k.sys, fasttx2k
inf = d3, fasttx2k.inf
catalog= d3, fasttx2k.cat
[HardwareIds.scsi.FastTrak_TX2K_nt5]
id="PCI\VEN_105A&DEV_3376", "fasttx2k"
[Files.scsi.FastTrak_TX2K_nt4]
driver = d2, fasttx2k.sys, fasttx2k
inf = d2, fasttx2k.inf
[Config.fasttx2k]
value = "", Tag, REG_DWORD, 1
I've also tried the following:
Change Boot sequence to CD-ROM> SCSI> HDD-0
Delete txtsetup.oem from floppy - Setup then says it's missing
Copied original drivers from nVidia driver & utility disk
None of these things has made the slightest difference
Need further help please!

Mac Pro RAID configuration advice needed to address photography workflow

I am a semi-professional photographer and I am moving off a Windows machine and over to a Mac Pro.
I am waiting for the new Mac Pro to arrive and have purchased (4) 500GB SATA drives to replace the 250GB drive the system will arrive with.
I am considering setting up drive #1 as a stand alone boot drive. The second and third drives would be set up in a RAID 0 config and the 4th drive set up as a RAID 1 drive which would mirror the content on my RAID 0 set of drives to automatically backup the content on drives 2 & 3.
I think it would be beneficial if I describe my image processing workflow briefly so that you can understand why I am considering this RAID configuration (I've never set up a RAID configuration in the past so this is all new to me).
Image Processing Workflow
It isn't uncommon for me to return from a photo shoot with an 8GB Compact Flash card full (approx 750 8mb RAW files).
1) I plan on uploading my card to the boot drive (#1) where I would hold them temporarily.
2) I would sort thru the images and trash 80% immediately in most cases.
3) Next I would open up the "keepers" and do the initial post processing in Adobe RAW and save them to drives 2 & 3 (the RAID 0 set).
4) Further post processing (the heavy lifting and the most taxing operations in Photoshop and associated filters) would take place as I access these files from the RAID 0 set of drives.
5) All of my files would be mirrored to drive 4 as I work them. Once post-processing is complete I would copy the files from drive #4 (RAID 1)to an additional external 500GB drive for archiving purposes and then eventually delete the files from drive #1 and the RAID 0 set.
6) Once drive #4 (and the external drive) is nearly filled I would pull both and archive them and replace both with fresh drives.
Is there anything wrong with taking this approach? Can a single drive be set up in a RAID 1 configuration to mirror a set of drives in a RAID 0 configuration?
Is there anything else I should be considering?
Thanks for any assistance you guys can provide! I appreciate it!!

For the purposes of 500GB drives in RAID, I would go with WD RE2. they format to 465GB and performance falls off @ 65% and beyond anyway.
I even "short-stroke" drives to just 60% and then stay within 1/3 full - if I want to insure the maximum I/O.
Memory: 4GB is pretty much minimum but using more than 8GB isn't efficient. Ideal: 4 x 2GB.
Shame that the Hitachi 1TB drive costs over $399 for now, fast and might be better than 10K Raptor. There are also 750GB drives for $249, but the RE2 isn't quite ready to ship.
Never want to get into using 75% or more usually, though large (8-20 drives) RAIDs can hold sustained I/O for video editing and multiple streams.
One 750GB or 1TB (930GB formatted, 800GB "usable") might make sense.
How about a SATA drive case w/ hot-swap. Think of 1TB "floppy" if you will :-)) Unlimited archiving of projects.
All you want is an inexpensive eSATA 1x 2-channel PM controller and any cases. Two drives that you can use drive trays as needed.
there are also 'spare' drive sleds if you want to have the option of popping a drive out, and use it internally. $29 each or $49 a pair.
http://www.xlr8yourmac.com - link to TransIntl site
Vista 64-bit can or does work quite well now on Mac Pro... if you ever get into a jam and just need to. SP1 by end of the year will even have more support for UEFI 2.0 (Apple uses Intel EFI 1.1).

RAID/Backup Setup General Help/Advice Needed

I've got a PowerMac G5 Dual 1.8 with an internal 80GB (all apps) as well as an internal 300GB SATA Seagate (all files), as well as an external 120GB firewire drive I'm using for backup now.
I'm looking to setup a more professional system for backup since my business is growing rapidly and I need a better system than "dragging and dropping" whenever I think about it, and burning millions of DVDs and hoping I've backed up everything.
My initial thought was to put a couple 300–500GB drives in my G5, put all apps/OS/files on one of those drives, and setup RAID to have the other drive mirror it (i have basic understanding of all this, but not 100% yet).
I'm now looking into the Buffalo Terrastation and other options. I'm not sure a networked backup is right for me. Overall I'm very overwhelmed and I'm trying to narrow this down.
I do mostly print and web design daily, and my print project files can be as large as 10GB per project. I just want a system where I can work daily, and pretty much have the same good speed of work as I always have, and not really have to think about backup too much.
I'm open to all suggestions and sincerely appreciate anyone who takes the time to respond.
Thanks!

RAID 1, like Alan says, immediately writes to another drive, you lose the benefit of time. It's really only good for mission critical uses where a hard drive failure would be devastating, like recording ET or something.
RAID 0 is a high performance option that splits the data path as it flows so writes and reads are greatly increased. But it offers no backup, and if one drive dies it takes all your data on all the RAID 0 drives with it.
There are other forms of RAID involving lots of drives which offer different levels of speed, and redundancy. The two I give above are those offered by Apple's Disk Utility. The others are probably better served by a dedicated hardware controller as not to over tax your processors.
If your heavy into large data storage, video, audio then you'll need to look at a RAID 5 or a RAID 1+0 and something like a Apple X-RAID and a PCI Fiber-channel card.
Do I leave the externals running all the time? Will they mount to the desktop as well?
Well with anything that auto-clones/backups the participating drives must be on and mounted. Unfortunately Apple doesn't offer a "per drive" sleep function, sleeping a boot drive affects performance.
However if your security conscious like I am and keep your other drives disconnected, then you'll have to plug them in and use the software manually.
What sort of backup regiment you use is up to you, I keep most all my data on my RAID 0 as boot, clone occasionally to two other drives and keep them disconnected for maximum security.
You might want to do some sort of combination of both, file drive auto-backed up nightly and clone your boot drive once a week manually.

G5 Power Mac RAID 0 - Need advice

I have purchased 2x400gb WD RAID drives and am running Tiger. What is the easiest way to set up a RAID 0 with these drives? I have a complete backup of my current 80gb Startup and 320gb extra on an external 500gb Drive. So I am ready to re-install Tiger, should I just use disk utility once i've installed the OS on the new drives? Thanks for the help people!
Rich.

Ask WD about the 30 days already?
Check the specs for Firmtek SeriTek controller support for your WD 400GB.
I do not like to put media files on boot drives.
RAID 2 x 500GB for photo editing.
Store media files on the 2 x 400 drives with SeriTek (or Sonnet) PCI SATA controller. Put those drives into SATA case for 2 drives.
SeriTek has a nice case for two drives $169-199. Sonnet Fusion would let you add more drives. Just don't expect to RAID.
From my FAQ:
G5 Support - "The Apple G5 tower does not support certain standard Serial ATA interface protocols used by the WD4000YR, WD4000KD, WD1500AHFD, and WD1500ADFD hard drives resulting in an interface lock-up. This causes the computer system to hang. The only work-around we have identified at this time is installing a SATA Host Bus Adapter (controller card), effectively circumventing the on-board interface." WD FAQ: Apple G5
Not suitable for use on the native SATA ports.

Advice needed for backup strategy for office

My office is switching from PC to Mac (yay!) and I'm in charge of setting up the system. We'll be using 4 iMacs and a Mac Mini Server with ethernet connections. I'd like to ask what is recommended for backing up these computers.
My thought would be to back up the iMacs separately from the server - is this definitely the way to go?
I'm thinking to get a 3TB Time Capsule for the 4 iMacs so that Time Capsule will do automatic backups.
- Is it OK to have 4 iMacs backup to one Time Capsule like this?
As for the Mac Mini server, I'm not sure how to best back it up.
Since it has two 1TB drives, I'm thinking of using one drive for data and having it automatically backup to the other internal drive. Any thoughts on this idea?
Or, it is possible to connect an external USB drive to the Time Capsule's USB port, and have Time Machine backup the server to the external drive?
Any advice is greatly appreciated!

The TC is really a home solution.
For business I think you should consider something extra.
Although 4 computers and a server is not a big setup, it is worthwhile doing a more professional backup and use something more professional than Time Machine.
For instance..
http://www.retrospect.com/au/products/mac
I have not used it.. but I see it recommended in business / larger installs. It is not cheap but well worth considering.
I would not use the internal disk of the server for backup.
As for the Mac Mini server, I'm not sure how to best back it up.
Since it has two 1TB drives, I'm thinking of using one drive for data and having it automatically backup to the other internal drive. Any thoughts on this idea?
You can raid the two disks if you don't need the capacity.
But backup to a USB drive plugged in.. USB3 drives are cheap and speedy. Much more reliable than using network drives.
Raid for integrity of working data.. backup to separate change over disks.
So weekly you change over the USB drive for backup and store the other one at home.
I'm thinking to get a 3TB Time Capsule for the 4 iMacs so that Time Capsule will do automatic backups.
- Is it OK to have 4 iMacs backup to one Time Capsule like this?
You can do this.. It is fine to have 4 Macs backup to it. But if you are not using the wireless router it is a waste.. you can just backup over network to the server.. TM works fine on network.
You can buy another 3TB USB drive for backup of the clients.. normally though you want all the working data on the server and back that up. You are thinking a more peer to peer model.. once you introduce the server you can work on a more server client model where the current files are held on the server.

Raid 1 advice needed...

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