Re: looking for opinions on hotswap SATA drives as a viable backup solution

On 20 Nov 2003 06:55:10 -0800, [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Jason) wrote:

>I'm in the process of putting together a new backup solution for one
>
>I am well aware of the potential hazards of using HD's as a backup
>media as far as shock is concerned. If someone accidently drops one
of
>the drives, we could very well have lost that days backup. Beyond
>this, are there any other potential problems anyone can point out in
>this plan?
>
>Also, if anyone has a better solution, please feel free to share it.
>>From where I sit, tape backup is a dead horse.

I would feel more secure having the backup array offsite connected via
WAN.  You can make an automated system that easily expands with your
business.
 
If you plan on taking disks out of the bays daily to take offsite, you
should have spares as the disks and trays may not hold up as long as
you may want.

While I admit having no experience with serial ATA RAID cards, my gut
tells me there may be some potential of running into problems making a
logical disk out of a single drive with some cards.  I might be wrong
but it's always wise to double-check the RAID controller's
documentation before buying anything.

You might want to have a second hot-swap bay to speed up or automate
having a second disk you take offsite.  In fact, heck, make a RAID 1
volume and take the mirror offsite.  Have a second identical
controller and trays offsite also in the event of a true disaster.

Parallel ATA may also be an option.  Prices of disks, hot-swap
carriers, and raid cards are less.  7200 RPM drives are likely good
enough for backup.

Personally hot-swapping parallel ATA always makes me nervous (esp when
using the controller on the mobo).  One idea that may make you feel
more secure is to connect the production server to an older retired
server (which has the hotswap carriers) via crossover cable.  If
something goes terribly wrong like you need to replace the carriers or
make a new logical disk, it won't have any affect on the production
server.  By making a separate network connection the backup process
won't tie up regular network traffic.

Whatever you choose make sure you take steps so the backups don't bog
down the system when you need it.