Re: [gentoo-user] recommendation sought for external disk

[gottlieb@nyu.edu]

On Wed, Jan 01 2014, Daniel Frey wrote:

> On 01/01/2014 02:07 PM, gottlieb@nyu.edu wrote:
>> I was considering what seagate calls an "expansion hard drive".  They
>> are USB 3, but I will be using only USB 2.  The desktop is gentoo-only
>> and I don't need any backup software from seagate.
>> 
>> The models are STBVx000100 for x=1,2,3,4 TB.
>> 
>> I understand the price capacity trade-off, but wonder if anyone has any
>> experience with these drives.
>
> Hi Allan,
>
> I am currently using 11 of these drives (1TB model; STBV1000100)
> connected via USB doing daily/weekly backups of infrastructure at work.
> They're specifically used on mostly Windows servers via WSB.
>
> They're written to quite often and have been on 24x7 since last January.
> I did have a problem with one drive a month in but it was replaced and
> have had no issues since.
>
> Keep in mind these have no on/off switch and are literally an expansiond
> drive, meant to be on all the time.
>
> I've performed test restores to a VM and no issues. Performance is OK
> even on USB2.
>
> I have no complaints on these particular models (other than the lack of
> a power switch), although I really should have purchased the 2TB models.
> Oh well.
>
> Dan

Thank you dan.  I didn't realize there was no on-off switch.  But I
assume it (or the driver/controller) will spin it down after prolonged
idleness.

Also from seagate are "back plus" drives.  The documentation I found on
the seagate site was scanty, but I am guessing they are the same as the
expansion plus some windows/mac software that I won't use so I was
planing on saving the $10.  I wonder if they have power switches.

Here are the prices seagate lists for some stores (cheapest shown).

                 Backup
      Expansion   Plus

1TB     80        90
2TB    100	 110
3TB    120	 130
4TB    170	 180

I am leaning toward the 2TB.

Again thanks for the information.

allan