Booting Thunderbolt iMac from LaCie Rugged SSD

[iCaleb]

I just ordered the lacie rugged TB ssd for my base 21.5 inch, and I plan on using it as my OS drive.

But I want to prevent wear and tear on the internal stock hdd since I won't be using it.

How do I shut the internal hdd off while using the external ssd instead?

 

[WilliamG]

I just ordered the lacie rugged TB ssd for my base 21.5 inch, and I plan on using it as my OS drive.

But I want to prevent wear and tear on the internal stock hdd since I won't be using it.

How do I shut the internal hdd off while using the external ssd instead?

After you're booted off the SSD you can just eject the drive from inside Finder. That solves the issue for that boot.

Alternatively, what you can do is to set the hard drives to sleep when not in use (Energy Saver settings in System Preferences). That will sleep the internal disk unless something access it (e.g. Spotlight). You can always tell Spotlight to not scan that disk, from the Spotlight preferences.

 

[LaCieTech]

I just ordered the lacie rugged TB ssd for my base 21.5 inch, and I plan on using it as my OS drive.

But I want to prevent wear and tear on the internal stock hdd since I won't be using it.

How do I shut the internal hdd off while using the external ssd instead?

Hi,

WilliamG has given accurate advice. However, its generally not a good idea to use an external as your boot disk for a variety of reasons. If the disk gets accidentally knocked over or disconnected while the computer is running you run the risk of losing the entire thing to damage or corruption. You also rely on the interface port (and take one up to run the computer) which can also be damaged.

In short, it adds a considerable amount of points of risk (parts that can fail) which will cause your computer to cease functioning.

However, it will work perfectly fine and my only other advice is to always have a complete backup on hand. Data recovery always costs more than a spare hdd for your data. ~mn, LaCie

 

[WilliamG]

Hi,

WilliamG has given accurate advice. However, its generally not a good idea to use an external as your boot disk for a variety of reasons. If the disk gets accidentally knocked over or disconnected while the computer is running you run the risk of losing the entire thing to damage or corruption. You also rely on the interface port (and take one up to run the computer) which can also be damaged.

In short, it adds a considerable amount of points of risk (parts that can fail) which will cause your computer to cease functioning.

However, it will work perfectly fine and my only other advice is to always have a complete backup on hand. Data recovery always costs more than a spare hdd for your data. ~mn, LaCie

While true, many of us (myself included), have been running external boot drives for the better part of a year. I have a TwelveSouth Backpack on the back of my iMac which serves the purpose of a shelf for the drive so nothing can knock it/disturb it. Nothing is perfect, of course, and accidents happen. But I wouldn't be scared of running an external disk, personally. Ports failing etc is a scare tactic if you ask me. The internal SATA port could fail, too, and then you'd REALLY be in trouble.

To each his own, of course.

 

[iCaleb]

Once I do a clean install and set it as the boot drive, theres nothing more I need to set?

Also, I plan on using 2 rubber flex ties to mount it on my iMac stand.

 

[PJM82]

Hi,

WilliamG has given accurate advice. However, its generally not a good idea to use an external as your boot disk for a variety of reasons. If the disk gets accidentally knocked over or disconnected while the computer is running you run the risk of losing the entire thing to damage or corruption. You also rely on the interface port (and take one up to run the computer) which can also be damaged.

In short, it adds a considerable amount of points of risk (parts that can fail) which will cause your computer to cease functioning.

However, it will work perfectly fine and my only other advice is to always have a complete backup on hand. Data recovery always costs more than a spare hdd for your data. ~mn, LaCie

If an external disk fails he can sort it, if an internal one fails and he's out of warranty he's screwed. The only extra points of risk are your drives. Do you not stand by your own products? If somehow the thunderbolt ports failed (let's be honest it would be the controller not the ports) the mac is still going off for repair anyway.

OS X is no way near as fragile as Windows. The numbers of people running his setup speaks for itself.

 

[iSayuSay]

Wrong post .. sorry [deleted]

 

[lugesm]

Samsung SSD Issue ?

My computer: mid-2011 27" iMac, 1TB HDD, 16GB RAM, 3.4Ghz core i7.

I configured a 512GB Samsung 840 Pro SSD with Seagate Thunderbolt adapter and 0.5M Apple Thunderbolt cable.
Used SuperDuper to clone my internal HDD to the Samsung SSD.

Everything worked perfectly . . . for 3 days. Then, my accounting program crashed while in use. This same program had been working just fine for 2 years on the internal 1TB original HDD without issue.

Then, I noticed that my iTunes files had been corrupted and that about 80% of them were missing. Also, many duplicates turned up.

That was enough for me. I removed the SSD/Thunderbolt external drive and went back to the internal 1TB HDD. Now everything works perfectly again.
After removing the SSD, I was able to format it using Disk Utility, and it checks as good, using Disk Utility. I am guessing that there might be some intermittent flaw in the SSD, or my system just cannot handle the speed without error.

Presumed this to be a defective Samsung SSD, and Amazon was good enough to accept the return. Great for that !

Now I am gun shy. Anyone else experience anything like this?

 

[CoinOP]

@lugesm. I used CarbonCopy cloner. Everything works perfect! Only difference is I have the 256 Samsung SSD.....

 

[lugesm]

@lugesm. I used CarbonCopy cloner. Everything works perfect! Only difference is I have the 256 Samsung SSD.....

How long have you been running the SSD configuration?

Have you tested all your programs ?

Thanks for your comments.

 

[CoinOP]

How long have you been running the SSD configuration?

Have you tested all your programs ?

Thanks for your comments.

Truth is I've had this setup from the getgo. It was the first thing I did after I've installed a handfull of programs. So there wasn't much on it. Logic 9 Pro has over 20GB of content though, not a sample is missing.

I have the Imac for a few weeks now and it runs perfect from the external SSD.

After some research I chose CarbonCopy over SuperDuper and downloaded the trial version. I made the right choise.

 

[lugesm]

Truth is I've had this setup from the getgo. It was the first thing I did after I've installed a handfull of programs. So there wasn't much on it. Logic 9 Pro has over 20GB of content though, not a sample is missing.

I have the Imac for a few weeks now and it runs perfect from the external SSD.

After some research I chose CarbonCopy over SuperDuper and downloaded the trial version. I made the right choise.

Has anyone else had a problem with SuperDuper in this application? I have no reason to believe SuperDuper was my problem, but I cannot rule it out.

 

[hfg]

The problem is probably due to poor power regulation in the Seagate Portable Thunderbolt adapter when using large power-hungry SSDs which aren't as tolerant as when using disk drives as supplied by Seagate with this arrangement. Others have posted here with this problem as well and searching will find the discussions. Using a line-powered adapter should work fine, just not a bus powered one with SSDs larger than 256GB.

 

[lugesm]

The potential power issue for SSDs greater than 256GB has been discussed elsewhere. However, the Samsung 340 Pro series draws much less power than earlier Samsung models.

 

[Nuke61]

Has anyone else had a problem with SuperDuper in this application? I have no reason to believe SuperDuper was my problem, but I cannot rule it out.

I've never had any issues with SuperDuper! I used it to clone my MBP HDD that I then swapped out with an SSD and more recently I cloned my iMac drive to an external 256GB 840 Pro drive that I now use as my boot disk via Thunderbolt.

I bought CCC and SuperDuper!, and I just keep going back to SD, although I can't really put my finger on why.

 

[cedricquey]

Hi guys,


Are u guys able to provide steps on how u all set up ur Mac to boot up from external drive? And do u guys delete the os from ur internal drive after doing it?
And how do I just install programs on my ssd and keep all the other files like pics and movies and songs on my internal drive. I own a late 2012 imac.

Can I check for those using time machine as backup. How do u go about backing up the ssd data and the internal drive data? Thanks

I just bought a 256gb 840pro and the 2.5 inch seagate thunderbolt stand.

Please advice.
Thanks

 

[perrya]

LaCie Rugged USB 3.0 Thunderbolt™ Series vs. Fusion "option"

Hi guys,


Are u guys able to provide steps on how u all set up ur Mac to boot up from external drive? And do u guys delete the os from ur internal drive after doing it?
And how do I just install programs on my ssd and keep all the other files like pics and movies and songs on my internal drive. I own a late 2012 imac.

Can I check for those using time machine as backup. How do u go about backing up the ssd data and the internal drive data? Thanks

I just bought a 256gb 840pro and the 2.5 inch seagate thunderbolt stand.

Please advice.
Thanks

Well I am happy today that I stuck with my instincts and did NOT go with the Fusion drive option for my iMac. Something told me "If it's too good to be true, it probably is". Turns out SSD technology has a tendency to "wear out" over time. That while it's fantastic for speed, up to 4x to 8x more with today's technology, that technology too has it's limitations. So, in light of the new sleek and "sealed" design of the late 2012 iMac, having a SSD that can wear itself out over time is not a good idea.

So one up for having your tradition 7200 RPM drive !!

Now then, that being said, I picked up today and quite easily installed my very first EXTERNAL SSD drive. Compliments the LaCie Rugged Thunderbolt USB 3.0 people. I just followed the instructions off two major sources. One that recommended using Carbon Copy Cloner to handle the transferring of my HDD to the SDD in two easy steps and another site that showed me how to easily setup the /tmp directory for /RamDisk use thereby minimizing the usage of the SSD.

With all that said, for the record, my LaCie is performing something like 300 MB/s (write) and 425 MB/s (read) vs. the Fusion drives 350 MB/s (read/write). The trusty 7200 RPM HDD comes in at 110 MB/s.

So, to say that I am well-pleased is bit of an understatement. Now I have one up on anyone out there that bought the Fusion drive option. Their investment is running a risk as I don't think they'll have the tweaks in place to prevent over use of the Fusion SSD. So it's only a matter of time before they'll be needing maintenance. Further, the PEGASUS Promise J2 is in the wings at 550 MB/s (write) and 750 MB/s (read). The reason why I didn't go with that option was due to the fact that the late model 2012 iMac has a glitch that prevents it being a bootable device. So rather than waiting upon Apple to come up with a firmware update I chose reliability over speed and the LaCie is quite remarkable. In fact, I am using it with the USB 3.0 cable as it turns out to be faster than the Thunderbolt for some reason in this configuration. Mind you, this is June of 2013. This time next year something will dwarf the performance of the LaCie SSD but it's ok because I am in a position to easily "swap out" the external SSD for a newer one. No need to make any changes whatsoever to my iMac and thereby void the three year warranty in any way shape or form.

Yes, I am glad I stuck with instinct on this one and avoided the "new fangled" Fusion drive.

http://macperformanceguide.com/Mac-InstallingSSD.html
http://blog.alutam.com/2012/04/01/optimizing-macos-x-lion-for-ssd/#ramdisk
http://manuals.lacie.com/fr/manuals/rugged-usb3-thunderbolt/start
http://store.apple.com/ca/product/H...gged-usb-30-thunderbolt-series-ssd-hard-drive

Ps.
Mind you, let's not look a gift horse in the mouth in the mouth. It'll be interesting to see how many general purpose Mac users ditch their quad core Fusion drive option iMacs in about two years due to this issue for like 10% of what they paid for it on eBay. It'll be a bonanza for techies picking up and refurbishing them if I see a repeat of precisely just that this passed weekend !!

 

[CoinOP]

@ perrya

SSD degrades in performance, but still has way more advantages over the traditional drive.

Reason I will never use a traditional system drive: noise, heat, unreliable and slow performance.

I never had a drive longer then two years performing consistently. Next to the drive inside my Imac which I only use for Timemachine I have another 1TB external drive for samples. Even though I took good care of it, it starts to make funny noises, clicking etc. etc.

 

[perrya]

@ perrya

SSD degrades in performance, but still has way more advantages over the traditional drive.

Reason I will never use a traditional system drive: noise, heat, unreliable and slow performance.

I never had a drive longer then two years performing consistently. Next to the drive inside my Imac which I only use for Timemachine I have another 1TB external drive for samples. Even though I took good care of it, it starts to make funny noises, clicking etc. etc.

I'm sure your right. My experience to date with my late model 2012 iMac for the passed two months has up till now been a bit annoying. Having the HDD always being the spoiler. That seems to be changing today as I am noticing a nice difference in my system thanks to the LaCie SDD. Everything seems to be moving along much snappier. Doing multiple copies from different sources now does not hog up the machine as a whole. I am finally getting to enjoy the other great benefits of the quad core iMac. The HDD is not raining on the parade anymore. To anyone out there debating on getting an external SSD, do it, do it now !! I can tell you from direct experience it's not a bad idea at all.

 

[Nuke61]

Well I am happy today that I stuck with my instincts and did NOT go with the Fusion drive option for my iMac. Something told me "If it's too good to be true, it probably is". Turns out SSD technology has a tendency to "wear out" over time.

TRIM support takes care of that issue, and OS X supports TRIM for an internal SSD. You have to add TRIM support yourself for a TB based SSD, and there is no TRIM support for a USB 3.0 SSD.

 

[lugesm]

TRIM support takes care of that issue, and OS X supports TRIM for an internal SSD. You have to add TRIM support yourself for a TB based SSD, and there is no TRIM support for a USB 3.0 SSD.

Nuke61 . . .
Is there a description or tutorial on setting up TRIM for a TB external SSD?
TKS

 

[CoinOP]

Just yesterday I downloaded TrimEnabler. I wish Samsung enabled Magician for the Mac though. As far as the interwebs go it's not possible to TRIM non Apple SSD's. With TrimEnabler it is.

Problem is I can't visually tell if it's actually working or I don't know how.

 

[cedricquey]

Just yesterday I downloaded TrimEnabler. I wish Samsung enabled Magician for the Mac though. As far as the interwebs go it's not possible to TRIM non Apple SSD's. With TrimEnabler it is.

Problem is I can't visually tell if it's actually working or I don't know how.

Nuke61 . . .
Is there a description or tutorial on setting up TRIM for a TB external SSD?
TKS

I'm sure your right. My experience to date with my late model 2012 iMac for the passed two months has up till now been a bit annoying. Having the HDD always being the spoiler. That seems to be changing today as I am noticing a nice difference in my system thanks to the LaCie SDD. Everything seems to be moving along much snappier. Doing multiple copies from different sources now does not hog up the machine as a whole. I am finally getting to enjoy the other great benefits of the quad core iMac. The HDD is not raining on the parade anymore. To anyone out there debating on getting an external SSD, do it, do it now !! I can tell you from direct experience it's not a bad idea at all.

@ perrya

SSD degrades in performance, but still has way more advantages over the traditional drive.

Reason I will never use a traditional system drive: noise, heat, unreliable and slow performance.

I never had a drive longer then two years performing consistently. Next to the drive inside my Imac which I only use for Timemachine I have another 1TB external drive for samples. Even though I took good care of it, it starts to make funny noises, clicking etc. etc.

thanks for the links peryya. on a side note, when u guys got ur imac, after u press on the on button on ur imac, do u guys hear a mechanical click sound before the chime? cause mine does and apparently the apple personnel say its normal as its the sound from hard drive.

 

[Chippy99]

Well I am happy today that I stuck with my instincts and did NOT go with the Fusion drive option for my iMac. Something told me "If it's too good to be true, it probably is". Turns out SSD technology has a tendency to "wear out" over time.

TRIM support takes care of that issue, and OS X supports TRIM for an internal SSD. You have to add TRIM support yourself for a TB based SSD, and there is no TRIM support for a USB 3.0 SSD.

Trim does somewhat reduce the amount of writing going on, so to an extent you are correct, but to say it takes care of SSD's wearing out over time is to misunderstand what Trim is and what it is for.

Trim is simply an OS command sent to the SSD controller, letting it know what data is no longer required. That is all it is. Many people confuse Trim and Background Garbage Collection, when in fact they are completely different things. BGC is about the SSD "tidying up" the data into nice neat blocks so as to leave nice empty blocks ready to be written to. Without Trim, the BGC will tidy up lots of deleted data as well as live data, because it has no idea what has been deleted.

Wear levelling is what drives do to get around the fact that they do wear out quite quickly. To stop certain cells being written to over and over and over again, the drive moves the writes around all over the disk. It does this transparently from the OS. The OS says to the drive, "put data xyz in location 123" and as far as the OS is concerned the SSD does just that. But in the background, the SSD actually puts the data in location 789 and remembers it has done so. When the OS requests data from location 123, the drive knows it actually put it in 789 and gives back the data from that location.

Wear levelling has nothing to do with Garbage Collection or Trim. Incidentally, because of this "abstraction" of where the data is actually stored, compared to where the OS thinks it is stored, you have to be very careful about how you securely wipe SSD's.

Say you partition an SSD into 2 partitions and you put all your sensitive data into Partition 1. Then you decide to wipe that partition by zeroing it out, writing 1's all over it. The drive may well have moved your sensitive data to another part of the SSD and it may be easily recoverable by someone with the right tools.

 

[Nuke61]

Thanks, but I was already aware of TRIM and wear leveling, and thought he was referring to SSDs slowing down over time. While early drive death was an issue with SSDs in the past, modern SSDs have MTBF rates equal to HDDs. IOW, wear out isn't any bigger of an issue with SSDs than it is with HDDs.