-
-
- Sources:
- A
great source of drives, storage, RAID and
related devices is LaCie.
State-of-the-art
products, LaCie is the first place to look
and might be the best place to buy.
</ED>
-
- Other
outstanding sources include Adaptec, Small
Dog, PowerMax and a host of other vendors
listed on nCity's Links Page (above). Local
Sacramento area retail outlets include
BestBuy, CompUSA and Fry's. The Grass Valley
Staples _might_ have a hard drive or two,
along with most peripherals.
-
|
-
- External
Links:
- LaCie
All types of drives
- Adaptec
PCI cards, RAID, storage
- Small
Dog
- Fry's
Outpost
(online store only)
- Best
Buy
Good prices
- SCSI
Source
- NewEgg
GREAT prices!
- Staples
Local
|
 Selecting
storage devices:- As
noted on the Support Page, there are a
variety of things that can (and do) go wrong
with storage devices of all kinds. From
physical damage and crashed heads, to mangled
directories, fragmentation and errors
indicating the volume is not recognized or
cannot mount. Or worse: no error message, no
startup - only a strange noise.
-
- The
dialog box shown (right) is what greets you
when a new, unformatted disk is connected; it
is also what appears when a severely damaged
volume refuses to mount. (Initialize =
erase.)
-
- Whether
you are replacing a drive or adding to your
system, a lot of trouble (and expense) can be
avoided by carefully choosing the best device
for the job, according to port/bus type and
connection (SCSI, IDE/ATA, SATA, ethernet),
storage capacity and speed, installation and
intended use. (Also see below.)
-
- You
should also be aware of any limitations that
may be imposed by Operating System and/or
machine's CPU, make/model. For example, the
Quicksilver and earlier Macs may have a
"theoretical maximum" volume capacity of
128GB, which means it does not have "large
drive" support for HDDs over 128GB (even if
partitioned). Notebook machines have even
more stringent requirements and
specs.
-
- Connector
types:
- USB:
The slowest port option, but easiest to use -
USB replaced ADB (keyboard and mouse) and
serial ports for connecting printers and
gadgets of all types. It would be my last
choice for storage in amounts greater than
600MB or so (CD), but it's relatively slow
transfer rate may not be a factor if used for
automated (off hours) backup
purposes.
- IDE/ATA
(Parallel): Large, fast, cheap - choice
of most manufacturers these days for OEM
drives in desktops and laptops; only choice
for replacing HDs in iMacs and laptops. The
ATA bus also handles CD or DVD and other
internal drives in most Macs. PowerMac G4s
and G5s (towers and some desktops) have 2
internal IDE busses capable of handling two
devices each, but these must be properly
configured using jumpers (photos,
right).
- Serial
ATA (SATA): Starting with the G5, serial
ATA drives are used internally and may be an
external option with proper PCI card
installed or an available SATA port. These
have the advantage of not needing
configuration (no jumpers) and are priced
about the same as conventional IDE/ATA
drives.
- Firewire
(aka, IEEE-1394 A/B): Camera buffs,
audiophiles and editors tend to look for
Firewire devices (where speed and large file
transfers are major concerns). FireWire has
become the protocol of choice for external
drives and high-end devices of all kinds.
Best choice for external backup, with
terrabyte drives available and excellent
speed. FireWire ports have been standard
equipment on Macs for quite awhile, and may
be added to older Macs with an available PCI
slot. FireWire devices can be daisy
chained.
- SCSI
(Small Computer Systems Interface
[pronounced "scuzzy"]): Fastest (and
still the champ!) for internal and external
hard drives and devices. Best choice for
servers, RAID (Redundant Array of Independent
Disks), and intensive editing/storage,
especially AV. SCSI devices require
configuration, termination adjustments, and
an assigned address when connecting to a SCSI
chain. SCSI was standard equipment on Macs
for many years.....
|
  - MFS?
HFS? HFS+? UFS? ProDOS? IDE/ATA? SATA?
SCSI?
- Whatever
it is, it's either new (unformatted) or
DOA.
-
 - Apple's
FireWire name and logo is adopted industry
standard for technology that might otherwise
be known as "IEEE-1394."
- Which
name would you rather
use?
-
-
 - Jumpers
are used to configure ATA
drives.
-
-
 - PCI
cards fit towers and add expansion
ports.
-
-
 - Ribbon
and power cables for connecting internal
devices.
-
-
|
-
- Storage
capacity and speed:
-
- USB:
- USB offers
some high capacity options, but speed may be a limiting
factor in applications requiring data
streams.
-
- IDE/ATA/SerialATA:
- These deliver
the lowest price option with reasonable speed and
capacity. Perfectly suited to most users as both primary
and backup drives. Serious power users might face
limitations due to attached devices (2 per bus for ATA)
and might prefer faster/larger SATA or SCSI.
-
- Firewire
drives:
- Using a
FireWire bridgeboard provides the best of all worlds.
High capacity, high speed, reasonable cost, compatibility
and convenience.
-
- SCSI:
- The most
expensive option by far, has the advantage of speed,
internal and/or external installation, and connection of
multiple devices on one terminated bus. Older Macs were
exclusively SCSI; newer machines require addition of a
PCI card matched to the drive(s) being installed. (SCSI
is not an option for iMacs.)
-
- Comparison
Chart:
-
|
-
- Installation:
- Internal
devices use standardized power + cable
connections and require a mounting bay.
Proper installation may include fastening the
device to a drive "sled" (or tray) designed
to slide into a mounting bay - most internal
drives are mounted in this fashion. PowerMacs
are built with extra bays and PCI slots,
wired for expansion (not an option for
iMacs).
-
- Laptops
use miniature, model-specific drives,
available in assorted capacities as
aftermarket upgrades and/or build-to-order
options. Do-it-yourself installation/upgrades
of laptop models is not
recommended.
-
- External
devices - primarily USB and FireWire - do
not require much beyond a port; likewise the
new Serial IDE (w/card). SCSI requires an
address and termination on/off (usually via
switches), and a SCSI port (older Macs) or
optional PCI card (newer models), most of
which have both internal and external SCSI
ports.
-
- USB,
FireWire and Serial IDE devices
are generally "plug-and-play" provided they
have ports available and/or proper PCI cards
installed. SCSI and IDE/ATA
devices require configuration; SCSI can be
especially finicky.
|
-
-
-
- Drive
Preparation
Notes:
- All
hard drives must be formatted
prior to use. Some drives come
pre formatted and/or include
software disk utilities. Most
drives can be formatted using
OS-appropriate Apple utilities,
but others might not be
recognized, making a third-party
utility such as LaCie's
Silverlining
necessary.
-
- Drives
must also be configured for
installation: ATA/IDE drives are
installed on a two-device bus in
"master-slave" configuration or
in "cable select" mode. SCSI
devices are mechanically assigned
a number (by switch or jumper)
with a maximum of seven devices
on a bus, including the CPU
(which is always #7). SCSI busses
must also be terminated. USB,
FireWire and Serial ATA are the
newest and easiest types to
install, requiring little or no
configuration.
|
|
-
- Drive
failure and recovery services:
- See "Volume
Recovery" in Services section (above).
|
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