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Photo Storage - OWC Thunderbay 4 with SoftRAID in RAID5 but now facing yearly 'upgrade' fees - alternatives???

E

eoren1

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Aug 17, 2007
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Have had an OWC Thunderbay 4 since 2015 working well with SoftRAID. I upgraded to 4x8TB HGST drives in 2017 and am getting about 450 MB/s read/write. I have this attached to a 14" M1 Macbook Pro to store 6 TB of photos and other assorted files.

I paid $100 for the upgrade of SoftRAID in April 2021 with the thought this was a one-time issue with the move to APFS and Apple Silicon.
Well, OWC now wants $120 for a required update to version 7 or SoftRAID won't work on Ventura...

So now I'm feeling stuck and wondering about alternatives.

Ideally (though doubt it would work) is taking these 4 drives out and putting them in somewhere else and maintaining my RAID5.

Alternative is moving the photos to a 4x2TB NVMe enclosure in RAID4? and then putting the rest of the files onto another external drive??

Open to any/all suggestions.

Thanks!
 
I'd pay. It'll be less trouble than moving to a new platform. I doubt the upgrade will be required every year. Things will stabilize as macOS for Apple Silicon matures.
 
chabig said:
I'd pay. It'll be less trouble than moving to a new platform. I doubt the upgrade will be required every year. Things will stabilize as macOS for Apple Silicon matures.
Click to expand...
My concern is they are rolling out a new Upgrade plan which is $120/year which makes me very concerned that this will be their new normal
 
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They've already said they're turning SoftRAID into a subscription? I agree that $120 annually is pricey. I'd look for a new solution too.
 
chabig said:
They've already said they're turning SoftRAID into a subscription? I agree that $120 annually is pricey. I'd look for a new solution too.
Click to expand...
Yes and No...
They write that subscriptions are bad and claim that all licenses are perpetual
But that have to upgrade to 7 to use in Ventura
And then introduce the new Upgrade and Support plan with annual fees and 'special intro pricing'
www.softraid.com

SoftRAID 7 in Final Testing for macOS Ventura

Development of SoftRAID 7 is nearing completion and is nearly ready to ship. Here's what to expect with the recent release of macOS Ventura.
www.softraid.com www.softraid.com
 
the link you posted is 99$/yr for Pro and 79$/yr for XT

what's the 120$/yr option for?
 
Yes. It looks like the upgrade to SoftRAID 7 XT is $120, once. You don't have to buy the support plan.
 
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True but there is no information on what is so new about OS Ventura that makes a major version necessary. That and the new upgrade/support plan makes me wonder if this is just a new revenue source for them.

Their argument that I'm welcome to stay on Version 6 but then be limited to OS Monterey does not seem like a fair argument to make when we are talking about an external enclosure limiting everything else about my computer.
 
Apple has been changing to a new (more secure) architecture for low level software that interacts with the system. This change is probably required for that. But once this change is made the implementation should remain stable for many years.
 
Just wish they had some info and were more transparent about this.

But also, what else is everyone doing for local (large) photo storage?

Thoughts on a 4x2TB NVMe enclosure in a JBOD setup with APFS? Would that get me equal or greater speed than what I have now (450 r/w) and hopefully lower failure rate if Backblaze data holds?
 
eoren1 said:
But also, what else is everyone doing for local (large) photo storage?
Click to expand...

I use multiple "dumb" 4TB HDs. I connect them and move photos into appropriate folders on the backup drives. Physically store the hard drives securely, locally and offsite.

I used to use Drobo, but I no longer like the idea of having my storage being dependent on a proprietary platform and its software, for obvious reasons. So I went back to a simpler setup, though I have to be manually in control of my photo backups rather than one move to a single storage device, like it used to be.

So it's a tradeoff.
 
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My issue with doing that using spinning drives is that it is so slow to access data. That was largely 'fixed' with running a RAID5.

I'm now considering doing this with individual NVMe SSDs as the price difference between those and SATA SSDs doesn't seem that big anymore and I can build them as a single volume in Mac (I think) and not have to worry about RAID anymore as they will be fast and should be reliable.
 
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I use an OWC Gemini dual drive Thunderbolt RAID. I chose it specifically because it's a hardware RAID solution and does not rely on SoftRAID. $299 without any drives (I brought my own). This is connected to a Mac mini which has accounts for me and my wife. The Mini is running Ventura, and set to download originals from iCloud. The iPhoto libraries are on the Gemini. That way, we have local copies of all iCloud photo originals from both of us.

eshop.macsales.com

OWC Gemini - 0GB

With dual drive bays, seven connectivity ports, and a SD 4.0 card reader, the OWC Gemini is the do-it-all tool for your digital life.
eshop.macsales.com eshop.macsales.com
 
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That is quite an investment you have in a RAID system. Don’t have a suggestion, but as I read through, glad I selected Synology, however final choice didn’t include OWC, but QNAP. The best part is - everything is free after purchase of hardware, including major operating system change from DSM 6 (6.9 last version) to DSM 7 (began watching video - Spacerex YouTuber - on Synology’s 2023 update features in DSM 7.3 when introduced). In addition to RAID (proprietary and standard setup choices), many apps that are also free, with the two I primarily use, Backup for Business, and Photos. took me a while to figure out Photos to not “all” but just those “fully processed”, leaving RAW and others on computer hard drive with full backup support. Oh course on a case bu case basis can add specific RAW or other files for sharing With the editing powers I grant. While I have albums for family sharing with higher powers, I now deliver finished photos to clients with view/download powers, avoiding Dropbox, email attachments, or other delivery methods with a link to obtain directly off my NAS. While Synology may have some pay services, they are generally for large business needs, as even the Synology server based link through my account that I provide to clients is free.
 
tizeye said:
That is quite an investment you have in a RAID system. Don’t have a suggestion, but as I read through, glad I selected Synology, however final choice didn’t include OWC, but QNAP. The best part is - everything is free after purchase of hardware, including major operating system change from DSM 6 (6.9 last version) to DSM 7 (began watching video - Spacerex YouTuber - on Synology’s 2023 update features in DSM 7.3 when introduced). In addition to RAID (proprietary and standard setup choices), many apps that are also free, with the two I primarily use, Backup for Business, and Photos. took me a while to figure out Photos to not “all” but just those “fully processed”, leaving RAW and others on computer hard drive with full backup support. Oh course on a case bu case basis can add specific RAW or other files for sharing With the editing powers I grant. While I have albums for family sharing with higher powers, I now deliver finished photos to clients with view/download powers, avoiding Dropbox, email attachments, or other delivery methods with a link to obtain directly off my NAS. While Synology may have some pay services, they are generally for large business needs, as even the Synology server based link through my account that I provide to clients is free.
Click to expand...
I have a Synology DS918+ as well but wanted a DAS option for faster access to my LR catalogue. I have Carbon Copy Cloner copying images to the Synology daily.

I'm now looking at Qnap devices as they offer 10 Gbit connections, a ZFS file system and lots of other niceties that seem to combine the best of a DAS and NAS device. Also looking at TrueNAS...
 
Last edited:
This thread is old, but still very RELEVANT! Dec-2023 and I'm finding myself in the same boat. Only difference is SoftRAID is now $250! I have SoftRAID 5. My 2016 Mac Pro trash can is EOL! (end of life). First, I stupidly upgraded Mojave only to find out it'll only go up to Monterey, still 3 versions older than Sonoma. Secondly, I stupidly upgraded SoftRAID from 5 to 7, there was no warning it was a PAID upgrade. I really feel taken! Now I'm trying to figure out how the tell to downgrade. What tics me off is not the $250, it's the no discounts for existing customers! This is just bad management! They're forcing me elsewhere.

I see various replies on QNAP and Synology. Hardware RAID is totally dependent on the controller chip. If it goes bad and you have some cheap Chinese RAID drive, good luck getting a 1 or 1 replacement. The whole reason I like SoftRAID. At least before they got greedy. I think Users should be safe w/those 2 major brands.

I'm interested in JBOD and using CCC to do the cloning to make a PO-boy RAID. For a home user, why not? SO, can anyone tell me you've found CCC effective? I've only used it to clone my primary drive

I have Dropbox; I don't put anything on Dropbox I really care about anyone stealing. I hear y'all about making you NAS accessible to the internet, but that scares me too making my local LAN accessible to invaders.

LASTLY, I'm probably going to upgrade my 2016 trash can to a Mac Studio. I'm looking at the M2 Max w/extras for memory and storage. Anyone have experience on buying this?
 
IrishMafia said:
This thread is old, but still very RELEVANT! Dec-2023 and I'm finding myself in the same boat. Only difference is SoftRAID is now $250! I have SoftRAID 5. My 2016 Mac Pro trash can is EOL! (end of life). First, I stupidly upgraded Mojave only to find out it'll only go up to Monterey, still 3 versions older than Sonoma. Secondly, I stupidly upgraded SoftRAID from 5 to 7, there was no warning it was a PAID upgrade. I really feel taken! Now I'm trying to figure out how the tell to downgrade. What tics me off is not the $250, it's the no discounts for existing customers! This is just bad management! They're forcing me elsewhere.

I see various replies on QNAP and Synology. Hardware RAID is totally dependent on the controller chip. If it goes bad and you have some cheap Chinese RAID drive, good luck getting a 1 or 1 replacement. The whole reason I like SoftRAID. At least before they got greedy. I think Users should be safe w/those 2 major brands.

I'm interested in JBOD and using CCC to do the cloning to make a PO-boy RAID. For a home user, why not? SO, can anyone tell me you've found CCC effective? I've only used it to clone my primary drive

I have Dropbox; I don't put anything on Dropbox I really care about anyone stealing. I hear y'all about making you NAS accessible to the internet, but that scares me too making my local LAN accessible to invaders.

LASTLY, I'm probably going to upgrade my 2016 trash can to a Mac Studio. I'm looking at the M2 Max w/extras for memory and storage. Anyone have experience on buying this?
Click to expand...
PS: I see QNAP has 4-bay DAS for $219! AND, it gives you flexibility for hardware or software RAID in the same box. Wow. Is this a no-brainer or what? Only downside is it's USB 3.0. doesn't seem to be any options for USB 3.2 or 4 that aren't 3X higher
 
I have 2 OWC thunder bay 4 connected to my Mac mini server, but I never licked soft raid or any raid product for storing photos. I have each disk formatted individually and then mirrored of other disk(s) via carbon copy cloner. On my Mac Studio workstation I have a OWC Thunder Bay mini with SSD drives again each drive formatted separately, plenty fast for my needs.
 
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