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Domain: storcase.com

Stories and comments across the archive that link to storcase.com.

Comments · 8

  1. Look at Storcase by bpb213 · · Score: 1 · on Fibre Channel Storage?

    We personally use a StorCase infostation at work (http://www.storcase.com/infostation/ifs_ovrvw.asp ). Now, we have the scsi version, so I can't speak to the Fiber version, but a fully loaded Storcase is cheaper then an XServe, and more dense. Alas, it would not come with the instant solution tech support that an XServe would.

  2. Even with staff time, build-your-own is cheaper by Thundersnatch · · Score: 1 · on Where Do You Shop for Server Components?

    After having a bunch of boxes from "tier 1" server vendors die, getting visits from idiot service techs, and still having trouble getting parts, we started rolling our own servers. We save several thousand per server, even assuming $100/hr for a tech to order and assemble it all. Warranties on individual components are typically as good or better than the tier-1 vendors, and the components are best-of-breed. (Even tier-1 vendors use the cheapest disks they can get in any given week).

    I've had very good expieriences with server building blocks from Supermicro. We then add on CPUs, good Kingston memory, Seagate disks, and Adaptec or LSI RAID cards. For storage enclosures, we typically go with Storcase.

    All of the above vendors have been in business a long time, and offer backwards-compatibility in most of their producs (this is especially important with the RAID cards). The final products are bulletproof beasts that last longer, on average, than any of the x86 HP, Dell, or IBM servers we've owned.

  3. Here's what we use at our office.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0 · on Portable Storage?

    Kingston Storcase/Data Express DE75i-A

    Its a metal frame (DE75i-RA100) and ide hard drive carrier (DE75i-CA100). Supposedly, NASA has deployed storcases in some of their projects. We use it in combination with Norton Ghost as part of a redundant backup for our Windows machines. If we get a virus, worm, trojan, corruption, etc. we just pull the drive and put in the last backup. Boom, we're back up in less than 2 minutes.

  4. Re:What's "inexpensively"? by Vancorps · · Score: 1 · on Terabyte Storage Solutions?
    I find tape can be great if you don't want to have ready access to it. My problems is that my boss wants all data readily available, so we bought two 1.36 terabyte drive arrays from StorCase They have a great drive array that is fibre sata. You fill it with standard SATA drives and connect it to your fiber channel loop or fabric. In the end I chose to cluster two servers to the same box so I have redundent access to the data. We have an identical setup on our backup side which contains a live mirror of the first array. The only problem is site danger. If an earthquake or some act of god destroyed this place the data would be wiped. Which is why we have a tape backup. Back everything up to tape and store it in a nice safe somewhere else.

    They were a great price, about $3200, if we maxed it out it could have run 4k but its still a great deal especially when you consider you could strong 160 of them together pretty cheaply.

  5. Good solutions still cost a reasonable amount by Zergwyn · · Score: 4, Informative · on Terabyte Storage Solutions?
    I have just been grappling with this very issue. What kind of solution can find depends on a couple of factors:

    -What RAID level you want (5 usually requires better hardware)
    -Whether you want hardware RAID (I strongly recommend this) or soft RAID
    -How much redundancy you need (Battery backup cache? Redundant controllers? Hardware environmental controls?)

    If you are looking for good pci cards, I would strongly suggest a card from 3ware, and a card from a place such a Seagate. Getting a super-duper cheap card when terabytes of data are on the line is just fundamentally stupid. You can save some bucks now, but be ready with your next Ask Slashdot: "How do I recover data from my dead RAID?" Seagate now has a nice 5 year warranty, which match well with good quality and reasonably cheap drives. Look at some of the SATA drives like the Barracuda. However, any decent quality drive maker can work. If you have even more money, you can look at some of the things offered by places like StorCase. A larger initial investment can become cheaper as you scale up the cheap harddrive count, and it can be a good thing in the long run. Obviously, the more time you are willing to invest doing things yourself, the cheaper you can get to some extent vs premade items. However, no support as well.


    Do read up on some of the fundamentals of RAID: Everything you need to know (and lots you don't) is probably at least mentioned in the PC Guide on RAID. Look through that. Things like hot swap and hot spares are important to understand. Finally, you should remember to check compatability. Unfortunately, I for instance have not been able to find much of anything in the way of controller cards that is compatable with OS X (except the obvious, the XServe RAID). So I have something set up on a BSD box in my server closet that I then link to, more like a storage appliance. Happily, the 3ware cards and many others are now compatable with a wide variety of *nix and BSD flavors along Windows, but do check to make sure.


    Last but not least, remember this!: RAID is *not* a backup solution, but an highly redundant onsite storage system. Have another form of backups, even if it is just a RAID 1 off site, or DVD-Rs, or something. If a disaster happens (thieves, fire, nuclear destruction, John Ashcroft) on site storage won't save you.

  6. These things look pretty by T-Ranger · · Score: 2, Informative · on SATA vs ATA?
    .. And their marketing paper comes in a Tyvek envelope! (I don't work for them, nor am I even a customer)

    StoreCase Technologies

    RAID boxen with ATA on the inside, SCSI and/or FC on the outside. Seemingly incredable warrenties of as long as 7 years.

  7. Removable Hard Drives by Hobart · · Score: 2 · on Affordable Home Backups for 10-100G Systems?

    Looks like the cheapest Kingston/StorCase offering (which supports ATA/100, bonus!) costs around $80 mail-order.

    Are there any other reputable manufacturers that sell a cheaper solution for IDE?

  8. 900G in 5U by sidetrack · · Score: 2 · on 640 Gig HD in 1U Of Rack Space

    Ok, it's not that impressive, but we pretty much did it with off the shelf parts, and it was very cheap. 12x 75G 7200RPM IBM IDE drives, BX chipset board, redundant hot-swap power supplies, 1G ECC RAM, and 2x PIII-850, Kingston low-profile UDMA66 hot-swap enclosures, and 2 3Ware 6800 RAID controllers. In an ACME 5U case, with just 16 strips of 80mm x 15mm metal (with three holes drilled in each), as the custom hardware ;-)
    I forget the exact cost (this was a few months ago), but it was under $10,000