Tannin
Storage? I am Storage!
Hi all and welcome. This thread is to get you up to speed on Storage Forum. Please feel very welcome to respond to it, ask questions, criticise, and make suggestions.
What is Storage Forum?
We are a group of people united by a common interest in hard drives and storage, and the desire to discuss this interest (and other things) in a secure, civilised environment.
Who can join this community?
Anyone interested in storage, or in the other matters we discuss here. While you don't have to stick to storage, we do ask that you direct your off-topic posts to an appropriate forum, such as the Pub and Brewery.
How much does it cost to join?
Nothing. We aim to keep it that way.
Who pays for it?
At present, the members of the admin team. Cost so far has been minimal. We believe that we can manage a substantial increase in bandwidth without it costing anyone a great deal - particularly as a number of people have kindly offered to donate spare bandwidth or storage space, should we need it. Discussion of ways to cover the modest out-of-pocket expenses incurred is continuing. Advertising is a possibility but it may well not be needed.
Who runs Storage Forum?
Final decisions rest with the Admin Team. At present, the team members are:
Adcadet
Clocker (Ombudsman)
CougTek
James (responsible for backup and security)
Flagreen
Groltz
Handruin (Webmaster)
Mercutio (responsible for moderation)
NRG = mc²
P5-133XL
Pradeep
Time
Tannin (Chairman)
The current Admin Team is the twelve founders of Storage Forum plus James, who was co-opted a little later on). We aim to have a steady turnover of general members into the Admin Team as time goes by. The details remain vague as yet, but the idea is that some of us will step down every now and then and be replaced by others.
Is Storage Forum permanent?
Yes. The site itself is here to stay. The admin team, however, is fluid. Although the details remain vague as yet, the intention is that none of us should hold any particular role forever. From time to time, members of the admin team will step down, other people will take over. We want to see a continuous steady turnover, so that no one person has too much say in things or too unremiting a workload, and so that our admin remains representative of our readership.
Where is Storage Forum hosted?
We are hosted by www.burst.net and currently has 500MB of server space and 20GB per month of bandwidth available. We have contingency plans in place to bring on reserve capacity if needed. The system runs on a shared Red Hat Linux 6.2 host, using Apache 1.3.x (with support for HTML, VRML, Java, C/C++, Perl, PHP4, TCL, Python, CGI, SSI, and JavaScript, MySQL server 3.23.45 and phpBB 2.0 RC-2.
How good are Storage Forum's backups?
The host ISP backs up on a weekly basis. In addition, Webmaster Doug archives the database to his hard drive, then backs that up to CD daily. Longer-term, James is tasked with moving us to a distributed backup arrangement, so that we don't need to rely on one person for everything. We promise that we will never wipe your posts out without plenty of advance warning.
What is the relationship between Storage Forum and Storage Review?
They are separate organisations with no formal relationship and quite different purposes. Storage Review was (and still remains) the best storage test and review site in the world. SR is a commercial enterprise. Storage Forum is a community-based home for discussion. No more, no less. We have no desire to become another hardware testing and review site.
Storage Forum began when Storage Review announced that it was closing down. A group of long-time Storage Review members got together to organise a new home for the forum community. At the last minute SR's closure was averted. In the meantime, as you can see, Storage Forum had taken on a life of its own.
Does this mean that you have all deserted SR?
Not at all. We are rusted-on Storage Review fans. Between us, the founders of Storage Forum had something over 25,000 posts on the old Storage Review forums before the loss of the SR's database, and nearly all of us continue to visit and post there regularly. Most of us have made financial contributions to help keep Storage Review alive.
What is the Site Administrators Forum?
When we first contacted Storage Review to let them know what we were doing with the Storage Forum, they in turn told us something of their rescue plans for StorageReview.com, and asked that we keep commercially sensitive matters private. So we created a confidential forum where we could discuss matters which we had promised not to disclose. As time went by, it morphed into a place where the Admin Team can get together to talk things over and make decisions, without the messy business of emailing twelve different ways.
What is planned for the front page?
I have no idea! CougTek and Adcadet are working with Webmaster Handruin to make an interesting, lively front page. For details you'll have to check with one of them.
What happens next?
Good question! Stay tuned.
What is Storage Forum?
We are a group of people united by a common interest in hard drives and storage, and the desire to discuss this interest (and other things) in a secure, civilised environment.
Who can join this community?
Anyone interested in storage, or in the other matters we discuss here. While you don't have to stick to storage, we do ask that you direct your off-topic posts to an appropriate forum, such as the Pub and Brewery.
How much does it cost to join?
Nothing. We aim to keep it that way.
Who pays for it?
At present, the members of the admin team. Cost so far has been minimal. We believe that we can manage a substantial increase in bandwidth without it costing anyone a great deal - particularly as a number of people have kindly offered to donate spare bandwidth or storage space, should we need it. Discussion of ways to cover the modest out-of-pocket expenses incurred is continuing. Advertising is a possibility but it may well not be needed.
Who runs Storage Forum?
Final decisions rest with the Admin Team. At present, the team members are:
Adcadet
Clocker (Ombudsman)
CougTek
James (responsible for backup and security)
Flagreen
Groltz
Handruin (Webmaster)
Mercutio (responsible for moderation)
NRG = mc²
P5-133XL
Pradeep
Time
Tannin (Chairman)
The current Admin Team is the twelve founders of Storage Forum plus James, who was co-opted a little later on). We aim to have a steady turnover of general members into the Admin Team as time goes by. The details remain vague as yet, but the idea is that some of us will step down every now and then and be replaced by others.
Is Storage Forum permanent?
Yes. The site itself is here to stay. The admin team, however, is fluid. Although the details remain vague as yet, the intention is that none of us should hold any particular role forever. From time to time, members of the admin team will step down, other people will take over. We want to see a continuous steady turnover, so that no one person has too much say in things or too unremiting a workload, and so that our admin remains representative of our readership.
Where is Storage Forum hosted?
We are hosted by www.burst.net and currently has 500MB of server space and 20GB per month of bandwidth available. We have contingency plans in place to bring on reserve capacity if needed. The system runs on a shared Red Hat Linux 6.2 host, using Apache 1.3.x (with support for HTML, VRML, Java, C/C++, Perl, PHP4, TCL, Python, CGI, SSI, and JavaScript, MySQL server 3.23.45 and phpBB 2.0 RC-2.
How good are Storage Forum's backups?
The host ISP backs up on a weekly basis. In addition, Webmaster Doug archives the database to his hard drive, then backs that up to CD daily. Longer-term, James is tasked with moving us to a distributed backup arrangement, so that we don't need to rely on one person for everything. We promise that we will never wipe your posts out without plenty of advance warning.
What is the relationship between Storage Forum and Storage Review?
They are separate organisations with no formal relationship and quite different purposes. Storage Review was (and still remains) the best storage test and review site in the world. SR is a commercial enterprise. Storage Forum is a community-based home for discussion. No more, no less. We have no desire to become another hardware testing and review site.
Storage Forum began when Storage Review announced that it was closing down. A group of long-time Storage Review members got together to organise a new home for the forum community. At the last minute SR's closure was averted. In the meantime, as you can see, Storage Forum had taken on a life of its own.
Does this mean that you have all deserted SR?
Not at all. We are rusted-on Storage Review fans. Between us, the founders of Storage Forum had something over 25,000 posts on the old Storage Review forums before the loss of the SR's database, and nearly all of us continue to visit and post there regularly. Most of us have made financial contributions to help keep Storage Review alive.
What is the Site Administrators Forum?
When we first contacted Storage Review to let them know what we were doing with the Storage Forum, they in turn told us something of their rescue plans for StorageReview.com, and asked that we keep commercially sensitive matters private. So we created a confidential forum where we could discuss matters which we had promised not to disclose. As time went by, it morphed into a place where the Admin Team can get together to talk things over and make decisions, without the messy business of emailing twelve different ways.
What is planned for the front page?
I have no idea! CougTek and Adcadet are working with Webmaster Handruin to make an interesting, lively front page. For details you'll have to check with one of them.
What happens next?
Good question! Stay tuned.
