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tastethepain · Jul 6, 2004, 08:48 PM

Hi All,

Recent switcher and by all means, a newb.

I'll be doing some video editing with my new Powerbook 1.5 15" and I'm thinking an external firewire drive is the way to go.

I see this FW800 RS-2Bay drive case at:
http://www.cooldrives.com/newulrafi800.html

which looks pretty decent. However, it states that only Windows machines can upload the latest firmware and config the drive.

Anyone ever build their own inexpensive FW800 raid for their Mac? Or can we (Macs) actually config and upload the firmware, just that the software to do so is already built-in to OS X 10.3?

If this is a Windows-only RAID, anyone have a recommendation for an inexpensive FW800 hardware RAID enclosure?

Thanks,
Curtis

scottiB · Jul 6, 2004, 09:37 PM

Try this one:

http://fwdepot.com/thestore/product_...roducts_id/494

tastethepain · Jul 6, 2004, 10:53 PM

True, but can you point out one that has hardware RAID (not Concord SW RAID) that can be configured with a Mac?

scottiB · Jul 7, 2004, 12:18 PM

Sorry. I skimmed the details and noticed the software RAID. After probing further, the same shop sells a dual channel FW800 bridgeboard*. That coupled with a cheap case off eBay could give you what you need. The bridgeboard, too, needs to be configured via a PC, but FW Depot will do it for you.

*I noticed that cooldrives sells the same bridgeboard for $30 cheaper, but you'll need to find a PC to configure it.

MisterRogers · Jul 8, 2004, 08:20 AM

I've been working on building an external FW Raid drive for video work. I've picked up a couple of 250 Gig 7200 ATA 133 drives when I found them on sale, and I've been saving up for the Vanguard case (Hardware Raid 0). Till the other day. Check out a new external drive called G-RAID not only is it FW800 hardware Raid, but it is designed from the ground up for Video streaming. It essentially allows you to use all of your HD space with SD, HD, DV, etc. This is exactly what I wanted. THe down side, is that you can't simply get the enclosure. Still, I ordered a 160 gig (two 80's) for $299, and I'll simply plug in my 250 gig drives. Since the Vanguard was selling for $429 and did not buffer for high res video, I'm still ahead of the game. Check it out. Don't remember the companies name - starts with A, just search for G-RAID. Also, the case is designed to look just like my G5. I like.

tastethepain · Jul 8, 2004, 11:20 AM

I looked at CoolDrives and FW Depot and bought from FW Depot:

FireWire800 (1394b/1394a) enclosure RAID 1

I'll let everyone know how it goes. I bought two Seagate 160 ATA drives w/ 8 mb cache. Should work well although I see some folks are having data loss with FW800.

Cheers,
Curtis

tastethepain · Jul 13, 2004, 10:53 AM

Works beautiful.

I installed both drives and let them sync up for RAID 1 (about 4 hours). I then erased the volume with OS-X (5 mins). Works like a charm.

The only thing that I don't like and that was tricky for me, was that you must lock each drive before it will be allowed to receive power. I had the hardest time getting the enclosure setup properly because I was trying to install and setup the drives without locking them with the enclosed keys.

I don't like the keys because, if I lose them, then I'm hosed. This is my only complaint on the system. Other than that, works like a charm over FW800.

For the Windows user, installation appears to be a pain in the butt. But, too bad for them. ;-)

Cheers,
Curtis

scottiB · Jul 13, 2004, 12:44 PM

velodev · Jul 13, 2004, 09:25 PM

Originally posted by tastethepain:
I looked at CoolDrives and FW Depot and bought from FW Depot:

FireWire800 (1394b/1394a) enclosure RAID 1

I'll let everyone know how it goes. I bought two Seagate 160 ATA drives w/ 8 mb cache. Should work well although I see some folks are having data loss with FW800.

Cheers,
Curtis

Is this what you bought?

http://fwdepot.com/thestore/product_...roducts_id/624

I was going to buy the multi-drive from OWC for $129. Why is software RAID not so good?

tastethepain · Jul 14, 2004, 12:32 PM

Yes, that is what I bought. Ohh! They raised the price by $30. That stinks. I bought mine two weeks ago for $399.

I personally don't like software RAID because it uses the CPU for the RAID. If you ever wanted to connect the device up to a different computer, you have to setup the RAID acknowledgement for that other computer.

Hardware RAID is transparent to the computer and uses no CPU power to replicate the data.

I wouldn't use RAID 0 as it provides no data protection. With RAID 1, you won't see any throughput benefit, but your data will be replicated on another drive. If one fails, the box will let you know but your computer won't experience any hiccups.

If I had the money, I would go with a three-bay RAID 5 enclosure. They're pricey. . .around $800.00 + the drives. But, you get performance AND data protection benefits.

velodev · Jul 16, 2004, 12:27 PM

Thanks, your post has helped me with this tiresome search of the perfect enclosure.

I was going to get a 1394b enclosure and use my headless Cube for software Raid but I'm on that "second-thought" part now.

I might even pick up a case from eBay with four bays (using two currently but keeping expansion in mind), a bridge for Raid 1 and wait for those 250gb 8mb cache 7200 drives to drop below $150.

But, I did just find this:

http://www.cooldrives.com/ulrafi800qub.html

I need to read the fine print.

tastethepain · Jul 16, 2004, 03:03 PM

You're welcome.

Yeah, be careful with the RAID designations from CoolDrives. I like the looks of their stuff, but "RAID" by itself is a misleading term.

When you and I typically hear 'RAID,' we think of data protection which is RAID 1, 3, RAID 5.

When CoolDrives states a drive as RAID, even hardware RAID, it typically means RAID 0----which means good data throughput but NO data protection.

Check out:

http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/R/RAID.html

For a quick list of the RAID levels. Remember, I would avoid RAID 0 and stick with either RAID 1 or RAID 5. Also, RAID 1 and 5 are more expensive, but will seem instantly cheap the minute something goes wrong and their data protection saves your data.

Good luck.

velodev · Jul 16, 2004, 04:07 PM

Trust me, I don't mind shelling out the bucks when so far it has cost me:

$1250 for Ontrack to restore my WD 80Gb that has my portfolio, honeymoon photos, and the photos to the interior wiring/construction of our home.

Last week, I lost ANOTHER WD 80Gb that didn't have much but my Mac system and my mp3's backed up (which are also on my iPod).

It's too bad they both died, it would have been pretty nice cost-wise to RAID those two drives.