Slashdot Mirror
Notebooks w/ RAID?
macemoneta asks: "Are there any notebooks available on the market that support (bootable) RAID (at least two 40GB+ drives as RAID0 and or RAID1)? While the rest of the components in 'desktop replacement' notebooks are quickly getting up to snuff, the hard drives are anemic in performance, capacity and reliability compared to desktops. Being able to use software RAID to create high performance meta devices and high reliability meta devices would really kick notebooks into high gear. Before anyone complains about size, weight, power and heat remember that notebooks have gone from 12 inch screens to 16 inch screens and 486 to P4M in the last few years. Most desktop replacement laptops use the batteries as a UPS, since they usually only last 90 minutes or less anyway."
You would do well to simplify the question by asking if there are notebooks available with multiple hard drives. Lilo can boot to a software raid, so any notebook with two drives can do this. Whether the sound card or built-in ethernet/modem works is a different story, but you didn't mention whether those were important to you.
include $sig;
1;
I'm not sure this is a good idea. Laptop drives, even the recent IBM enhanced models, are rated for a much lighter activity cycle than desktop drives. That is, push them as hard and as long as full-size drives , they are likely to fail on you. IBM is trying to fix this to make their 2.5 in drives suitable to blade servers. Still, RAID historically pushes drives hard enough to decrease the time between failures quite a bit. Combine this with drives designed for low load, and you're asking for trouble. I think the recommendation of a firewire external drive was a good one.
The Eurocom 8880 has the capability for FOUR hard drives at once
8 .c fm
:)
http://www.eurocom.ca/products/showroom/specs88
Has the capability for two cdroms/dvd-roms/etc at once.
15.7" screen as well.
No mention of weight, I suspect you don't wanna know.
Eurocom has always been a little bit ahead of everyone else on getting things out
I believe the TV tuner option replaces one of the media bays though
Sorry, but I gotta complain about your definition of desktop replacement. I want a desktop replacement laptop because I can take it to class and meetings. I love taking notes on my laptop for 8 hours without plugging in. Meeting minutes should be sent out within 1 minute of the meeting ending. When someone is in a meeting they should be able to get at the unexpected data they need that is on their desk, without leaving the room (that is the data is on the computer, so any computer can access it), not run back to their desk to price off a hard copy. Sure the batteries are a UPS, but if that is all you use your laptop for, a desktop with a UPS is cheaper and has a better keyboard, and monitor.
When I need more power than is on my laptop, then I ssh over to one of our CPU servers (at my last job we had a couple machines set up for this), and display my apps back to the laptop.
Laptop users should not have a big harddrive. They should have enough room for the OS, a few apps that they run on the road, and a copy of the documents they use often. Note I said copy, the master copy of these documents should be someplace that is always backed up, the laptop just has a copy for quick work until it can be synced with the master (two way sync). Other than that, long battery life, weight (the mass of even a heavey laptop is not enough to make a difference in gravity humans can stand, so weight is the critical), screen, keyboard, and interfaces are key.
Remember laptops are stolen; droped and broke; and forgotten far too often to have the master copy of anything. They should be easially replaceable. Too expensive to be disposable, but too fragile to depend on any one.
When you lock yourself into the desk is where I work, you miss the power that a laptop gives you. Get a laptop that you can use anywhere, wireless networking in the office (warning, security issues need to be addressed here), with a battery that is worth something. Suddenly the laptop goes from an expensive toy that to impress people to a useful tool that does things you couldn't get done otherwise.
Wow, so many links to expensive hardware. Pick up a used Pismo powerbook (last black one). You can take out the CD drive, and replace it with another laptop drive. Sleds are available from VST, probably find some used ones too. OSX has software RAID-1 built in.
You could use any of the black line, but the Pismos often had 500MHz G3's.
My God, it's Full of Source!
OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
Being able to use software RAID to create high performance meta devices and high reliability meta devices would really kick notebooks into high gear.
Can someone explain to me what a "meta device" is? And, can some explain to me what happens when you get a plurality of "meta devices?" I mean, what the hell is this guy blathering about?
I'm sure other people are going to point out that RAID probably isn't the solution to the problem you think you're having. It's like hoping that forged connecting rods and pistons are going to make your Dodge Neon into a sports car. By itself, it's not going to do what you seem to hope it will do.
Anyhow, if you want a good, decent, fast notebook get yourself and Apple.
Slashdot is jumping the shark. I'm just driving the boat.
That said, I'm not so sure you want to buy anything with onboard RAID. Perhaps you should look at a speedy Firewire drive.