[Pc_Support] Mac RAID

[Bryan J. Smith]

Damien McKenna wrote:
> Seeing as we're on the topic, based purely on a features list, what do
> you think of this:  http://www.softraid.com/specs.html

Ignoring this software product for the moment, understand Mac's --
like HP PA-RISC, SGI MIPS, Sun SPARCs, etc... -- are much, much easier
to support with various software-based volume management because the
vendor controls the _firmware_ as well as the OS.  I've deployed
countless HP, SGI and Sun software-based RAID solutions on their
native, non-PC platforms before with great success (although there are
a few exceptions).

But getting back to this product, unless Apple sanctions it, I'd stick
with what Apple offers natively.  I don't know how much "software
value add" I'd consider -- unless they have the partnerships like
FalconStor, Veritas, etc... do.

With that said, focusing on storage interconnect, IEEE1394 FireWire --
even on the Mac -- is _not_ a true replacement for enterprise SCSI.
As a general, enterprise storage interconnect, it just suffers from
disconnects and countless other issues -- and it was _never_ intended
to be a multi-targettable storage interconnect, despite the Oracle
hack.  Now IEEE1394 a great, great consumer storage interconnect, and
far, far better than USB, don't get me wrong.  But SAS (Serial
Attached SCSI) is the true enterprise SCSI replacement, not IEEE 1394
FireWire.

So I'd only use it with SATA or SAS externally.  *Avoid* FireWire and
USB except as consumer external storage.