Two SSDs and a 2tb drive - how to set up

[modelsfret]

Ive got a 125gb ssd and a 256 ssd and 2tb drive in computer - Just wondering what the best way to set it up would be, after i finish job i tend to back them up and take them off system.

125gb ssd - Operating system (pc) + photoshop
256 ssd - Current job files + Scratch Disk
2tb - Finished jobs + extra files

would this work? or should i have current job files on a different drive to ssd - i would have liked larger ssds but current budget didnt allow, thanks for any advice

[insmac]

Re: Two SSDs and a 2tb drive - how to set up

I would say whether you store your working files on your primary SSD or secondary one is irrelevant. What matters most is whether you have a backup for your 2TB "archive" drive.

I had a pretty similar setup myself with about a 1.3 terabytes of archived psd, tiff and raw files from over 10 years of work, all set up on the "enhanced lifespan" 2TB WD harddrive. And some day, guess what, the drive went dead all of a sudden. All data was gone... except I had an automated backup in the form or RAID array. I was using a simple and cheap NAS from Netgear and eventually swapped the dead drive with the new one while keeping my files intact on the second hdd.

So, my word of advice - use an automated backup system. Personally I prefer NAS storage systems because they are reliable (these are pretty much small servers), you can access them easily from any computer either in your local network or from the outside (if you set them up properly), and, well they provide a simple yet perfectly capable automated backup system in case something goes wrong with your archive drives.

So the point of my litte story is, no matter how good the drive, it might break at some point. You might, of course, use a specialized software or go to the data recovery service on a hefty price which might help if the failure was purely mechanical - but it's much cheaper and easier to prevent it alltogether. For $150 you'll get a simple two-drive bay NAS array but you might as well "go pro" with a 4-bay version.

[Craig Walters]

Re: Two SSDs and a 2tb drive - how to set up

I'm not going to advise you on how to set it up, but I will tell you that standard analog drives (those with motors and bearings and other mechanical parts) are rated to last a minimum of 10,000 hours. an SSD drive is rated to last a minimum of 1,000,000 hours. so, guess where you want to put your critical, cant lose files? (and always back up regardless of drive type!)

[skoobey]

Re: Two SSDs and a 2tb drive - how to set up

Save files on HD.
Use one SSD for system and ll the programs including PS.
Keep other SSD empty and use it as a scratch disc.

[insmac]

Re: Two SSDs and a 2tb drive - how to set up

I'm not going to advise you on how to set it up, but I will tell you that standard analog drives (those with motors and bearings and other mechanical parts) are rated to last a minimum of 10,000 hours. an SSD drive is rated to last a minimum of 1,000,000 hours. so, guess where you want to put your critical, cant lose files? (and always back up regardless of drive type!)

That's true, but it's the same story as with camera shutters - they have a certain projected lifespan below which they should not break but they occasionally do, halfway or even earlier. SSDs came a long way since the first iterations - almost every drive based on SandForce 2281 controller was prone to failure at some point resulting in total data loss (I myself had lost 4 these drives with no chance of recovery). It was a major factor which lead to the OCZ demise.

[klev]

Re: Two SSDs and a 2tb drive - how to set up

I'm not going to advise you on how to set it up, but I will tell you that standard analog drives (those with motors and bearings and other mechanical parts) are rated to last a minimum of 10,000 hours. an SSD drive is rated to last a minimum of 1,000,000 hours. so, guess where you want to put your critical, cant lose files? (and always back up regardless of drive type!)

With backups you shouldn't have much trouble either way. If you have mission critical files, use a well tested solution in a RAID 1 configuration with automated backups that include some level of version control if possible. I don't recommend RAID 5 with inexpensive controllers. They're often too flaky and lack ECC ram, which is crucial to rebuilding from striped parity data. Issues with the expected life of HDDs can be dealt with by having a well defined replacement cycle until SSDs are cost effective enough for long term storage.