A. T.

I'm currently using a Glyph RAID storage drive for my photos but would like to get you guys and gals opinion on other RAID systems, preferably one with the ability to hot switch drives.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

Synology makes the best NAS devices in the industry.

tjw47 Loc: Michigan

What is the reason for needing "hot swappable" ?
On a server that needs to be up 24X7 hot swappable drives are a requirement.
I can't imaging why on a home pc you can't turn it off for a minute to change drives!
hardware is more expensive to make it hot swappable & is normally done to replace a failed drive.
What raid system are you using raid 0, 1, 4,5, 10 ???
For a small home system raid 5 is good because it will tolerate a single drive failure!

Najataagihe

For a small home system, two USB backup drives with weekly mirroring via SyncToy 2.1 is sufficient.

ISOlate Loc: Maine

Synology. Hands down, best solution out there for capability, reliability, expansion options, and value.

chrissybabe Loc: New Zealand

I presume you realize that a raid system with the potential to swap and rebuild a drive system IS NOT THE SAME as two independent drive systems ?

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

Why are you only using the RAID for photos? Is nothing else on your computer valuable?

A. T.

Thanks for responding. I'm currently using a Glyph RAID 1 system. I don't know that I really need a RAID 5 system that's why I posted the question for opinions. My thoughts for a swappable drive system was based on drive failure and maybe I'm over thinking the process. Obviously I currently have a dual drive mirrored system that is enclosed in one housing. If one of the drives fails, I have a duplicate backup; however, I would need to send the Glyph drive system out to have the failed drive replaced. With a swappable system, I would simply swap out the failed drive and myself. I do understand that I would need to go to a RAID 5 configuration for that. By the way, I'm storing lots of photos, currently over 17,000. Your thoughts please.

A. T.

Absolutely, yes I do.

A. T.

It is but I have time machine and I use backblaze. I might be over thinking this and if I am please speak your mind. I've grown to trust my hedgehog family.

Richard West Loc: Finger Lakes Region in upstate NY

You might want to look into Netgear’s ReadyNAS storage. They have what they refer to as X-RAID. Allows for hot-swapping, but also allows one to increase the size of the system on the fly. As the volume of data I write to the unit has increased over the years I’ve been able to expand my storage capacity twice to accommodate it. Very easy to do. I’ve found the units to be very reliable, and fit into my home network nicely. My primary ReadyNAS is a 516 model with six 6TB drives that I backup to an older Pro model. Their backup program is seamless and after the initial backup is very quick. ReadyNAS is not inexpensive, but they have proven themselves to be very reliable, and with a multitude of features and ease of use.

david vt Loc: Vermont

@AT. “User replacable” and “hot-swappable” are two very different levels. In the former, you would diagnose the failed drive, shut down, replace, restart, and the replaced drive would be rebuilt. As noted, unless, you need to have it up and running 24/7, you may be buying more of a system than you need, especially as you are already mirroring offsite

Heating this spread further to see what solutions are recommended, especially for NAS hardware (my next upgrade for the house)

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

I would not suggest a RAID 5. If you have a single soft error that triggers a RAID rebuild, you are vulnerable to data loss. If you add one more disk you can do RAID 1+0 (striped mirrored pair) which has dual redundancy and better performance. If you are going through the trouble, you might as well add the extra drive. I learned this lesson the hard way when I had a hardware RAID 5 in my desktop machine about 12 yrs. ago.

NCMtnMan Loc: N. Fork New River, Ashe Co., NC

RAID was designed and implemented as a methodology for preventing server down time. It is not, and has never been, a method for data protection and backup. You will hear comments that I lost a drive, but did not lose any data. That is true to a degree. However, if you lose another drive before you replace the faulty drive and the array is restored, then you will lose the entire array and everything on it. That is why on every server I have ever maintained and managed there was a "hot spare" drive so that the RAID system could grab it and immediately start the rebuild to minimize the opportunity for another drive to fail. The other thing to take into consideration is that with any RAID level, if a file is damaged or deleted, it is no different than if it is damaged or deleted on your local drive. This is true even at the most basic RAID level of mirroring drives. So, if your operating basis is critical and you need to minimize downtime, then RAID is a great solution. However, if you are depending on it to replace the need for backup, then you are taking a major risk that may cause you to lose everything you are trying to protect. So, please make sure you have a fully operational backup if you are running RAID that you are running on a regular tested basis. Believe me, after 30 plus years in the IT business, I have seen grown men with tears in their eyes when years of data were lost after they would get a referral to call me so I could see if there was anyway to recover.

PACSMAN Loc: MA

I agree - I've been running a Synology for several years.