Cases and Hot-Swapping Questions.

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oguruma

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I have a few questions, though they don't necessarily pertain to Freenas.

Case with Lots of 5.25 bays.
1. I have a Dell T20 SOHO server. I want to do away with the stock case in exchange for something with several 5.25 bays. I want to use a 4-Bay Hot-Swap caddy (Rosewill is the one that I purchased) that require 3 x 5.25 bays (must provide access to mounting holes on both sides). In order to use 2 of these, I need a case that provides at least 6 5.25 bays. Very few cases on the market seem to offer this, does anybody happen to know of any that are reasonably priced?

SSD as an External HDD
2. I do a lot of photography, and I occasionally fill up all of my camera's memory cards (increasingly more so with the 36MP D810). What I would like to do is use an SSD and some type of USB dock for on the road (will only be using the laptop to transfer files from the memory card to the SSD), and connect that same SSD via SATA to my PC at home. Is this feasible? Essentially, I want to be able to use a normal SSD as an external drive for transporting, but I want to connect it via SATA (using a hot-swap caddy) to do the editing. Are there any issues with this? Any recommended SSD USB docks? I know that my PC is AHCI capable.

USB External HDD vs HotSwap HDD
3. I keep my back-up USB external HDD in a small fireproof safe when it isn't being used. Is it feasible to do away with the enclosure, and just use the hot-swap caddy on my PC instead of connecting it via USB? The MyBook does come with some encryption software, but I don't care much about that.
 

DrKK

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BigDave

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Case with Lots of 5.25 bays.
1. I have a Dell T20 SOHO server. I want to do away with the stock case in exchange for something with several 5.25 bays. I want to use a 4-Bay Hot-Swap caddy (Rosewill is the one that I purchased) that require 3 x 5.25 bays (must provide access to mounting holes on both sides). In order to use 2 of these, I need a case that provides at least 6 5.25 bays. Very few cases on the market seem to offer this, does anybody happen to know of any that are reasonably priced?
I went this route and can tell you that hotswap is sweet in the data center, but for one server is pretty much a waste of $.
You will spend alot to get a tower you can fit the 4in3 or 5in3 into without hacking the bays, the hotswap devices must be high quality
(more money spent). IMHO get a "normal" tower (i.e. Fractal Design R5) and spend the $ on bigger/better disk drives, you will
not change drives in and out of the box very much unless it's a test platform in which case my post is null and void.
 

oguruma

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I definitely like the cable versus the "toaster". With a big camera body, laptop, lenses, spare batteries, etc. etc. I appreciate small equipment whenever possible. Is connecting the same SSD that I use as an external drive a good or a bad idea when it comes to swapping it into a PC via Sata? Using photoshop over USB is less than ideal. Ideally, it would work something like this: Take Pictures ---> Transfer from CF card to SSD (via laptop) -----> Pop the SSD into my PC and edit photos (at home).
 

oguruma

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I went this route and can tell you that hotswap is sweet in the data center, but for one server is pretty much a waste of $.
You will spend alot to get a tower you can fit the 4in3 or 5in3 into without hacking the bays, the hotswap devices must be high quality
(more money spent). IMHO get a "normal" tower (i.e. Fractal Design R5) and spend the $ on bigger/better disk drives, you will
not change drives in and out of the box very much unless it's a test platform in which case my post is null and void.

The "hot-swap" idea is really about nerdiness factor more than functionality. I only plan on starting on with one striped HDD for media, and then 2 mirrored HDDs for documents and pictures.
 

BigDave

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I definitely like the cable versus the "toaster". With a big camera body, laptop, lenses, spare batteries, etc. etc. I appreciate small equipment whenever possible. Is connecting the same SSD that I use as an external drive a good or a bad idea when it comes to swapping it into a PC via Sata? Using photoshop over USB is less than ideal. Ideally, it would work something like this: Take Pictures ---> Transfer from CF card to SSD (via laptop) -----> Pop the SSD into my PC and edit photos (at home).
Why not just have the laptop drive large enough to hold a whole days worth of work, then just take the laptop out at
home, plug an ethernet cable in and transfer directly to the desktop/workstation over the network. I don't see spending
money on external devices to carry around all day when you already carry the laptop. Just my two cents...
 

BigDave

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Re-reading your OP, I'm curious to know if just buying more memory cards for the camera, is
just so much more expensive as to warrant the purchase of external SSD and the field transfer
of files to the laptop (not to mention lugging around the bulk and weight).
 

oguruma

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Why not just have the laptop drive large enough to hold a whole days worth of work, then just take the laptop out at
home, plug an ethernet cable in and transfer directly to the desktop/workstation over the network. I don't see spending
money on external devices to carry around all day when you already carry the laptop. Just my two cents...

Couple of reasons why a detachable drive is advantageous:

1. I already have the 960GB SSD that I use for photo editing. I don't think I want to shell out another $300+ for another one. Plus, I am not 100% sure it would physically fit in my Macbook. I haven't taken the macbook apart, but from the pictures of the guts I have seen, there isn't much clearance, so since the SSD I have isn't a Samsung, it may not even fit.

2. I can fit an SSD in a hotel safe. I can't always fit a laptop in the small hotel safes. When I am "in the field" the laptop generally stays in the hotel. Macbooks scream "steal me" to underpaid hotel personnel. The macbook is easily replaced since it's insured. Photos of a vacation, not so much. Also, this is the United States, where you can be sued for $300,000 for providing sub-par wedding photos (yes, it's happened). I don't want to be the guy that gets sued for $300,000 because a laptop got stolen.

3. Cross-platform and futureproofness. I have a couple laptops that I may decide to take. I generally use my Macbook, but I also have a couple other laptops, and may acquire more in the future that may serve this purpose. I don't really want to take apart a laptop every time I want to bring a different one on a trip.
 

oguruma

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Re-reading your OP, I'm curious to know if just buying more memory cards for the camera, is
just so much more expensive as to warrant the purchase of external SSD and the field transfer
of files to the laptop (not to mention lugging around the bulk and weight).
I already have the SSD. And yes, extra memory cards are FAR more expensive, not to mention the shorter lifespan and ease with which they are damaged. Decent 128GB CF cards = $100 +. 128GB SSD = $50. So the cost of the memory cards is at least twice as much, and that is without factoring in the shorter lifespan.

Edit, I also take the laptop no matter what, even on trips when I don't do any photography. When hotel Wifi is sufficient (very, very rarely), I also transfer files to the MyCloud at home.
 

BigDave

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I already have the SSD. And yes, extra memory cards are FAR more expensive, not to mention the shorter lifespan and ease with which they are damaged. Decent 128GB CF cards = $100 +. 128GB SSD = $50. So the cost of the memory cards is at least twice as much, and that is without factoring in the shorter lifespan.
I had to ask, even though I thought this would be your answer.
When hotel Wifi is sufficient (very, very rarely), I also transfer files to the MyCloud at home.
Have you look into using a smart phone (as a wifi hot spot) to connect your laptop to your instance of MyCloud?
 

oguruma

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Have you look into using a smart phone (as a wifi hot spot) to connect your laptop to your instance of MyCloud?

I did look into it, and I wished for it to be a feasible solution. I actually had one of these before I was ever into photography and was very disappointed. Upload speeds were never over 1mbps. The problem is also the high cost per GB, especially since it may go unused for a couple months. Then, there is the issue of not getting service at the specified location. I didn't get service at all with AT&T at the hotel where I stayed for the Grand Canyon trip, for example.
 

BigDave

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In your use case, given the road blocks, I would have to agree with the good Doctor's
recommendation of the SSD to USB 3.0 cable he linked to in the 2nd post.
You should be able to use this kind of cable to connect any SSD to both your
laptop in the field and your PC at home. Cheap, small and light weight ;)
 

tvsjr

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For your card backups, have you considered something like the Sanho memory card backup devices? They are a standalone, battery-powered device to dump your cards to an internal drive, and you can buy a driveless case and then add your own SSD. When you return home, you can dump the data back to your computer via USB3.
 

oguruma

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I've thought about something like that, but it would end up being another expensive piece of equipment to maintain. I like the idea of using a laptop, since I bring a laptop on every trip no matter what, if for nothing else than to watch movies/browse the web.
 
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