[Norman Willis]

Hi John.

I just need to double-check something.

Does VASST GearShift work with DSLR files (Canon 5D Mark II)?

The anticipated workflow would be to make a GearShift file of the 5DM2 files for editing, and then render the DSLR files with SVP10.

Also, any issues using Boris FX, New Blue FX or chromakey with GearShift files? (If we did Chromakey we would probably convert to Cineform .avi first, but I am not sure yet.)

Norman Willis
http://www.nazareneisrael.org

[Norman Willis]

I really liked it when I had both C:\ and D:\ in RAID 0. Whenever I rendered, all four cores averaged 95% usage…so I figured that there was no bottleneck on hard drive throughput. However, when I did a test render with a standalone C:\, it was around 70% usage.

They say Hardware RAID 5 is almost as fast as RAID 0. Someone suggested that I could move the optical drive outside of the case, and then put both C:\ and D:\ in separate RAID 5 arrays, with three disks each. That way, both arrays would be redundant/error tolerant, but I would still get speedy throughput.

I remember that at one point external optical drives were not always reliable. Has optical drive technology advanced to the point where external optical drives are reliable? If so, then perhaps I can still have both speed and throughput?

Norman Willis
http://www.nazareneisrael.org

[Norman Willis]

OK, I got the parts on the way.

3 hdd’s in RAID 5 on C:\,
and 3 hdd’s in RAID 5 on D:\,
and one external USB2 optical drive.

Very nice. Thanks!

Norman Willis
http://www.nazareneisrael.org

[Norman Willis]

>> What about getting an external optical disc drive and using all 6 bays for hard disks?

That is a great idea. If I move the optical drive outside of the box then I can put three hdd’s in C:\ on RAID 5. Hardware RAID 5 is supposed to be almost as fast as RAID 0, so that should be a low-cost solution to maintain performance while adding redundancy.

But are external optical drives reliable? And will I be able to move my existing internal outside of the box? I was told that for some reason, optical drives were more reliable inside of the box. Is that true?

Norman Willis
http://www.nazareneisrael.org

[Norman Willis]

>> Good luck with your new project!

Thanks.

[Norman Willis]

I went ahead and ordered the hardware RAID card, to take the redundancy load off of the CPU. But what would be better:

a. C:\ as two disks in RAID 1 and D:\ as three disks in RAID 5; or

b. putting all five drives in one big RAID 5 array, and then create a logical partition for C:\, and leave the rest for D:\ ?

Since hardware RAID 5 is supposed to be almost as fast as RAID 0, I am wondering if this would be much faster than putting C:\ in a two-disk RAID 1 array (and I would still get fault tolerance).

But if I go with the second route, then how do I make a backup image of C:\? Acronis True Image?

Norman Willis
http://www.nazareneisrael.org

[Norman Willis]

>> For giggles I could put all five drives in Hardware RAID 5 and then partition out a C:\ and a D:\….

Actually, the more I think about it, harware RAID 5 is supposed to be almost as fast as RAID 0; so would a logical C:\ partition on a 5-disk RAID 5 array give me more speed on C:\ than having C:\ in a simple two-disk RAID 1?

I can backup D:\ to the Drobo (even though, yeah, it takes forever on USB2) … but how would I make a backup image of a virtual C:\ on a 5-disk RAID 5 array? Acronis?

Is a five disk RAID 5 an intelligent option? Or is it just safer and easier to stick with a RAID 1 C:\ on two disks, and a RAID 5 D:\ on three disks?

Norman Willis
http://www.nazareneisrael.org

[Norman Willis]

>> It’s good that you’re looking at redundant technologies for your system, but you cannot ensure 100% uptime in 2011 on commodity hardware. Having your system in RAID 1 will only offer you limited protection against a very specific fault.

Yeah, good point. I guess I just want to do what little I can to minimize the likelihood of hardware failure on my end. But you are definitely right, the whole pipeline is a source of risk, and I am not in a position to control that.

>> Live events require a healthy appetite for risk, and/or backup plans which you hope you will never use.

Yeah, I also want to load the thing on my laptop (and backup), so I can “take the show on the road”….

Norman Willis
http://www.nazareneisrael.org

[Norman Willis]

>> I don’t have a huge amount of experience with SSD, but from what I know they don’t fail.

Dude, where do you think the term “bricking” comes from?

Just Google “SSD failure”, and see what you come up with. (Or just read the reviews at Newegg.)

For giggles I could put all five drives in Hardware RAID 5 and then partition out a C:\ and a D:\…but I’ll probably stick with the old school technique (and make two physical arrays).

Norman Willis
http://www.nazareneisrael.org

[Norman Willis]

>> I really think you should consider SSD for C: instead of wasting 2 drive slots on it.

Thanks David, I appreciate that. However, right now the need is to ensure 100% uptime on the air for the new internet radio show. How can I get redundancy if I do not use two slots?

Right now the need is to take the redundancy load off my Core2Quad, so I can also get decent performance under Vegas.

Norman Willis
http://www.nazareneisrael.org