Re: HP X510 data vault vs MediaSmart EX487

Tech-Archive recommends: Repair Windows Errors & Optimize Windows Performance

I installed mine on a Win2003 server running Virtual Server 2005. No problems and the test bare metal restore of my SBS2003 server worked fine from the backup.
Simon

Bill Sanderson wrote:
My recollection is that is IS possible to run one of these virtualized--not supported, but it works--but I've no first-hand experience with it. It needs lots of disk space, and physical disk expansion, or external drives, often work via USB, so that is a problem with some virtualization software, I believe.

http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/virtualization-coach/?p=104



"Joe#2" <Joe2@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:6806F5EB-C0E9-49D8-88AD-C69B49BA00A1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Thanks for the info. I'm gonna just have to jump in and do a WHS and get some
> experience.
>
> A funny thought. Has anyone put one of these in a virtual environment? Can
> you even do it?
>
> "Bill Sanderson" wrote:
>
>> I've had the system drive fail on my home WHS. Drive failures on a headless
>> appliance are.....strange.
>>
>> If it had been a non-system drive, the OS would have identified an issue.
>> With the System drive, all I could tell from outside was that the server
>> wasn't responding.
>>
>> I put in a new drive, reinstalled the OS, re-created my users, and it went
>> out and found the redundant data stores on the data drives, and re-created
>> the stuff, as I recall--it's been awhile. I put a monitor and DVD drive on
>> the box to see what was going on and get that done. I've seen the
>> instructions about what to do on an HP box with such a failure, but I can't
>> remember how it goes--as I recall there's a button to push on the back
>> somewhere...(but what does that do?--I've no clue--there are no removable
>> drives. They come with a full set of media, though--I think it must be able
>> to grab stuff off a client machine on the network somehow)
>>
>> In such a failure, you DO lose the backups. You can, however, backup the
>> backup database, and I think the backup data itself. There are some KB
>> articles on how to do these things, and excellent articles on how some of
>> the functionality works--redundancy, etc.
>>
>>
>> "Joe#2" <Joe2@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
>> news:D36617C9-CA9C-4FF9-A209-B61BBB708909@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> > Reliable drives - brings up another question. What happens when a drive
>> > fails? do the OS know it , raise alarms, automatically move the data, ets
>> > ??
>> >
>> > "Bill Sanderson" wrote:
>> >
>> >> There are lots of folks running WHS on old boxes. I built mine at home
>> >> using the smallest cheapest box I could find at the time, but the HP
>> >> boxes
>> >> are far smaller, do more, and are more flexible than my home brew effort.
>> >> Mine's got a better processor and more ram, though--which I hope will
>> >> stand
>> >> me in good stead when another version is being tested.
>> >>
>> >> The product specs are bare minimum--an old box will have plenty of
>> >> CPU--the
>> >> question is the size and reliability of the drives.
>> >>
>> >> It is hard to build from scratch with new parts and beat the HP product,
>> >> and
>> >> I think there are others that are cheaper. I don't know the answer about
>> >> the e-sata port--could be correct.
>> >>
>> >> We bought the WHS's when we found we were out of space on our old
>> >> SBS-2003
>> >> server, and expanding the storage in it wasn't cost effective. We use
>> >> the
>> >> storage on the WHS for pictures and, increasingly, video--and having
>> >> cheaply
>> >> expandable storage with redundancy for that still seems worthwhile, even
>> >> though we've now move to SBS-2008 on a new server--with lots more, but
>> >> certainly not inexhaustible storage.
>> >>
>> >> I need to take the office machines apart and change the ram stick to 2
>> >> gigs--maybe next time I need to order ram for something else...
>> >>
>> >> "Joe#2" <Joe2@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
>> >> news:B03687F5-E4F4-40F6-AE84-72D2360C162A@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> >> > At that price of $499 with free shipping, that HP is so small and
>> >> > energy
>> >> > efficent I'm temped to buy one myself. I know we get a "free" licence
>> >> > thru
>> >> > ActionPac and/or technet and I guess it will run OK on and old P4 box
>> >> > ???
>> >> > what is your experience?
>> >> >
>> >> > "Joe#2" wrote:
>> >> >
>> >> >> I have since learned of one plus of the X510. Its e-sata port will
>> >> >> support
>> >> >> multiple external drives where as the EX487 will only support 1, if I
>> >> >> understand the info from this site http://www.mediasmartserver.net/
>> >> >>
>> >> >> Newegg is selling the EX487 for $499 or $525 with an additional 1 TB
>> >> >> drive
>> >> >> ending today.
>> >> >>
>> >> >> "Bill Sanderson" wrote:
>> >> >>
>> >> >> > Is the ram the same? If the X510 has more ram, that would be a
>> >> >> > plus.
>> >> >> >
>> >> >> > I've got 3 '487's I think, in an office with about 30 machines.
>> >> >> > They
>> >> >> > do
>> >> >> > their underlying job fine--backups are pretty much routine, and they
>> >> >> > provide
>> >> >> > useful space for media file storage. However, they seem
>> >> >> > underpowered
>> >> >> > which
>> >> >> > I need to connect for some admin purpose, often.
>> >> >> >
>> >> >> > I would always want to get multiple drives in a WHS to provide
>> >> >> > redundancy.
>> >> >> >
>> >> >> > "Merv Porter" <mwport@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
>> >> >> > news:OYbX2ThaKHA.2184@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> >> >> > > I'm struggling with this too for a client (4 workstations,
>> >> >> > > Peer-to-Peer;
>> >> >> > > not ready for a server yet). I pretty much decided today to get
>> >> >> > > them
>> >> >> > > an
>> >> >> > > EX-490. The included 1TB drive should be enough for now. It
>> >> >> > > appears
>> >> >> > > from
>> >> >> > > the specs that the X510 comes with 2 bays full (2 x 500 GB
>> >> >> > > drives).
>> >> >> > > The
>> >> >> > > EX487 is about the same price as the EX490, but it comes with 2 x
>> >> >> > > 750
>> >> >> > > GB
>> >> >> > > drives.
>> >> >> > >
>> >> >> > > While I like the faster processor in the X510, the extra $150
>> >> >> > > doesn’t
>> >> >> > > look
>> >> >> > > like it is worth it if all it will be used for is backups. I'll
>> >> >> > > take
>> >> >> > > that
>> >> >> > > money and buy the client a 1TB external USB/SATA so that the
>> >> >> > > backups
>> >> >> > > (which can also back up a server, though not officially supported)
>> >> >> > > can be
>> >> >> > > moved offsite periodically.
>> >> >> > >
>> >> >> > > --
>> >> >> > > Merv Porter [SBS-MVP]
>> >> >> > > ============================
>> >> >> > >
>> >> >> > > "Joe#2" <Joe2@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
>> >> >> > > news:080712AB-7F28-446A-96A9-62E5ABFAC1D7@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> >> >> > >> At the SMB nation conference last month there was a lot of
>> >> >> > >> excitement
>> >> >> > >> about
>> >> >> > >> the X510 data vault.
>> >> >> > >>
>> >> >> > >> Today the mediasmart EX487 is very attractively priced. Several
>> >> >> > >> hundred
>> >> >> > >> less
>> >> >> > >> than the X510.
>> >> >> > >>
>> >> >> > >> Both are based on windows home server. Any comments on one vs the
>> >> >> > >> other?
>> >> >> > >> (I
>> >> >> > >> know the X510 has a faster cpu, but in an office with only 3 or 4
>> >> >> > >> computers
>> >> >> > >> that would not matter).
>> >> >> > >
>> >> >> > .
>> >> >> >
>> >> .
>> >>
>> .
>>
.

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