I'm no data storage or backup expert, but I assume you mean data corruption. That is definately a problem with any system like RAID or unRAID. Pictures, Home Movies, and important documents get backup up regularly to 3rd and 4th locations. That is definately a negative to a redundant storage system. I use my unRAID system for mostly movies and TV shows. If one gets corrupted, I'm not concerned. It is easily replaced. A drive failure scares me so much more because it equates to hours of re-ripping.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Storage Solutions for our OUT-OF-CONTROL iTunes Libraries
- Thread starter fivepoint
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I'm no data storage or backup expert, but I assume you mean data corruption. That is definately a problem with any system like RAID or unRAID. Pictures, Home Movies, and important documents get backup up regularly to 3rd and 4th locations. That is definately a negative to a redundant storage system. I use my unRAID system for mostly movies and TV shows. If one gets corrupted, I'm not concerned. It is easily replaced. A drive failure scares me so much more because it equates to hours of re-ripping.
Hi,
I have noticed that there seems to be a lot of people using Drobo stuff to manage their multimedia libraries.
While doing some research I checked the Amazon reviews and it seems to me Drobo has a lot of problems with failures and reliability.
For example with the Data Robotics Drobo 4-Bay USB 2.0/FireWire 800 SATA Storage Array (http://www.amazon.com/Data-Robotics-FireWire-Storage-DR04DD10/dp/B001CZ9ZEE/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top) out of 153 reviews 34 people give it 1 star.
Drobo sounds like it has some interesting products, but what's the point if their reliability sucks?
So I am wondering is Drobo a good brand or not?
I have noticed that there seems to be a lot of people using Drobo stuff to manage their multimedia libraries.
While doing some research I checked the Amazon reviews and it seems to me Drobo has a lot of problems with failures and reliability.
For example with the Data Robotics Drobo 4-Bay USB 2.0/FireWire 800 SATA Storage Array (http://www.amazon.com/Data-Robotics-FireWire-Storage-DR04DD10/dp/B001CZ9ZEE/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top) out of 153 reviews 34 people give it 1 star.
Drobo sounds like it has some interesting products, but what's the point if their reliability sucks?
So I am wondering is Drobo a good brand or not?
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
You will find mixed reviews of the drobo...... Either from the forums at drobo, here and any of the home theater forums which talk about htpc's....
I considered the Drobo when I was doing my search but as not entirely thrilled with the propritary format. That caused me to do a lot of searching, reading, looking, and comparing; all of which ended up leading me to unRAID. I used the free 3 drive system for a good 3 months or so before I paid for the pro version. Have not been happier and everything has been working great for me.
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
I have an unRAID system like I was talking about a few posts ago, however I have had a DROBO in my home for an extended period of time. I was pleased with the overall usability, and it streamed Blu-ray rips perfectly fine. I moved some drives around between it and my unRAID server, so I got a chance to see how it did rebuilding the data after pulling a drive (the same as if one failed). It was simple to use. I guess I cannot speak on the reliability since I didn't have it for very long. I did prefer my unRAID server because transfer speeds were much faster, I like having my data on the network and not hitched to one of my computers (you have to purchase a separate network device to do that with the DROBO), and I like the flexibility of being able to add more than 4 drives to my system.
I used the DROBO with a Mac Mini & Plex in a home theater that I set up for someone. The DROBO was as simple as NAS gets, and that person needed something simple. Despite my reasons for not keeping it, I really did like the DROBO. I would recommend it for most people, but I like the unRAID system better.
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
Exactly my thinking, I like the Drobo but I don't have it because there are better solutions out there.
Listening to Itunes on PC from External Hard Drive
I am having trouble routing my itunes to my external hard drive using a pc. I have a large number of music files on my external hard drive and do not want to move the files to my internal hard drive. I have tried going to preferences and selecting the external drive, but itunes does not display my music. Can anyone walk me through the correct procedure?
I am having trouble routing my itunes to my external hard drive using a pc. I have a large number of music files on my external hard drive and do not want to move the files to my internal hard drive. I have tried going to preferences and selecting the external drive, but itunes does not display my music. Can anyone walk me through the correct procedure?
Hi,
I am back again with a few more questions.
Does anyone have any opinion of the following LaCie external hard drives:
LaCie 4TB 4big Quadra http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846
LaCie 2TB 2big Quadra http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846
I am looking to set up my videos on an external drive with my home theatre. I am looking for something 2TB and up. I want something big enough for my current needs, but also with room to grow. Also, as an Apple fan I appreciate esthetics, and want something that looks nice since it is going to be a part of my home theatre.
These units definitely look nice and have large capacities. I also like that they have the ability to configured in different ways to protect data.
Do I have to use the LaCie drives with these units, or can I use other drives? I couldn't find a definite answer for this.
Also, I have a follow up to my previous Drobo question. Does the Drobo come with any drives?
Thanks.
I am back again with a few more questions.
Does anyone have any opinion of the following LaCie external hard drives:
LaCie 4TB 4big Quadra http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846
LaCie 2TB 2big Quadra http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846
I am looking to set up my videos on an external drive with my home theatre. I am looking for something 2TB and up. I want something big enough for my current needs, but also with room to grow. Also, as an Apple fan I appreciate esthetics, and want something that looks nice since it is going to be a part of my home theatre.
These units definitely look nice and have large capacities. I also like that they have the ability to configured in different ways to protect data.
Do I have to use the LaCie drives with these units, or can I use other drives? I couldn't find a definite answer for this.
Also, I have a follow up to my previous Drobo question. Does the Drobo come with any drives?
Thanks.
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
You can buy Drobos with or without drives.
Looks like they are offering 1.5 and 2.0TB Western Digital drives right now.
http://www.drobostore.com/store/drobo/en_US/DisplayCategoryProductListPage/categoryID.14395000
ReadyNAS NV+
I didn't read through all 31 pages of this thread, but has anyone considered or might be using a ReadyNAS? I just joined the Mac revolution, have always loved Apple and Mac, just now got my first one; a MacPro.
I have a ReadyNAS NV+ where I'm keeping all my iTunes music and all my photos as well. It can be an iTunes server and works with Time Machine, however I haven't set that up yet. I'm still learning and getting used to the Mac OS right now...
I switched and I'm 100% satisfied with my decision. ZERO regrets.
As you would expect.
I didn't read through all 31 pages of this thread, but has anyone considered or might be using a ReadyNAS? I just joined the Mac revolution, have always loved Apple and Mac, just now got my first one; a MacPro.
I have a ReadyNAS NV+ where I'm keeping all my iTunes music and all my photos as well. It can be an iTunes server and works with Time Machine, however I haven't set that up yet. I'm still learning and getting used to the Mac OS right now...
I switched and I'm 100% satisfied with my decision. ZERO regrets.
As you would expect.
Yep - if you'd read through the thread you'd see a few that have gone this route... ReadyNAS too...
I store all my stuff on my QNAP NAS (1.5TB) and my Synology NAS (2TB) and that has been working for quite some time 
Not to mention, they are outstanding as Itunes servers, web servers, mysql server, file server, .... and the list goes on and on
Not to mention, they are outstanding as Itunes servers, web servers, mysql server, file server, .... and the list goes on and on
unRAID / backup storage questions
Hi all,
I'm new to Mac and "complex" backup solutions, so any help you can offer would be appreciated.
Can unRAID or Lime Tech storage products work with the newest Airport Extreme(MC340LL/A)? If so, would I connect via USB or through the ethernet port?
I really need the Airport Extreme feature of letting Windows XP/Vista and Mac X computers read and write files that each Win and Mac computer can then access. I understand drives must be formatted with Apple's HFS+ so this can work via the Airport Extreme.
My needs are for backup and streaming movies and music. Would unRAID / Lime Tech work for this or would you recommend something else?
Thanks!
Hi all,
I'm new to Mac and "complex" backup solutions, so any help you can offer would be appreciated.
Can unRAID or Lime Tech storage products work with the newest Airport Extreme(MC340LL/A)? If so, would I connect via USB or through the ethernet port?
I really need the Airport Extreme feature of letting Windows XP/Vista and Mac X computers read and write files that each Win and Mac computer can then access. I understand drives must be formatted with Apple's HFS+ so this can work via the Airport Extreme.
My needs are for backup and streaming movies and music. Would unRAID / Lime Tech work for this or would you recommend something else?
Thanks!
If a device is hooked up to the network the formatting of the drive does not matter.
The Limetech products CAN NOT be plug in via USB to an Airport extreme but they can be used via Ethernet.
I run a unRAID on my NAS and really like it. It does take some getting use to because it is not quite as easy to use as something like a Drobo.
Okay my ideal storage plan:
-time machine backup for me
-time machine backup for my dad
-one drive where dvd rips will be held;will only be stored there not on computer (no room)
-backup of dvd rips
I was hoping drobo (lowest end) could do this and possibly offer backups of any of the above as a precaution, we don't have a lot of data at all so the amount is not too great. The only thing I'm not too sure about is-can I have one drive in the drobo just do time machine backups and the other for dvd/itunes and another for backing up each?
-time machine backup for me
-time machine backup for my dad
-one drive where dvd rips will be held;will only be stored there not on computer (no room)
-backup of dvd rips
I was hoping drobo (lowest end) could do this and possibly offer backups of any of the above as a precaution, we don't have a lot of data at all so the amount is not too great. The only thing I'm not too sure about is-can I have one drive in the drobo just do time machine backups and the other for dvd/itunes and another for backing up each?
Drobo just gives you a huge single pot of storage and will spread things out over all the drives in it without you having any control.
You can partition it to give allocated sizes for backups, but you have no idea how many of the drives that data is held on.
Its also less than great for doing back ups of information that you are holding on it. It does give you some protection against corrupting / accidentally deleting files, but if you get a hardware failure causing you to lose some of the information there is a good chance it will lose everything.
Not a bad choice for what you are looking for as long as you add an additional drive to make a proper backup of the DVDs.
I've use my MacPros 4 drives (1TB each) for my main storage. I have external drives for backup plus MOZY for my 'can't live without' programs, photos, ebooks and mail. My problem is I rip a few movies a week and am quickly running out of space. I'm thinking about putting the ones I don't view often on DVD and take them off the machine. Right now I have over 500 movies and tons of TV shows on my iTunes.
I come here post HD failure. 2 weeks ago the drive in my imac died. All I have to say is thank the heavens for Disk Warrior. I had no real backup to speak of but I was able to salvage almost everything, although it's hard to tell what's missing.
At any rate I have, needless to say, been searching for a backup/storage solution so this doesn't happen again. I don't have a lot of movies or music (unlike my brother I buy them) but I'd like to start storing copies of what I have and stream it to a home theatre and itunes express for music. I've had that 'gray screen' with itunes digital copies, and after the crash I can't seem to get them going again as I had in the past.
After reading a bit more about the Drobo it doesn't sound like a great solution. Leaning towards the unRaid despite my complete lack of tech skill in that department. Has anyone else who isn't tech savvy running one of these lime-tech machines?
At any rate I have, needless to say, been searching for a backup/storage solution so this doesn't happen again. I don't have a lot of movies or music (unlike my brother I buy them) but I'd like to start storing copies of what I have and stream it to a home theatre and itunes express for music. I've had that 'gray screen' with itunes digital copies, and after the crash I can't seem to get them going again as I had in the past.
After reading a bit more about the Drobo it doesn't sound like a great solution. Leaning towards the unRaid despite my complete lack of tech skill in that department. Has anyone else who isn't tech savvy running one of these lime-tech machines?
That question is probably better asked over on the unRAID forum but I am sure you will find some people over there that had no prior experience with Linux or were very tech-savvy.
I myself had built on computer, knew a fair bit about computers, but had never run a server nor played with Linux and setting everything up for me was fairly easy!.
A Questionable Set-Up ?
Okay, so the idea is this ...
Office (blue) : iMac with a mybook attached that holds the only copy of the itunes library so it does not take up space on the iMac. Then, a Time Capsule to back up Time Machine of the iMac, with a printer connected and the mybook so itunes is available throughout the house. Last, a Drobo backing up the time capsule and mybook so there is a copy of both on the drobo. My question is can the Drobo do this and be connected to the Time Capsule so it is wireless or do I need Drobo Share for this?
Family Room (red) : just a large tv with a mac mini connected, that could pull itunes for play on the tv from the mybook/drobo
Extra Room (green) : a printer and speaker system that could be accessed wirelessly through an airport express
Living Room (purple) : a tv with an
tv hacked with atvflash that could access itunes through the mybook/drobo or mac mini ?
Bedroom (orange) : macbook (w/cinema display) that could access both printers and the mybook for itunes and the time capsule/drobo for backups and eventually maybe another atv but that isn't a problem really
So this would ideally happen within the next year or so although we already have a decent amount of the things needed I just was wondering if I could get a set up like this working with a equipment mentioned or something similar, well let me know, any responses are valued thanks
Okay, so the idea is this ...
Office (blue) : iMac with a mybook attached that holds the only copy of the itunes library so it does not take up space on the iMac. Then, a Time Capsule to back up Time Machine of the iMac, with a printer connected and the mybook so itunes is available throughout the house. Last, a Drobo backing up the time capsule and mybook so there is a copy of both on the drobo. My question is can the Drobo do this and be connected to the Time Capsule so it is wireless or do I need Drobo Share for this?
Family Room (red) : just a large tv with a mac mini connected, that could pull itunes for play on the tv from the mybook/drobo
Extra Room (green) : a printer and speaker system that could be accessed wirelessly through an airport express
Living Room (purple) : a tv with an
tv hacked with atvflash that could access itunes through the mybook/drobo or mac mini ?Bedroom (orange) : macbook (w/cinema display) that could access both printers and the mybook for itunes and the time capsule/drobo for backups and eventually maybe another atv but that isn't a problem really
So this would ideally happen within the next year or so although we already have a decent amount of the things needed I just was wondering if I could get a set up like this working with a equipment mentioned or something similar, well let me know, any responses are valued thanks
Attachments
jmor, Have you checked into the Synology NAS's? They're Mac friendly right out of the box.
http://www.synology.com/us/solutions/backup/time_machine/time_machine.php
http://www.synology.com/us/products/
Here's a link to their site with a comparison matrix for their various NAS's.
http://www.synology.com/us/products/compare_spec.php
http://www.synology.com/us/solutions/backup/time_machine/time_machine.php
http://www.synology.com/us/products/
Here's a link to their site with a comparison matrix for their various NAS's.
http://www.synology.com/us/products/compare_spec.php
You can connect the Drobo via USB to the Time Capsule and it will be available. HOWEVER - if you try to run any volume of data through it, it will over tax the USB controller on the time capsule, resulting in a very hot TC and a disconnected Drobo.
At least that was my experience... YMMV.
In my case ripping two DVDs in Handbrake from two Macs, both targeting the Drobo connected to the TC was just too much. Once I realized I was overheating the USB controller on the TC, I tried just ripping the dvds to the local drive then copying them to the Drobo. This was OK doing a couple of files at a time, but just copying a handful of ~2GB files without a break still seemed to be too much for the TC.
I later direct connected the Drobo to the Firewire port on my iMac (FW400 unfortunately) and it has been running great ever since.