Re: Using USB Drives for a RAID
On Sunday 19 August 2007, Ron Johnson wrote:
> On 08/18/07 23:59, Hal Vaughan wrote:
> > On Saturday 18 August 2007, Ron Johnson wrote:
> >> On 08/18/07 20:35, Hal Vaughan wrote:
> >>> On Saturday 18 August 2007, Ron Johnson wrote:
> >>>> On 08/18/07 19:39, Hal Vaughan wrote:
> >>>>> Has anyone built a RAID out of USB drives? I'm considering it
> >>>>> but I'd rather hear from others who may have done the same
> >>>>> thing first. I can see several possible problems. Last time I
> >>>>> was working with USG devices, if I unplugged the drives and did
> >>>>> not plug them in using the same order /dev/sda could become
> >>>>> /dev/sdb, so I could see that as an issue, for starters.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> If anyone has experience with this, I'd like to hear about it
> >>>>> and if it's a good or bad idea.
> >>>>
> >>>> What's the problem that you are trying to solve?
> >>>
> >>> At this point I'm exploring several possibilities.
> >>
> >> Possible whats? Drinking games? Strip clubs?
> >
> > Are there any lists you're on where you haven't brought up naked
> > women out of context? :-?
>
> For a libertarian, you sure have forgotten that there's more in this
> world than just women taking their clothes off for me.
>
> Shame on you. Now go see Molly Yard for a multicultural sensitivity
> training class!
I'm not the one talking about strip clubs.
And you know damned well I'm a bleeding heart liberal, not a
libertarian!
> > Possibilities of using USB drives instead of internal drives for a
> > RAID. It would provide something close to hotplug and also
> >
> >> Yes, I'm being snide, but that's because you didn't answer my
> >> question.
> >>
> >> Are you trying to solve a portability problem using high-capacity
> >> external drives, or a speed problem with USB thumb drives?
> >
> > There's several reasons I'm looking into it. I suspect one issue
> > with the box I've been using could be circulation, which I could
> > solve with separate drive enclosures. It would make drive swapping
> > easier and it could also make it portable. I don't know what else,
> > which is why I asked the question. If people say, "Yeah, I've
> > tried it and it doesn't work," then I drop the idea. If people
> > tell me, "I've tried it and found it was a benefit because of a, b,
> > and c, then I know it's worth looking into and perhaps worth using.
>
> You need a case that's purpose-designed to be a server. They are
> engineered for air flow, blah blah.
That's what I was thinking.
> But they are also expensive.
Oh, yes. Most single drive USB enclosures are $20 or so, but the 4
drive USB enclosures I found were $400 or more!
> A home-server might be adequate for
> your needs.
>
> http://www.directron.com/stct01uw.html
That just might work. I might set it up to handle all my storage and
use it as nothing but a file server.
I'm still exploring other possibilities, but thanks!
Hal
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