RAID docking station?

[LongLensPhotography]

I think I am outgrowing 1 HDD data + 1 HDD time machine solution. What I want is some sort of RAID docking station that can take any 2.5 and 3.5" HDD (probably 2 x 3-4GB for a start). Every week I want to take one HDD out of site for storage, and bring 3rd one in for duplication, and so on (i.e. rotate 3 HDDs around). HDD noise is kind of important, so I'd prefer they don't make my home sound like Radio 1.

What is the best cost effective solution here? Thanks.

 

[Snapsh0t]

Exactly what are you duplicating here? The data drive in your PC/Mac or one of the drive pool onto another? Either way, I don't think RAID is the right approach as rebuilding a RAID1 could take considerably longer than a software copy of one drive to another. I do something similar in that, once a month, I make an image file to an external drive which is then put back in my HDD draw. I have a pool of four drives but can get three images on each so have a year's backups. I have a suitable bay built-in to my PC but the external equivalent is this Icy Dock item.

 

[LongLensPhotography]

I'll probably have all data on these drives; there is now too much to fit on my macs inside. I can maybe somehow play with time machine rotating backups on second / third drive. I don't know what is best. I just know my main image drive needs to be 3-4TB soon, as I can easily dump 10GB per week.

 

[dejongj]

I guess you will be limited to RAID 1. I would get something like a Synology DS713+ which is nice and quick, they also supply 2.5->3.5 trays.

Or for a DAS something like a Promise Pegasus RAID enclosure.

Just remember, duplicating disks is not really a backup, you'll be several days if not a week out...

 

[Snapsh0t]

Just remember, duplicating disks is not really a backup, you'll be several days if not a week out...

Absolutely. In my case, the PC's data is mirrored nightly to a large RAID5 array in my server.

@duagirdas: whatever you do, a good solution that properly protects your data is not going to be cheap. I don't know enough about Mac connectivity and software to comment properly so I'd go for the generic solution of a two-bay NAS, as JP suggested, plus the Icy Dock dock I originally suggested plugged into the back of the NAS. You could then have two large drives in RAID1 as your local, permanent data store and several drives that have the RAID copied to them for external storage. I think most NASs will have backup software that will do this. As I said, not cheap but only you can put a value on your data.

 

[Neilc28]

Synology NAS in RAID5 w/ USB Backup-Drive attached and rotated accordingly (DS414 w/ 3 x 3TB giving just under 6TB useable with a 5TB Disk in USB enclosure for backup)

That way you can sustain a failure and have the backup functioning

I really don't think you can 'dock' the disks in the bay (of the NAS) safely as you'll be breaking the array each time and cause the rebuild overhead potentially whilst you are trying to work.

I like the look of the Icy Dock!