Enterprise/Server Class SATA Drives for RAID 5?

H

Hurin

2[H]4U
Joined
Oct 8, 2003
Messages
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Hi All,

Was hoping to pick some brains here.

We're looking to build a rather large storage array that will be Raid 5. But I'd like to keep it at four drives.

Since SCSI seems to max out at 320GB per drive. . . limiting us to about a TB of usable space in Raid 5 with four disks, I'm considering SATA and 7200RPM disks. Performance is not as important as capacity.

So, the question them becomes, what are the enterprise/server class SATA drive options out there with firmware that is tweaked for a multi-user environment?

Thanks!
 
LittleMe said:
http://www.seagate.com/www/en-us/products/servers/barracuda_es/barracuda_es.2/
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That's indeed my top candidate. So far, the only thing giving me pause are the repeated references to drive failure in the newegg reviews. I know that's not exactly a scientific or necessarily representative sample. But there seems to be quite a few folks among those reviewers who have had multiple drives fail (1TB units).

But four of those units at 1TB each for a total of 1TB usable Raid-5 capacity sure would be sweet. :D
 
I have 4 of the 1TB ES.2's in a RAID5 at home. They've been running great with no problems for a few months now.
 
I built a 8xWD1000FYPS RE2 array.
It wont break any speed records, maybe only power consumption ones.;)
 
I'm running 60TB of Seagate 7200.11 500GB IBM rebrands. (That's not a typo - 60 terabytes.) Haven't had any failures yet, but they're not getting hammered all that hard individually. Absolutely do not buy from Newegg through - they still don't pack drives anywhere approaching safely or correctly.

EDIT: Checked my notes, for full disclosure goodies. We had three DOA out of the factory antistatic, confirmed as "shipped dead" not damaged in transit. Also, we've been running these at ~20%-30% utilization for about two months in IBM DS4200's.
 
ST31000640SS wow these guys are $6k+ at buy.com? I'm assuming that's not the normal price. but damn.
 
AreEss said:
Absolutely do not buy from Newegg through - they still don't pack drives anywhere approaching safely or correctly.
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Wow. Never heard this and always considered the static bag and a thick layer of bubble-wrap to be sufficient. But perhaps I'm naive and/or easily pleased. I've never had a DOA drive from Newegg (jinx!). . . but that might just be blind luck.

Any recommendations for vendor for OEM drives that are known to take better care of their drives (shipping)?

Thanks!
 
CDW has excellent shipping would highly recommend them, they also do quotes and stuff i can usually get the stuff 30% off or more but we have a business account with them and they're marked up 20% higher than most places. But the shipping is close to retail drives, they use those plastic side things and put them in boxes.
 
oplin said:
CDW has excellent shipping would highly recommend them, they also do quotes and stuff i can usually get the stuff 30% off or more but we have a business account with them and they're marked up 20% higher than most places. But the shipping is close to retail drives, they use those plastic side things and put them in boxes.
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Yea, I was going to say CDW as well. We use CDW at work (well, CDWG) and they package their drives very nicely. Problem is, you'll probably get screwed on pricing if you have to pay retail.
 
Hurin said:
Wow. Never heard this and always considered the static bag and a thick layer of bubble-wrap to be sufficient. But perhaps I'm naive and/or easily pleased. I've never had a DOA drive from Newegg (jinx!). . . but that might just be blind luck.

Any recommendations for vendor for OEM drives that are known to take better care of their drives (shipping)?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Avoid CDW like the plague - they rip you off, take you for a ride, and laugh all the way to the bank. (And their shipping varies widely - the packing job of my last order was complete crap. Previous? Could have handled a 6' drop.) I have been arguing against them for months at work, after our "discount" pricing on some blades was STILL $2000 over what IBM would give us before our points discounting.

Most of my drives come from NCIX, who ships in the Seashell container, or from IBM or EMC in their unsane boxes. (I save them for shipping back my own.) Anything in an IBM or EMC array must come from IBM or EMC, that goes double for xSeries - they are BIOS and Firmware locked.
 
From my experience ZZF has excellent packaging of their drives, which arrive in a fitted sort of styrofoam sleeve and antistatic wrap. When I order drives from the egg, however, they usually come in an antistaitc bag which is then bubble wrapped and placed in a box which is way too big and no peanuts around it leaving the drive to bounce around with every change of direction the box made. I was seriously pissed. Not only was it wasteful, but also harmful to the drive as well.
 
AreEss said:
Absolutely do not buy from Newegg through - they still don't pack drives anywhere approaching safely or correctly.
Click to expand...

Bought 6x 7200.11 1TB drives from newegg recently. The drives were beat to shit but no failures. Someone should tell the folks in the warehouse that the bulk pack styrofoam isn't good for shipping.

EDIT: Now that i remember it, they did the same freaking thing when I bought 8x 7200.10 320GB drives last year and I had to send one back.
 
Hurin said:
Wow. Never heard this and always considered the static bag and a thick layer of bubble-wrap to be sufficient. But perhaps I'm naive and/or easily pleased. I've never had a DOA drive from Newegg (jinx!). . . but that might just be blind luck.

Any recommendations for vendor for OEM drives that are known to take better care of their drives (shipping)?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

i have yet to have a drive from newegg be doa or die cuz of shipping

i also say the WD GP drives r the way to go if ur gonna run a bunch of them due to the low power use
 
I have had good luck with newegg for the most part. In all honesty the thick layer of bubble wrap and antistatic should be enough, they also have always come with plenty of peanuts when I got them.

Remember when not operating, most drives are rated for 200-300 Gs of shock!
 
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