Hot swappage of HDD in drive bay....

[Stanley_Kubrick]

Buzz Lightyear, This is Star Command! Planet Earth Needs You!

Hey Howdy Techs and Techettes! I am about order parts for a server for a business client who wants to do backups to hard drives as opposed to tape...his software supplier [med flex?] has convinced him of this need; I personally have no emotions in regards to this approach...

Anyhoo we are looking at these real sweet drive bays (if you care= <a href="http://www.startech.com/ststore/searchframe.asp?product_desc=ide66prodrwr&Descript ion=Search+Results&Topbar=true&Search.x=9&Search.y =8)" target="_blank">http://www.startech.com/ststore/searchframe.asp?product_desc=ide66prodrwr&Descript ion=Search+Results&Topbar=true&Search.x=9&Search.y =8)</a> which claim to be good for hot-swappiness as long as "the operating system is configured to recognize the drive as a removable drive"...

So, assuming the OS is WIN2K Server, Does anyone have experience with configging a particular HDD as a Removable Drive for this purpose? If so; how, in brief, do you set it up in the OS? Also, if so, can I handle it? I would just looove to be able to do this for these guys...

Thanks, much love, have a fabulous weekend, etc...

Your Pal,

Stan

XXOO

[Gabriel]

I had it with NT (4.0) based system.
in this system you had to use the same config Disks (same size, geometry Etc.). you have pressed a button on the the drive bay -> system freeze -> replace hdd -> press button.
Now thats not exactly HotSwappable.... But it is the closest thing I saw.

P.s. Hot swap systems always gives me the shivers. If raid is on system I prefer Hot Spare.
Let the machine do the dirty work...

Cheers,
Gabriel

[MaddMaxx]

Been there, tried that. I have seven hot swap
cradles here if you want one or two. All take
a performance hit and are touchy. Maybe the new ones will handle ATA 100. Adding a Firewire port and getting a 100 or 120 gig Firewire drive may be a better answer.

[Archer]

Or you could use USB 2 on the back up drive.

[freddy]

promise and lian do a nice range , here is a promise one <a href="http://www.promise.com/product/subsys_detail_eng.asp?pid=14&fid=5" target="_blank">http://www.promise.com/product/subsys_detail_eng.asp?pid=14&fid=5</a>

FtF

[Ruslan]

I don't like HDD hotswaps bays - I've seen too many died hotswap bays last times (even personally had few hotswap bays died on me).
As addittion, have seen also few harddrives died (what were used in those HDD hotswaps).
Some of them died because of HDD overheating - it's hard to get enough cooling (cheap hotswap bays ). Another HDDs were having problem with electronics after one of switching transistors (+5V channel) died and damaged also HDD's electronics...
Have seen also some of harddrives worked unreliable because of high enough drop-out of transistor switches, and, as result, output voltages were lower than it should be.
I do not saying here about mechanical failures...

So, I would rather go with an external Fireware backup harddrive or another device...