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How to build a storage tower ???

  • 28-02-2010 9:28pm
    #1
    crotalus667
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,900 ✭✭✭


    Ok I may be talking pie in the sky but here it goes ,(please keep in mind I am a dunce when it comes to things like this)

    I was wondering if it was possible to build a storage tower ?? (I want some thing I cant knock over)

    Here is the thing I may be able to get my hands on some old hard drives nothing massive and nothing new (some would be used for running xp but some would be used for running 98) so is it possible to build a storage tower out of these ??

    Or do I need to buy new hard drives ??

    What do I need to put it all together ?? (could I use an old pc tower or do I need to buy some thing else)

    Where do I get what I need ?? ( Id prefer to use a bricks and mortar shop in Dublin or at least an Irish / uk site)

    Would I need extra software to tie it all together ?? (I’d like to use connect them all so I plug the tower to my pc or laptop via a usb port) given that I want to keep the files backed up I was thinking of using twice the amount of hard drives I need so I can back up every thing ,

    If I am building it out of old drives I would be getting them in drips and drabs so I’d be trying to do it by expanding bit by bit rather than building all at once (good or bad idea??)

    Is there any thing I have over looked ??:rolleyes:


Comments

  • #2
    Solitaire
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 18,381 Mod ✭✭✭✭Solitaire


    What are you trying to do exactly? Add some storage? A fileserver of some kind? NAS? I'm confused... :confused:


  • #3
    crotalus667
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,900 ✭✭✭crotalus667


    Solitaire wrote: »
    What are you trying to do exactly? Add some storage? A fileserver of some kind? NAS? I'm confused... :confused:




    Basically a hard drive collection in a single housing to function like as an external hard drive (is it a dumb idea ??)


    ps

    I have no idea what a fileserver or nas is (but it would be nice if i could make it Accessible threw the wifi router but that would be an after thought)


  • #4
    Solitaire
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 18,381 Mod ✭✭✭✭Solitaire


    NAS = Network Attached Storage, which is pretty much what you're trying to do from the looks of it.

    How much data are you thinking of sticking on this thing anyway? Modern HDDs run into the terabytes :eek: and you could probably stick ~4TB onto a fairly basic 2-drive NAS if you wanted. Building your own won't be cheap because you'll need a stripped-down PC to manage the HDDs (most NAS are exactly that!) and if you're using old lower-capacity HDDs you'd need a lot of SATA ports to attach them all.

    What was that about Win98 above? There's very little support for it nowadays... :o


  • #5
    crotalus667
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,900 ✭✭✭crotalus667


    Solitaire wrote: »
    How much data are you thinking of sticking on this thing anyway?
    I haven’t really thought about it I want to be able to store a lot of music and image files (I’m getting back into photography so there will be a lot of large image files plus I am getting into stencilling which involves a lot of gimp files I am one of those people that doesn’t delete files )

    Solitaire wrote: »
    Modern HDDs run into the terabytes :eek: and you could probably stick ~4TB onto a fairly basic 2-drive NAS if you wanted.
    So what sort of price range are we talking about ??
    The whole idea is that I am trying to avoid ending up with a shelf full of 1 TB external drives and compact it into one unit

    Solitaire wrote: »
    and if you're using old lower-capacity HDDs you'd need a lot of SATA ports to attach them all.

    What was that about Win98 above? There's very little support for it nowadays... :o
    Basically I have access every now and then to towers that are getting thrown out these machines are older ie running as old as 98 so I was thinking it was a cheap option to take the hard drives out of them and use them for storage (but it’s starting to sound like a bit of a headache given that they would be small enough drives:( )


  • #6
    Solitaire
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 18,381 Mod ✭✭✭✭Solitaire


    It would be a headache. Depends on the size of the drives - if you're getting random 320GB drives then perhaps... but if they're mostly old 20GB drives, well... it'd take 50 of them to make up just one Samsung F3 1TB HDD which only costs €70-80! :eek:

    Plus you'd need all the SATA ports... and you'd need controller cards once you run out of IDE/SATA ports on the mobo... and you'd need the raw juice to run them all... methinks a shiny new NAS is a better idea! :o


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  • #7
    crotalus667
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,900 ✭✭✭crotalus667


    Solitaire wrote: »
    .. methinks a shiny new NAS is a better idea! :o
    Me thinks your right , I am looking at the harddrive that i pulled out of my desktop which would be newer than anthing i would get and it's only a 200gb , :o

    Now all i have to do is figure out what i do with my desk top fix and upgrade or replace :D


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