RAID array building

[David Smith]

I have two Firmtek boxes and use a four bay with an older Sonnett card (PCI-X). I’ve not encountered any software/firmware issues. I like the build and design of the Firmtek boxes except for one very important issue…. I HATE the cheesy five pin mini-DIN connector they use to attach the external power supply to the box. Don’t know if any of their competitors have a better solution.

I use the two bay Firmtek in the field and the mini-DIN is just awful. This is becoming a bigger issue now that “IT” equipment is more and more being used in field production environments. The IT design folks just don’t seem to understand field conditions. Their answer when told the plug comes out if the box is moved is…… don’t move the box. I guess that works in the lab.

For now I tape the connectors best I can, but it’s not a good solution. About two months ago I wrote Firmtek and suggested they offer an option for a locking xlr connector. I’d gladly pay for the upgrade. No reply. Then just last month, disaster. A taped in connector got moved and instead of popping out (which would have been bad enough) I snapped off one of the pins. No power. Now here’s the thing that really got me mad. When I called Firmtek support, obviously in a panic, the support person said to me before I even mentioned the issue… “Let me guess, you need a new power supply”. Obviously this is a common problem, and at $50 a pop, a nice profit center. I’ve since ordered an extension cable I found online, and hopefully it won’t be too long a run for the DC power. If it works I’ll keep it plugged and taped into the power supply all the time. If I should ever break a pin again I will be able to simply take off the $9 cable and replace it. I ordered two.

I know this only addresses a small part of your question, so thanks for letting me rant. Other than the power input they are very well made units.

Regards,
David

[David Roth weiss]

[Lee McEachern] “David Roth Weiss (who contributes greatly here) reported several months ago that Sonnet cards and Firmtek firmware weren’t playing nicely with each other at that time. Does anyone know if that has been resolved?”

Thnx Lee, you are too kind…

To the best of my knowledge, here’s the deal. Firmtek has not yet released its 4-way PCI-e card that’s been promised for nearly nine months. So, the only solution, if you want to use their 4-bay enclosure now, is a Sonnet card or something similar. I have a suspicion thay work just fine–the info I mentioned earlier came from the folks at Firmtek, and frankly I’m not entirely certain they were being completely objective. As long as you buy from a place with return policy I think its work a try.

BTW, the 2-bay enclosure does not have the funky power connector the other David was referring to. The 4-bay has a very solid 3-prong AC cable that plugs in just like any solid hardware. I agree with David, the plug on the 2-bay enclosure is always a disaster waiting to happen.

David Roth Weiss
Director/Editor
David Weiss Productions, Inc.
Los Angeles

POST-PRODUCTION WITHOUT THE USUAL INSANITY ™

A forum host of Creative COW’s Business & Marketing, and Indie Film & Documentary forums.

[Lee Mceachern]

Thnx Lee, you are too kind...

No…compliment deserved! And thanks for the new information.

Cheers,

Lee

[Lee Mceachern]

Thank you, David. Your experience will guide me in the questions I ask the vendors. Very sorry about your experience with that power connectors! Sharing that unfortunate story, though, certainly helps the rest of us.

Cheers,

Lee

[Dave Martin]

What kind of speed might you expect from the four bay firmtek and sonnet card?

Dave Martin

– MacPro – MacBook Pro –

[Lee Mceachern]

I don’t have those specs in my head but I have read some speed reports here in the past. My configuration quite simply is based on what other experienced FCP people on this forum have been using successfully. (Obviously, my combination choice is just one such configuration.)

[David Roth weiss]

[Dave Martin] “What kind of speed might you expect from the four bay firmtek and sonnet card?”

When empty, a four SATA drives striped as Raid-0 will read/write about 250mb/s.

David Roth Weiss
Director/Editor
David Weiss Productions, Inc.
Los Angeles

POST-PRODUCTION WITHOUT THE USUAL INSANITY ™

A forum host of Creative COW’s Business & Marketing, and Indie Film & Documentary forums.