Best Config for My Needs

[kush]

Been reading lots about raiding, ghosting etc.

But I'm confused in a couple of places. So can someone please just advise a straightforward solution for my needs.

Uses

- Heavy Digital Imaging use - about 20k (250gigs) of digital image files on HDs and on backup dvd's. Adding average 200 images about 5mb each per week. Need super redundancy and easy access.

- Infrequent digital video editing.

- Lots and lots of software - about 100 titles.

Equipment

- home built - gigabyte GA-8KNXP mobo, 3.4, 2gigs fast ram. One250 gig SATA Maxtors, and one 74gig Raptor. Just bought another 250gig maxtor.

- wired connect to an old dell with 40gig drive, this just for occasional spare capacity

- wireless connect to another home built 2.4C, 1 gig ram, 160 gig sata

All run Win XP Pro

PROBLEM
I run OS and Programs on raptor, and data on 250gig.
Raptor just failed. Before the raptor I had another drive for OS and progs that failed.
In last year, I had to reload OS and Progs like three times for various reasons, and it sucks for obvious reasons.

QUESTION
- How do I arrange my system where if boot disk fails, I can restore quickly. IS there some kind of mirror solution for OS and programs?
- Do I need Raid, if so which one - mobo capable of 0, 1, 0+1, jbod.
Uptime is important.
Speed is secondary
redundancy primary.


Thanks all in advance

 

[airfoil]

RMA the Raptor and reinstall the OS on its replacement.

Back up the data on the 250 to DVDs, then set up RAID 0+1 on them, this will take care of your redundancy needs to an extent.

What you must develop is an incremental backup policy to ensure that everything valuable thats added is backed up.

 

[kush]

Thanks -

Was looking more for a backup solution to the problem of OS and Progs failing - and I add and upgrade programs pretty frequently.

Is there a solution where I can keep a mirror (or something) of the OS and Software (100+titles) so when that fails I don't need to reinstall everthing, including the few that require activation and therefore a phone call if something fails more then once...

thanks

Edit - also, is it advisable at all to keep OS and Programs separate - like keep software installed on one of the 250s, and Windows on the 74g? I doubt it, but just in case.

 

[Arcanedeath]

I'd suggest getting a cheap 80-120gb IDE drive and just using Norton Ghost or True Image to clone your Raptor to the spare HDD once a week or so (or however often you want) then if your main drive fails again you just pop in the backup drive w/ a complete working copy of all your data and wait for the replacment drive to come back. (I actualy do this w/ all the PC's I build and have a removable drive frame for the backup drive) Once the replacment comes in you just clone all your data from the backup drive to the replacment and take the backup drive out of the system. The only downtime is what it takes to put the backup drive in the system and when you replace the failed drive cloning the backup drive back to the orginal.

 

[biostud]

RAID-1 is the answer

 

[kush]

Originally posted by: Arcanedeath
I'd suggest getting a cheap 80-120gb IDE drive and just using Norton Ghost or True Image to clone your Raptor to the spare HDD once a week or so (or however often you want) then if your main drive fails again you just pop in the backup drive w/ a complete working copy of all your data and wait for the replacment drive to come back. (I actualy do this w/ all the PC's I build and have a removable drive frame for the backup drive) Once the replacment comes in you just clone all your data from the backup drive to the replacment and take the backup drive out of the system. The only downtime is what it takes to put the backup drive in the system and when you replace the failed drive cloning the backup drive back to the orginal.

That sounds good.

If I do that, can I also "clone" the raptor to another computer, and have it become totally bootable and functional across all programs. In otherwords, I have 3 computers (5 if counting laptops), and can I make one clone and replicate across all of them? (honoring all relevant licensing requirements)

 

[biostud]

Originally posted by: kush

Originally posted by: Arcanedeath
I'd suggest getting a cheap 80-120gb IDE drive and just using Norton Ghost or True Image to clone your Raptor to the spare HDD once a week or so (or however often you want) then if your main drive fails again you just pop in the backup drive w/ a complete working copy of all your data and wait for the replacment drive to come back. (I actualy do this w/ all the PC's I build and have a removable drive frame for the backup drive) Once the replacment comes in you just clone all your data from the backup drive to the replacment and take the backup drive out of the system. The only downtime is what it takes to put the backup drive in the system and when you replace the failed drive cloning the backup drive back to the orginal.

That sounds good.

If I do that, can I also "clone" the raptor to another computer, and have it become totally bootable and functional across all programs. In otherwords, I have 3 computers (5 if counting laptops), and can I make one clone and replicate across all of them?

If the hardware was 100% identical I would guess so, but otherwise no. With RAID-1 your harddrive is mirrored so that all data is stored on 2 drives, and if one fail you unplug it put in a new drive at let it rebuild the mirror and you're good to go again.

 

[jose]

Is this computer for your business ?

Your best bet is to get a raid5 controller w/ about 4-5 drives (atleast 1 hot spare). get all exact drives..

Look at the 3ware & LSI pci-x sata controllers. You will need a mobo w/ a 64bit pci-x slot.

OR just run raid 1 on your mobo. ie. get 2 raptor in raid1 and use the 2 - maxtor's in raid 1


FYI duals are not that expensive..

Tyan thunder k8w ~$450
2 - Opteron 242's $158ea.
memory 4 - 512mb ~$75ea.

Regards,
Jose