Help: Building A System Around Seagate Hard Drives

[Darren Harris]

I'd like to build two systems around 8 SCSI drives that I am about to
get. Each system will have four drives.(See below).

http://www.softwareandstuff.com/h_strg_seast118723lc.html

http://www.softwareandstuff.com/hd_st118202lc.html

Reliability is important, and performance is secondary.(I intend to
back up between drives).

Besides SCA 80-pin to 68-pin adaptors, and an LVD SCSI controller, are
there any special considerations for a motherboard?(And anything else
I may have fail to mention).

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks a lot.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

 

[Eric Gisin]

I'd like to build two systems around 8 SCSI drives that I am about to
get. Each system will have four drives.(See below).

http://www.softwareandstuff.com/h_strg_seast118723lc.html

You mean ST118273. That's 5 years old and very slow. Tons of them on ebay,
nobody buys.

http://www.softwareandstuff.com/hd_st118202lc.html

That's better, 4 year old Cheetah, 9ms access time.

Reliability is important, and performance is secondary.(I intend to
back up between drives).

You mean RAID 1 or manual imaging?

Besides SCA 80-pin to 68-pin adaptors, and an LVD SCSI controller, are
there any special considerations for a motherboard?(And anything else
I may have fail to mention).

Both are half-height with many platters. They put out 13W when idle, more
when active. You need good cooling or they will die.

SCA adapters work well with 1-2 drives. Most people recommend backplanes for
4 drives.

 

[Darren Harris]

You mean ST118273. That's 5 years old and very slow. Tons of them on ebay,
nobody buys.

I did. (Two lots of four for $48 a piece). And like I mentioned,
performance is secondary. I plan to use two for normal uses, and two
for backing up to, totalling four in a single case).

That's better, 4 year old Cheetah, 9ms access time.
You mean RAID 1 or manual imaging?

Manual imaging.

Both are half-height with many platters. They put out 13W when idle, more
when active. You need good cooling or they will die.

SCA adapters work well with 1-2 drives. Most people recommend backplanes for
4 drives.

I'm not sure what you mean by backplanes. I have one in a Compaq I
have that is installed at a 90 degree angle to the motherboard, but I
don't know what these would have to do with the SCSI systems I want to
build.

(I have a large 27 inch tall, ATX case that I'd like to use for this
project).

Thanks a lot.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

 

[J.Clarke]

On 20 Dec 2003 15:47:08 -0800

I did. (Two lots of four for $48 a piece). And like I mentioned,
performance is secondary. I plan to use two for normal uses, and two
for backing up to, totalling four in a single case).


Manual imaging.


I'm not sure what you mean by backplanes. I have one in a Compaq I
have that is installed at a 90 degree angle to the motherboard, but I
don't know what these would have to do with the SCSI systems I want to
build.

(I have a large 27 inch tall, ATX case that I'd like to use for this
project).

The SCA drives were designed to simplify hot-swapping--they have one
connector that carries both signal and power and is designed to
withstand repeated insertions and removals. Generally they're used with
hot-swap cages of one sort or another that have several of those
connectors on a single circuit board--that circuit board is called a
"backplane". The big problem I see with the drives that you have ordered
is that they are half-height drives and the cages are designed for low
profile.

 

[Darren Harris]

The SCA drives were designed to simplify hot-swapping--they have one

connector that carries both signal and power and is designed to
withstand repeated insertions and removals. Generally they're used with
hot-swap cages of one sort or another that have several of those
connectors on a single circuit board--that circuit board is called a
"backplane". The big problem I see with the drives that you have ordered
is that they are half-height drives and the cages are designed for low
profile.

Well, I intend to put them the case I mentioned whcih is a full
tower.(I have SCA adaptors).

Thanks.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.