Storage Upgrade/Growth - Network Storage for Mac/PC

[Jay_Z]

I wasn't sure if this is the best forum but I am seeking to get some feedback on growing my storage for photos/video. I am seeking to get some feedback on growing my storage for photos/video and other general network storage.

I would like to replace, upgrade or use the existing hardware to create a better and longer term growth solution with backup. Currently, I have storage that is backed up, duplicated and have a copy stored offsite but I'm outgrowing my current solution quickly!

Here is what I have and would like to utilize if possible in another solution.

iMac with 1TB Drive - backs up to G-Tech 2TB external drive
- iMac drive has 'working' files, nearly full.

HP EX475 Windows Home Server (WHS) with 4 x 2TB Western Digital Caviar Black
- this storage WAS duplicated until I ran out of space, now it's NOT duplicated. Just pooled storage.
- currently storing approx 6TB of data

HP WHS was backing up to a 4TB G-Tech ext drive (G-Raid) - now, this has exceeded capacity. Split between 4TB and other 1TB ext drives.

I need about 7TB of current storage with growth of 2-4TB/year. I'd like to estimate less but now I am 1TB per month, while other months are minimal.

Any suggestions for a network storage solution? I want to (of course) minimize expense and utilize what I already have as much as possible. Of course, I also want some type of RAID as a safeguard for data/drives. Then, be able to backup this solution (perhaps with the current drives I have).

In other words, I need a new solution, no more band-aids! Something I can access files within my network from my iMac or Windows laptop.

I'd appreciate any thoughts/feedback!

Thanks SO much!

 

[Stereodude]

It sounds like you need a tape solution for backup.

 

[Mercutio]

You can get an LTO drive for around $1000. Tapes hold hundreds and cost under $20. This kind of backup will scale well to your near-term growth.
For around $1000 you could also get three 4TB drives and assemble some kind of RAID or NAS setup, but then you've just got another problem in two years when you've outgrown it.

This kind of logic ultimately led me to purchase a tape changer. It's kind of a pain in the ass (I've had a few problems with bad tapes), but it beats the hell out of having multiple dedicated machines set up just so I can keep redundant copies of tens of terabytes of data in my tiny ass apartment.

 

[Chewy509]

Hi Jay_Z,

First of all welcome to SF.

For your problem, I don't know of any consumer level solutions/products that will fit you needs.

Basically, you want a NAS (that can export the typical NFS and CIFS/SMB) that holds up to 20TB (usable) and provides some sort of RAID internally to allow for uptime and have a suitable backup.

Without going HP/Dell/Lenovo business NAS level, you're only option is to build it yourself.

A suitable setup might be:
1. Supermicro 6037R-E1R16N SuperServer (upto 16x 3.5" drives, or 32TB raw storage, supports all RAID levels in hardware).
2. 16x 2TB HDDs of your choosing.
3. LTO tape changer (connected directly to the server) as Merc mentions.

Chenbro, Tyan and of course Dell, HP and Lenovo all have similar setups, so it'll be hitting Google/Newegg/OEM to get pricing, etc.

Software wise, you'll need to use something that supports Tapes, so something like FreeNAS, Windows Server (with applicable software for the changer), or some Linux distro will the way to go. I don't believe WHS supports tapes, so that platform is sort of a dead end for you.

Since I/O is not concern (storage capacity is), then most setups will work fine.

Sorry for not being specific, but at this level you really need to speak to the manufacturers of the equipment to find out what will and won't work.

 

[Mercutio]

Doing the NAS/quasi-NAS thing kind with a zillion drives of sucks because once you have that giant pool of direct-access disk space the temptation will be to fill it. And then you'll need more drives or a second set of them to create redundancy. And it's hot and (usually) loud. And there's the more than distinct possibility that you could see a random hard error while rebuilding an array that spans so far.

I do ZFS with FreeNAS because I can get away with building lots of mini-arrays and add storage in small batches if I need to. It's a good compromise for my direct-access needs, but it really only works for me because I have tapes to fall back on.

And LTO changers are a whole other thing in terms of price and software support. You either need expensive enterprise-grade software or a certain level of knowledge of free OSes.

 

[Chewy509]

Granted, having a massive DAS array is an issue, but there is nothing stopping him/her getting a large storage server, using OpenSolaris, Solaris 11 or FreeNAS coupled with ZFS and then adding storage as needed.

I just don't know too many mid sized cases that take 8+ drives (assuming they want to use 4TB drives) to do that easily. (I know my old Antec 1040BXII case could take 15 drives when squeezed in, but that was a full tower case).

Basically, it's go with build your own server, or go with a ready made solution from someone like Supermicro, Tyan, HP, Dell or Lenovo.

Personally, if I needed that amount storage I would build my own...