Sweet Consulting

Storage requirements seem to be growing quickly after hosting remote backups.  I have been searching for a newer RAID appliance using ethernet.  It is referred to as ATA-over-Ethernet.  From a high level, it performs similar to a software-RAID.  Since this is a block device, it should behave no differently but allow you to stash it away into a closet.  Their driver covers all the platforms.

My concern was the overhead of a network protocol, but they claim theirs only contains basic read/write.  Stuffed directly into the ethernet frames.  Other protocols such as iSCSI and Fibre Channel exist, but they are at a much higher price point.  Essentially, all you have to purchase is a rackmount frame full of drives.  From there, you have the flexibility for any RAID variety, using the file system you choose.

CORAID

Seeing as my daily life revolves around the OSX environment, it is fitting to link to a real-life review of the new version. 10.5. Not quite the obligatory ars.technica review, but more of a cursory glance. Mainly, masses tend to flock to the new glassy, polished, more colorful interface. Seeing as though one can stay more productive by sticking with familiar tools, I’ve opted out of the upgrade for now. I’m content sticking with a fully updated Tiger.

One has to admit Time Machine has a great presentation, but backups can be done a million other ways using the userland tools built in. Nothing wrong with offsite tapes! The mirrored dock probably won’t create a frenzy, but the ‘new’ features such as virtual desktops should.OS News Review of Leopard