file server hard drive spin down yes / no ?

[af22]

To keep things simple, i have a file server consisting of 6 "green" drives in raid configuration. Do you think it's better to leave them running 24/7, or have them "spin down" after a certain time period.

Current issues:
- When i access the file server, it can take up to 45 seconds for the drives to spin up and allow me to access the files
- With only a single user, i see no purpose for the drives to be on when i'm at work, hence the spin down
- Does it cost more wear and tear to spin the drives up and down, or leave them on 24/7?

I'm running Windows Server 2008 R2. Ideally if there is some kinda of program that can allow me to set a schedule, that would be the best of both worlds. Does it exist?

 

[Monkey God]

I'm running Windows Server 2008 R2. Ideally if there is some kinda of program that can allow me to set a schedule, that would be the best of both worlds. Does it exist?

Let them turn off. Create a simple scheduled task that spins them up. /solved

 

[jwcalla]

wow... 45 seconds?

 

[mwroobel]

To keep things simple, i have a file server consisting of 6 "green" drives in raid configuration. Do you think it's better to leave them running 24/7, or have them "spin down" after a certain time period.

Current issues:
- When i access the file server, it can take up to 45 seconds for the drives to spin up and allow me to access the files
- With only a single user, i see no purpose for the drives to be on when i'm at work, hence the spin down
- Does it cost more wear and tear to spin the drives up and down, or leave them on 24/7?

I'm running Windows Server 2008 R2. Ideally if there is some kinda of program that can allow me to set a schedule, that would be the best of both worlds. Does it exist?

There are 2 schools of thought. 1. The spinning down is worthwhile because of the heat/power/wear&tear reductions. 2. That the start/stop increases put even more stress on the hardware. I personally leave them running because spinning up and down doesn't always occur when you expect if you have shared volumes on the box, especially windows shared volumes. Other machines polling your box, even someone hovering over a shared drive they weren't using while dragging to another can wake your drive.