SUMMARY: 9GB disks for Alphas
Thanks for info supplied by:
eburke_at_cslab.vt.edu
R.K.Hillman_at_bton.ac.uk
bailey_at_niehs.nih.gov
I asked about experience with 9GB disks, pointing out that
I'd had some problems in the past, especially with 7200rpm
disks, and especially with inadequate enclosures (bad fans,
bad enclosure design, power-supply) as have several of my
colleagues..
Eli Burke had had some very bad experiences with 5.25"
format 9GB drives, from both Micropolis and Seagate. He
thought that at least some of the problems may have been
due to a vendor sending out refurbs (several were DOA),
and a double bay enclosure which he thought was inferior
to the single bay with fan. His most recently acquired
Seagates have been up and okay for 4 months, but the
final verdict is not in. His experience made him very
cautious about these drives.
R.K.Hillman referred to the summary he had posted just
recently, which was a bit sparse due to his not receiving
many replies to his question about 3.5" 9GB disks in
StorageWorks enclosures. His summary (Oct. 16, 1996)
mentioned that users should enquire about fan upgrades.
Also, apparently some suppliers may be having DIFFiculty
delivering these. (I think he was referring to 3.5" 9GB
disks in StorageWorks enclosures, not just 3.5" 9GB disks.)
On the above points, Ed Bailey wrote that he has been using
3.5" Seagates (narrow,7200rpm) in BA-350 (StorageWorks) shelf,
"housed in DEC's third-party carriers." He also reiterates
our concerns and wrote a very helpful message which says:
"They are little furnaces -- all 7200 drives are. Sufficient cooling
is vital!..."
"If you are not going the StorageWorks route, make sure that the
enclosure you use draws cool air into the enclosure, over/around
the drives, and out. If there is no airflow over the drives, they'll
eventually die. Guaranteed. Note also that convective cooling
of these drives is *not* sufficient. If you leave one sitting on
a desktop and run it, it'll cook...
If looks are not important, you can do what I've seen some people do.
Remove the bezels from in front of the drive(s), and bolt a muffin
fan over the opening. With this fan blowing air onto the drive(s),
and the enclosure fan removing the heated air, the drives should stay
cool and last a long time..."
In summary I'd say, that if you want to get a 9GB drive, especially
the 3.5" ones, pay ultimate attention to the fans and the airflow.
It would be worth going to a reliable vendor and using good
enclosures with great air flow...
Thanks to those who replied.
-Chela Kunasz
JILA, University of Colorado
Boulder, CO 80309-0440
chela_at_jila.colorado.edu
Received on Fri Nov 08 1996 - 22:49:49 NZDT