[vox-tech] NAS/Printer Server/Web Server?

[Alex Mandel]

On 06/24/2010 07:01 PM, Rick Moen wrote:
> Quoting Alex Mandel (tech_dev at wildintellect.com):
> 
>> How do you RAID 2 external USB enclosures as a network drive, or are you
>> talking software raid with both plugged in to a computer?
> 
> The latter.  
> 
> With a Sheevaplug, NSLU2, or similar (not to mention more-conventional
> hardware), doing Linux md RAID1, assuming one can make sure the
> bootloader works properly from either drive, I consider that an optimal
> storage redundancy solution.  Remirroring after a drive failure does
> indeed bog down the host a bit, but tolerably, whereas md RAID5
> restriping after drive failure exacts a pretty awful performance hit.
> 
> (And with 2 TB drives as cheap as they are, 50% RAID storage overhead
> seems absolutely fine to me.)
> 
> In that usage scenario, the expense of serious hardware RAID seems
> absurd given that very little benefit.
> 

I was going to go with RAID 1 using 2 TB drives. Got a line on 2TB
externals with longer than 1 year warranties (since buying drives
themselves comes with 3). At a cost difference of $150(Sheeva is about
$100, the ReadyNAS is $250) I don't see myself saving much buying cases
and drives.

That would also be 3 power plugs instead of one, and if I turn of the
computer controller will it turn off the usb drives? (I guess it would
if they are usb powered vs. their own power button).

What do you think about the RAID case for $50 I posted in the other part
of the thread? Seems to be the same as buying 2 reliable single drive cases?

Thanks,
Alex