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iconoclast · 06-21-2009

Hi OzzyJim,

Those numbers you list for SATA, SCSI and USB are just theoretical maximum bandwidth figures and should not be interpreted as real world performance. And it refers only to the technology that connect a device to the computer not the device itself. And in the case of hard drives the connection technology is not the bottleneck.
There is a huge amount of variables that effect real world performance of a hard drives for more indepth info or just an overview check out StorageReview.com

A drive caddy, holding 1 of the hard drives of a mirrored raid array is not a bad idea but that drive will always be in the computer while the computer is on, basically. It's not something you can store in a safe and then plug in and expect files to be copied over; thats not how a raid array works. The caddy option would be helpful if you needed to transport your files in a pinch, like a fire, tsunami or something. However it may get tiring to get it from the safe, plug it in and take it out and store it every single time you think you might be using the computer for digital work.

I'll again recommend the external drive (USB2, Firewire or hotswappable drive caddy) again, in addition to an internal mirrored raid array. There is software that would allow you to simply plug in the drive and it'll copy everything automatically. So say you wake up Sunday, brush your teeth and plug the drive in, go about your day and an hour or two later everything is copied. Then you store the drive in its fireproof safe(small safes are cheap and common in the USA) out of site, in order to protect from fire and theft. I have a friend in Victoria, she says crime is terrible there, is that true?

With regards to loss of data during powerfailure.... You only lose whatever data is being edited at the time, generally, only files that are being accessed at the moment are subject to corruption and loss. Lots of mainstream apps will save your work internally every few minutes and you can recover the data next time you run it (I'm thinking of MS office and Open office). This possible loss of data is also true when a computer crashes. An external USB drive vs an internal drive isn't really proof against these cases of lost data.

I don't know that USB2 drives are any safer from electrical woes than an internal drive. There are a lot of variables. The drive uses its own outside powersource and its connected to the computer via USB which carries a current, thus it has points of entry. Furthermore you have to consider the quality of the USB chip and card in the computer. Thats usually a no brainer if using a modern computer (laptop or desktop) but there's lots of old crappy addin cards that might fry a USB device it dosn't get along with. Also its external power has to be protected just as the computer's does. Also an external drive is subject to knocks, falls and generally worse heat issues.

I'd recommend instead a high quality power supply in a desktop computer and a high quality fused surge protection. PC powersupplies do fail, and its usually because of their cooling fans die. It's part of good computer paintenance to clean the dust off it every 6 months or so. Usually I just pick off the dusk by rubbing my hand against it but moistureless canned air might be used too. Also pay attention to how your computer sounds, if fans stop you should investigate. The cpu fan should be cleaned up too.

06-21-2009	#7 (permalink)
iconoclast Vicuna Location: Brooklyn Posts: 120 CamelKarma: 71 Editing OK?: Ask first Gallery \| Blog	Re: how do you store your files? Hi OzzyJim, Those numbers you list for SATA, SCSI and USB are just theoretical maximum bandwidth figures and should not be interpreted as real world performance. And it refers only to the technology that connect a device to the computer not the device itself. And in the case of hard drives the connection technology is not the bottleneck. There is a huge amount of variables that effect real world performance of a hard drives for more indepth info or just an overview check out StorageReview.com A drive caddy, holding 1 of the hard drives of a mirrored raid array is not a bad idea but that drive will always be in the computer while the computer is on, basically. It's not something you can store in a safe and then plug in and expect files to be copied over; thats not how a raid array works. The caddy option would be helpful if you needed to transport your files in a pinch, like a fire, tsunami or something. However it may get tiring to get it from the safe, plug it in and take it out and store it every single time you think you might be using the computer for digital work. I'll again recommend the external drive (USB2, Firewire or hotswappable drive caddy) again, in addition to an internal mirrored raid array. There is software that would allow you to simply plug in the drive and it'll copy everything automatically. So say you wake up Sunday, brush your teeth and plug the drive in, go about your day and an hour or two later everything is copied. Then you store the drive in its fireproof safe(small safes are cheap and common in the USA) out of site, in order to protect from fire and theft. I have a friend in Victoria, she says crime is terrible there, is that true? With regards to loss of data during powerfailure.... You only lose whatever data is being edited at the time, generally, only files that are being accessed at the moment are subject to corruption and loss. Lots of mainstream apps will save your work internally every few minutes and you can recover the data next time you run it (I'm thinking of MS office and Open office). This possible loss of data is also true when a computer crashes. An external USB drive vs an internal drive isn't really proof against these cases of lost data. I don't know that USB2 drives are any safer from electrical woes than an internal drive. There are a lot of variables. The drive uses its own outside powersource and its connected to the computer via USB which carries a current, thus it has points of entry. Furthermore you have to consider the quality of the USB chip and card in the computer. Thats usually a no brainer if using a modern computer (laptop or desktop) but there's lots of old crappy addin cards that might fry a USB device it dosn't get along with. Also its external power has to be protected just as the computer's does. Also an external drive is subject to knocks, falls and generally worse heat issues. I'd recommend instead a high quality power supply in a desktop computer and a high quality fused surge protection. PC powersupplies do fail, and its usually because of their cooling fans die. It's part of good computer paintenance to clean the dust off it every 6 months or so. Usually I just pick off the dusk by rubbing my hand against it but moistureless canned air might be used too. Also pay attention to how your computer sounds, if fans stop you should investigate. The cpu fan should be cleaned up too.