Since my external storage grows more than I wanted, the proper thing is to move to an unRAID solution.

 

Here are the data:

 

1) I ordered for a nice midi case with 9 5.25" external bays.

 

2) I plan to initially use it as is and later switch to some nice multi-bays.

 

3) Also I haven't yet found the proper mobo and stuff. I'll see if I can find some old left-over or I need to buy something new.

 

4) I plan to use my EXISTING external disks (of course take the disks off and make them internal). The thing is that most of them are IDE: 4 320GB disks, 1 80GB disk. I also have 2 500GB SATA disks but since those came with the enclosure (ordered as one part) and are still under warranty, I won't touch them.

 

5) I will probably need to buy 1-2 extra disks so that I will retain at least the same storage I have from my external IDEs now and a disk for parity (prob. I just need an extra 500GB to be on the safe side right?).

 

6) The extra(s) of #5 and any future disks will be SATA.

 

7) My home network is already a gigabit one (gigabit switch and all three PC use gigabit LAN, plus of course the future unRAID device).

 

VITAL questions:

 

1) For the existing IDE (5 in number) can I use both master and slave of each IDE bus? (so that I only need 3 IDE not 5 IDE controllers) Or will this be a problem with the system?

 

2) What is the correct way to actually set this up? Remember all my existing disks have DATA and all are NTFS. My scenario is:

 

a) Buy two extra (SATA) 500GB disks. Or buy just one (500GB) and try to stuff everything from one of the existing 320GB disks in my removable + non-removable disks so that it remains empty.

 

b) Install 500GB as parity and the other (the other new 500 or the "cleaned up" 320) as a single member of the array.

 

c) Use the disk in #b to move over the network of one of the other 320GB (pitty the system doesn't allow for USB external storage even FAT32/NTFS for read-only file transfer).

 

d) When this other 320 is now empty, move it to the array (and change from NTFS to Reiner) and proceed with the next 320GB and do the same copy over network... and again and again, one disk at a time, inc. the 80GB.

 

Will this procedure work? Will it take forever?

 

3) I plan on making all my "root" shares (Music, Movies, Emulation etc.) on all my array disks. Will this allow for the system to freely add whatever I add to these folders to the most appropriate (size-wize) disk so that I won't be limited to each disks size but the size of the total array? (yes I know we cannot split the files, but it will be good enough)

 

...sorry for all those numbers and letters

 

1. Yes.  Be aware, that in the distant past people have had issues where when one drive on a pata cable goes bad, it makes the other look bad.  I've personally not seen it though.  Use a good cable (not rounded).  My old server had 12 PATA drives all running this way.  I was running on cheap ($14?) IDE controllers from newegg.  This wasn't unRaid, but a gentoo box, so I have no idea if they'd work with unraid.

2. Yes, I'd build an empty array and slowly move data over.  It might take a while if you're not on gigE.  When migrating 2.8TB from one server to another on my network on 100tx it took a few days.

2a. Alternately, you can build the empty array, then put the other drive into the server, mount it using a mount command (NTFS can be read readonly) and then copy internally to /mnt/disk1, etc. from the telnet/terminal interface.  I'm not sure if unraid has the requisite ntfs stuff built in, but I think I'd at least try it.  You might want to MD5 your files before/after to make sure that everything copies correctly (I had some issues when copying lots of files since the inode size was different on my unRaid vs. my other raid (so a 500,000b file would be 499,996b on the other, the file was fine, just that the space it took up was different).

3. I think you're talking about writing to the user shares.  I'm not familiar enough with this to answer (I don't really do this as I've rolled back to 4.0).

 

 

Oh, I'll also recommend that you look at 1TB drives rather than 500gig.  If you can find the right sale, 1TB drives are alomost the same price per gig as 500gig or 750gig drives and frankly if your storage requirements are growing as fast as mine (up to 7tb online right now with 4TB full) then migrating from little drives is a big PITA.

goofygrin thanks for the advice - definitely mounting ntfs locally looks like a nice idea, of course to know if the appropriate fs files are in the build Tom (HELLO?) should answer, but since he is nowhere to be found, bubba could help...

 

I am on gigabit.

 

As for 1TB drives, they are still expensive in my country.

 

Check:

 

500GB 95 euro = 0,19 euro/GB

750GB 168.50 euro = 0,22

1TB 285 euro = 0,28

 

All prices include 19% VAT. Luckily since I am a pro, I get this 19% tax back.

 

So 750, just maybe. 1TB, not.

 

Remember I need a minimum of TWO extra disks (as the new disks will be the biggest, I need the same parity, so two disks minimum). You understand than 190 euro is much different than 336 (almost the price of a new computer) and way different than 570 (the price of a not-too-bad computer inc. monitor). Putting installments on hard disks is stupid I think (as hard disk prices change by the week, so in six months I will be paying "stupid money"), so I think out of the question, thanks for the proposal though.

 

 

 

 

Is there no chance of buying here in the US and shipping over there (make a friend perhaps?)

 

Given the current exchange rate, you're losing quite a bit of money, considering that you can get 500GB drives here for < $100 (+ 8% tax here) and I got 1TB external drives for $180 earlier this month (which I pulled the drive out of the enclosure).

 

And I agree, Tom should at least poke his head up a bit.  I know he just moved and it's christmas time here, but he should get on at least once a week and post something.  However, when I needed a new key, I got the email in about 4 hours, so I know he's online at least a little bit.

Yes there were money involved.

I care about "after sales service" though.

 

As for the disks, as a matter of fact my best man, IS probably going to the states soon (he does this a couple of times a year as he has relatives there). Maybe I'll tell him to get me a couple of 1TB disks. Can you give me a couple of nice on-line shops? (close to Germantown, MD, preferably)

 

 

 

 

Online shops?  I have no idea where any online shops are :-)

 

Too bad there's no Fry's in that part of the country.  They tend to have good deals (like 500GB drives for < $100 and motherboard/CPU combos for $60).  I bought my 1TB drives from Best Buy (they were clearance).  They are a store that's everywhere (and online, www.bestbuy.com).

 

You might just put an alert on somewhere like fatwallet.com/forums and have it email you when there's a sale.  If he's staying at a decent hotel here, you can have the drives/hardware shipped to the hotel (you'll have to pay for upgraded shipping, but that might be worth the savings).

he stays at his relatives, so yes

 

 

Newegg.com frys.com aka outpost.com are two good ones, occasionally mwave.com or tigerdirect.com are worth looking at. After sdales service isn't a problem if you buy Seagate - 5 year warranty. I have had a few of these go bad and I simply fill out a WEB form and ship them back, a little later a refurbished one shows up. I'm not sure it's that easy for an overseas person to get service but it cannot be any worse than the warranty services offered by others onshorter warranty periods. the only drive i'll buy from someplace other than Seagate is the WD 1TB but I've not seen those cheaply enough to buy lately - I missed out on the drive enclosure deal :'(