[mythtv-users] OT: identify a 3ware SARA card? 8000 or 9000 series?

[Stroller]

On 17 Jan 2008, at 15:32, Jeff Wormsley wrote:
> Stroller wrote:
>> Do any of you recognise this one, please?
>> http://i21.ebayimg.com/01/i/000/d2/8f/9ec5_1.JPG
>>
>> It's allegedly a 12, and allegedly working, but the seller claims not
>> to know a model number & that there are no identifying markings on
>> the card. Any ideas?
>
> It's an 8506-12. ...

MANY THANKS TO EVERYONE for such rapid identification. You're clearly  
correct.

> Also, double check the 3ware site about the limitations of the  
> firmware.
>   When I bought mine, the 8500 series would not support an array over
> 1.5TB (hence my using 250G drives rather than 400's or bigger).  They
> may have updated the firmware to get past that limit, I don't know.

Looks like the array capacity is 2TB, now.
<http://www.3ware.com/support/UserDocs/EscaladeUG7000-122003.pdf

I don't think this is terribly important to me - I'm not actually too  
bothered about RAID for my video storage. I don't consider videos  
that important, because they're easily replaced.

Because this server is to handle a bunch of services, not just video  
files, what I'm really after is hardware RAID for the system volume.  
I'm happy with cheap 80gb drives for this - RAID1 + a hot-spare  
probably satisfies my paranoia - and JBOD for a bunch big storage  
drives, preferably using the same management controls so that I can  
add drives in any of the hot-swap caddies & just be pretty flexible.

I'd kinda like a 9500 3ware - I believe these have better performance  
and I would imagine their capacity is greater, so this would allow me  
more flexibility to change my mind and build big arrays later - but I  
am somewhat cost-conscious on this, and I'd hope to pick up one of  
those in the future (hoping prices fall) if I do go for an 8000.

Unlike many on this list I consider 500gig a HUGE amount of storage.

Stroller.