Need Hardware Storage Device Info

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Re: [SLE] Replacement Motherboard...

Greg Wallace

28 Mar 2005 28 Mar '05

23:26

I currently have an external hard drive container with a single hard drive capacity. I would like to have the ability to swap out hard-drives on a single device similar to this one except without having to go through all of the effort of screwing the drive down onto the mounts. I'm wondering if anyone manufactures a device that makes it simpler to remove and replace disk drives into the device. In my dreams, it might have some simple thumb screws too attach it to the mount so that all you would have to do is slip it in, connect the USB cable and power to the drive, tighten down the thumb screws, slip the cover over it, and plug it in and use it. I. e., you could change out a hard drive on this device in 5 minutes or less. Anyone out there know if there is such a device? Thanks, Greg Wallace

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Ken Schneider

28 Mar 28 Mar

23:32

New subject: [SLE] Need Hardware Storage Device Info

On Mon, 2005-03-28 at 14:26 -0900, Greg Wallace wrote:

...

I currently have an external hard drive container with a single hard drive capacity. I would like to have the ability to swap out hard-drives on a single device similar to this one except without having to go through all of the effort of screwing the drive down onto the mounts. I'm wondering if anyone manufactures a device that makes it simpler to remove and replace disk drives into the device. In my dreams, it might have some simple thumb screws too attach it to the mount so that all you would have to do is slip it in, connect the USB cable and power to the drive, tighten down the thumb screws, slip the cover over it, and plug it in and use it. I. e., you could change out a hard drive on this device in 5 minutes or less. Anyone out there know if there is such a device?

Thanks, Greg Wallace

A fellow I worked with, before I retired, was using a hot swap (I think) device that installed into one of the exposed trays. You might look into something like that. -- Ken Schneider UNIX since 1989, linux since 1994, SuSE since 1998 * Only reply to the list please* "The day Microsoft makes something that doesn't suck is probably the day they start making vacuum cleaners." -Ernst Jan Plugge

David Bottrill

23:33

New subject: [SLE] Need Hardware Storage Device Info

On Tuesday 29 March 2005 00:26, Greg Wallace wrote:

...

I currently have an external hard drive container with a single hard drive capacity. I would like to have the ability to swap out hard-drives on a single device similar to this one except without having to go through all of the effort of screwing the drive down onto the mounts. I'm wondering if anyone manufactures a device that makes it simpler to remove and replace disk drives into the device. In my dreams, it might have some simple thumb screws too attach it to the mount so that all you would have to do is slip it in, connect the USB cable and power to the drive, tighten down the thumb screws, slip the cover over it, and plug it in and use it. I. e., you could change out a hard drive on this device in 5 minutes or less. Anyone out there know if there is such a device?

You may have to change your hard drive container, but if you get one that will take a standard CD drive then you could fit a standard 5 1/4 inch hard drive caddy. -- David Bottrill david@bottrill.org www.bottrill.org Registered Linux user number 330730 Internet SIP Phone: 1-747-244-2699

Christopher Shanahan

23:45

New subject: [SLE] Need Hardware Storage Device Info

On Monday 28 March 2005 18:26, Greg Wallace wrote:

...

I currently have an external hard drive container with a single hard drive capacity. I would like to have the ability to swap out hard-drives on a single device similar to this one except without having to go through all of the effort of screwing the drive down onto the mounts. I'm wondering if anyone manufactures a device that makes it simpler to remove and replace disk drives into the device. In my dreams, it might have some simple thumb screws too attach it to the mount so that all you would have to do is slip it in, connect the USB cable and power to the drive, tighten down the thumb screws, slip the cover over it, and plug it in and use it. I. e., you could change out a hard drive on this device in 5 minutes or less. Anyone out there know if there is such a device?

Thanks, Greg Wallace

Check out the drive bays sold by Wiebetech (wiebetech.com). They offer USB and Firewire (400 and 800) bays with a lot of functionality, including ease of use. Might be exactly what you're looking for. HTH Christopher Shanahan

Greg Wallace

29 Mar 29 Mar

08:39

New subject: [SLE] Need Hardware Storage Device Info

...

On Monday 28 March 2005 18:26, Greg Wallace wrote:

...
I currently have an external hard drive container with a single hard drive capacity. I would like to have the ability to swap out hard-drives on a single device similar to this one except without having to go through all of the effort of screwing the drive down onto the mounts. I'm wondering if anyone manufactures a device that makes it simpler to remove and replace disk drives into the device. In my dreams, it might have some simple

...

...
screws too attach it to the mount so that all you would have to do is slip it in, connect the USB cable and power to the drive, tighten down the

On Monday, March 28, 2005 @ 2:45 PM, Christopher Shanahan wrote: thumb thumb

...

...
screws, slip the cover over it, and plug it in and use it. I. e., you could change out a hard drive on this device in 5 minutes or less. Anyone out there know if there is such a device?

Thanks, Greg Wallace

...

Check out the drive bays sold by Wiebetech (wiebetech.com). They offer USB and Firewire (400 and 800) bays with a lot of functionality, including ease of use. Might be exactly what you're looking for.

...

HTH Christopher Shanahan

I just took a look at the site you mention. Looks like they have a device that does what I was looking for. http://www.wiebetech.com/products/traydock.php Looks like it's $169.95 for the base and one drawer, then $49.95 per drawer after that. So, for two drives, we're talking $219.90. Looks like it works like a Linksys EFGnnn network device where you mount the drives in drawers and then slide them in and lock the drawer in place with a small key (looks like a key hole on it in the drawing). To do a swap on the Linksys devices, you power down, insert the key and unlock the drawer, slide it out, slide in another drawer, lock it back in, and then power back up. There are pins inside the base and plugs on the back of the drawer so that when you slide the drawer in, it automatically plugs in to the back of the base. Assuming this is the same concept except for it being USB instead of networked storage, it's basically what I was looking for. Some single containers I was looking at come out not too far under that price if you were to buy two of them, though the fixed tray devices would be at least $50 cheaper overall. I'll have to think on it a bit, but, as I say, that is what I was looking for. Thanks, Greg Wallace

James Knott

00:21

New subject: [SLE] Need Hardware Storage Device Info

Greg Wallace wrote:

...

I currently have an external hard drive container with a single hard drive capacity. I would like to have the ability to swap out hard-drives on a single device similar to this one except without having to go through all of the effort of screwing the drive down onto the mounts. I'm wondering if anyone manufactures a device that makes it simpler to remove and replace disk drives into the device. In my dreams, it might have some simple thumb screws too attach it to the mount so that all you would have to do is slip it in, connect the USB cable and power to the drive, tighten down the thumb screws, slip the cover over it, and plug it in and use it. I. e., you could change out a hard drive on this device in 5 minutes or less. Anyone out there know if there is such a device?

Well, there are those slide in trays, which fit in a 5.25" bay and hold a drive. But by the time you've paid for one of those, you've pretty well covered the cost of another external drive case. If you're using USB to connect the drives, it's probably easiest to get more external drive cases.

Mike McMullin

10:58

New subject: [SLE] Need Hardware Storage Device Info

On Mon, 2005-03-28 at 18:26, Greg Wallace wrote:

...

I currently have an external hard drive container with a single hard drive capacity. I would like to have the ability to swap out hard-drives on a single device similar to this one except without having to go through all of the effort of screwing the drive down onto the mounts. I'm wondering if anyone manufactures a device that makes it simpler to remove and replace disk drives into the device. In my dreams, it might have some simple thumb screws too attach it to the mount so that all you would have to do is slip it in, connect the USB cable and power to the drive, tighten down the thumb screws, slip the cover over it, and plug it in and use it. I. e., you could change out a hard drive on this device in 5 minutes or less. Anyone out there know if there is such a device?

IIRC there are USB 2.0 external hd bays that you can buy. You buy the bay and supply the hd.

Kevanf1

14:42

New subject: [SLE] Need Hardware Storage Device Info

On Tue, 29 Mar 2005 05:58:17 -0500, Mike McMullin wrote:

...

On Mon, 2005-03-28 at 18:26, Greg Wallace wrote:

...
I currently have an external hard drive container with a single hard drive capacity. I would like to have the ability to swap out hard-drives on a single device similar to this one except without having to go through all of the effort of screwing the drive down onto the mounts. I'm wondering if anyone manufactures a device that makes it simpler to remove and replace disk drives into the device. In my dreams, it might have some simple thumb screws too attach it to the mount so that all you would have to do is slip it in, connect the USB cable and power to the drive, tighten down the thumb screws, slip the cover over it, and plug it in and use it. I. e., you could change out a hard drive on this device in 5 minutes or less. Anyone out there know if there is such a device?

IIRC there are USB 2.0 external hd bays that you can buy. You buy the bay and supply the hd.

-- Check the headers for your unsubscription address For additional commands send e-mail to suse-linux-e-help@suse.com Also check the archives at http://lists.suse.com Please read the FAQs: suse-linux-e-faq@suse.com

Have you thought about using a hard drive caddy? I don't know if this is what you are really after but it takes the form of a rack type mount that fits into a 5.25 bay in your PC. Into this rack fits a removable tray that will lock into place using a key. Buy a couple and you can swap them around. Sorry if this is totally off track but I use them in all of my PCs and find them indispensible now. The main downside to using them is that you lose the hot plugging ability that you have with USB. When you want to change a drive you have to power down. -- Take care. Kevan Farmer 34 Hill Street Cheslyn Hay Staffordshire WS6 7HR

Greg Wallace

30 Mar 30 Mar

01:04

New subject: [SLE] Need Hardware Storage Device Info

...

On Tue, 29 Mar 2005 05:58:17 -0500, Mike McMullin wrote:

...
On Mon, 2005-03-28 at 18:26, Greg Wallace wrote:

...
I currently have an external hard drive container with a single hard drive capacity. I would like to have the ability to swap out hard-drives on a single device similar to this one except without having to go through all of the effort of screwing the drive down onto the mounts. I'm wondering if anyone manufactures a device that makes it simpler to remove and replace disk drives into the device. In my dreams, it might have some simple

...

...
...
screws too attach it to the mount so that all you would have to do is slip it in, connect the USB cable and power to the drive, tighten down the

On Tuesday, March 29, 2005 @ 5:42 AM, Kevan Farmer wrote: thumb thumb

...

...
...
screws, slip the cover over it, and plug it in and use it. I. e., you could change out a hard drive on this device in 5 minutes or less. Anyone out there know if there is such a device?

IIRC there are USB 2.0 external hd bays that you can buy. You buy the bay and supply the hd.

Have you thought about using a hard drive caddy? I don't know if this is what you are really after but it takes the form of a rack type mount that fits into a 5.25 bay in your PC. Into this rack fits a removable tray that will lock into place using a key. Buy a couple and you can swap them around. Sorry if this is totally off track but I use them in all of my PCs and find them indispensible now. The main downside to using them is that you lose the hot plugging ability that you have with USB. When you want to change a drive you have to power down.

-- Take care. Kevan Farmer

...

34 Hill Street Cheslyn Hay Staffordshire WS6 7HR

My SuSE Linux machine is a desktop with one hard-drive slot. I need to attach storage via an External USB connection. So, I'd need a rack that can be set up that way. Thanks, Greg Wallace

James Knott

01:47

New subject: [SLE] Need Hardware Storage Device Info

Greg Wallace wrote:

...

My SuSE Linux machine is a desktop with one hard-drive slot. I need to attach storage via an External USB connection. So, I'd need a rack that can be set up that way.

The USB external cases aren't that expensive. They'll do all you want.

Greg Wallace

04:16

New subject: [SLE] Need Hardware Storage Device Info

-----Original Message----- From: James Knott [mailto:james.knott@rogers.com] Sent: Tuesday, March 29, 2005 4:48 PM To: suse-linux-e@suse.com Subject: Re: [SLE] Need Hardware Storage Device Info On Tuesday, March 29, 2005 @4:48 PM James Knott wrote:

...

Greg Wallace wrote:

...

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My SuSE Linux machine is a desktop with one hard-drive slot. I need to attach storage via an External USB connection. So, I'd need a rack that can be set up that way.

...

The USB external cases aren't that expensive. They'll do all you want.

Well James, looks like maybe I didn't look hard enough the first time I went web searching. I found a hard drive caddy with a removable rack that appears to do all I want for $59.98 + $19.99 for the second tray! http://www.coolgear.com/productdetails1.cfm?sku=USBG-DKUS1&catid=315,131,168 &cats= Others had mentioned hard drive caddies, but when I looked at a few the first time around, I didn't see that they did what I needed. I just didn't quite get how the worked. Thanks, Greg W

Kevanf1

12:43

New subject: [SLE] Need Hardware Storage Device Info

On Tue, 29 Mar 2005 19:16:32 -0900, Greg Wallace wrote:

...

-----Original Message----- From: James Knott [mailto:james.knott@rogers.com] Sent: Tuesday, March 29, 2005 4:48 PM To: suse-linux-e@suse.com Subject: Re: [SLE] Need Hardware Storage Device Info

On Tuesday, March 29, 2005 @4:48 PM James Knott wrote:

...
Greg Wallace wrote:

...
...
My SuSE Linux machine is a desktop with one hard-drive slot. I need to attach storage via an External USB connection. So, I'd need a rack that can be set up that way.

...
The USB external cases aren't that expensive. They'll do all you want.

Well James, looks like maybe I didn't look hard enough the first time I went web searching. I found a hard drive caddy with a removable rack that appears to do all I want for $59.98 + $19.99 for the second tray!

http://www.coolgear.com/productdetails1.cfm?sku=USBG-DKUS1&catid=315,131,168 &cats=

Others had mentioned hard drive caddies, but when I looked at a few the first time around, I didn't see that they did what I needed. I just didn't quite get how the worked.

Thanks, Greg W

-- Check the headers for your unsubscription address For additional commands send e-mail to suse-linux-e-help@suse.com Also check the archives at http://lists.suse.com Please read the FAQs: suse-linux-e-faq@suse.com

That's exactly the sort of thing that I use but in the PC itself. The only difference is that this one has a USB interface and an exterior box. That price looks a bit hefty to me. I would have thought a max' of about $20US. They retail for about £10UK. -- Take care. Kevan Farmer 34 Hill Street Cheslyn Hay Staffordshire WS6 7HR

Greg Wallace

20:10

New subject: [SLE] Need Hardware Storage Device Info

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On Tue, 29 Mar 2005 19:16:32 -0900, Greg Wallace wrote:

...
On Tuesday, March 29, 2005 @4:48 PM James Knott wrote:

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Greg Wallace wrote:

...
...
My SuSE Linux machine is a desktop with one hard-drive slot. I need

to

...
...
...
attach storage via an External USB connection. So, I'd need a rack

-----Original Message----- From: Kevanf1 [mailto:kevanf1@gmail.com] Sent: Wednesday, March 30, 2005 3:43 AM To: suse-linux-e@suse.com Subject: Re: [SLE] Need Hardware Storage Device Info On Wednesday, March 30, 2005 @ 3:43 AM, Kevan Farmer wrote: that

...

...
can

...
...
be set up that way.

...
The USB external cases aren't that expensive. They'll do all you want.

Well James, looks like maybe I didn't look hard enough the first time I went web searching. I found a hard drive caddy with a removable rack that appears to do all I want for $59.98 + $19.99 for the second tray!

http://www.coolgear.com/productdetails1.cfm?sku=USBG-DKUS1&catid=315,131,168

...
&cats=

Others had mentioned hard drive caddies, but when I looked at a few the first time around, I didn't see that they did what I needed. I just didn't quite get how the worked.

Thanks, Greg W

That's exactly the sort of thing that I use but in the PC itself. The only difference is that this one has a USB interface and an exterior box. That price looks a bit hefty to me. I would have thought a max' of about $20US. They retail for about £10UK.

...

-- Take care. Kevan Farmer

...

34 Hill Street Cheslyn Hay Staffordshire WS6 7HR Kevan: $200? But this one is only $59.98 + $19.99 = $79.97. The only thing I'm wondering is why it's so much less expensive than the Wiebetech that would cost $219.90. Seems like there has to be some significant difference, but the Coolgear device certainly sounds like it does what I'm needing.

Greg W.

Kevanf1

20:50

New subject: [SLE] Need Hardware Storage Device Info

On Wed, 30 Mar 2005 11:10:21 -0900, Greg Wallace wrote:

...

...
On Tue, 29 Mar 2005 19:16:32 -0900, Greg Wallace wrote:

...
On Tuesday, March 29, 2005 @4:48 PM James Knott wrote:

...
Greg Wallace wrote:

...
...
My SuSE Linux machine is a desktop with one hard-drive slot. I need

to

...
...
...
attach storage via an External USB connection. So, I'd need a rack

-----Original Message----- From: Kevanf1 [mailto:kevanf1@gmail.com] Sent: Wednesday, March 30, 2005 3:43 AM To: suse-linux-e@suse.com Subject: Re: [SLE] Need Hardware Storage Device Info On Wednesday, March 30, 2005 @ 3:43 AM, Kevan Farmer wrote: that

...
...
can

...
...
be set up that way.

...
The USB external cases aren't that expensive. They'll do all you want.

Well James, looks like maybe I didn't look hard enough the first time I went web searching. I found a hard drive caddy with a removable rack that appears to do all I want for $59.98 + $19.99 for the second tray!

http://www.coolgear.com/productdetails1.cfm?sku=USBG-DKUS1&catid=315,131,168

...
&cats=

Others had mentioned hard drive caddies, but when I looked at a few the first time around, I didn't see that they did what I needed. I just didn't quite get how the worked.

Thanks, Greg W

That's exactly the sort of thing that I use but in the PC itself. The only difference is that this one has a USB interface and an exterior box. That price looks a bit hefty to me. I would have thought a max' of about $20US. They retail for about £10UK.

...
-- Take care. Kevan Farmer

...
34 Hill Street Cheslyn Hay Staffordshire WS6 7HR Kevan: $200? But this one is only $59.98 + $19.99 = $79.97. The only thing I'm wondering is why it's so much less expensive than the Wiebetech that would cost $219.90. Seems like there has to be some significant difference, but the Coolgear device certainly sounds like it does what I'm needing.

Greg W.

-- Check the headers for your unsubscription address For additional commands send e-mail to suse-linux-e-help@suse.com Also check the archives at http://lists.suse.com Please read the FAQs: suse-linux-e-faq@suse.com

He, he :-) Greg I think you may have misread my post, not $200 but $20 I added the US to denote US dollars as that's what I imagine they would retail for comparing them to UK prices. However, that is for an internal version. I would imagine the USB external one would come with some sort of powersupply. They normally do being as a hard drive probably would need more power than is supplied by the USB port. Of course I could be wrong as scanners etc can be powered this way. Anyway, a thought. Do you have an internal 5.25 bay free? Have you considered putting you main HD in the internal one configured as master then getting a drive bay such as I mentioned to work internally and put this in the exposed bay as slave? I've done this succesfully with my PC's. It's perfect for swapping around drives between my Window$ Pc and my Linux one. -- Take care. Kevan Farmer 34 Hill Street Cheslyn Hay Staffordshire WS6 7HR

Danny Sauer

2 Apr 2 Apr

17:53

New subject: [SLE] Need Hardware Storage Device Info

On Monday 28 March 2005 05:26 pm, Greg Wallace wrote:

...

I currently have an external hard drive container with a single hard drive capacity. I would like to have the ability to swap out hard-drives on a single device similar to this one except without having to go through all of the effort of screwing the drive down onto the mounts. I'm wondering if anyone manufactures a device that makes it simpler to remove and replace disk drives into the device. In my dreams, it might have some simple thumb screws too attach it to the mount so that all you would have to do is slip it in, connect the USB cable and power to the drive, tighten down the thumb screws, slip the cover over it, and plug it in and use it. I. e., you could change out a hard drive on this device in 5 minutes or less. Anyone out there know if there is such a device?

Genica is one brand that makes cheap hot-swap IDE enclosures. I'm presently using 10 of them in a couple of systems - on a 3Ware Escalade card internally and in some firewire enclosures externally. You don't get hot-swap on most motherboard's IDE controllers, since hotswapping isn't supported, but in external enclosures like USB/ieee1394 and on RAID cards / other cards with support, you can. So, get one of these cages (this is just the lowest price place on froogle.com): http://store.yahoo.com/outletpc/c0177.html They're $10 at that place, I wouldn't pay more than $15. Get 2 if you want 2 drawers, but I just lay my drives in there instead of mounting them with screws. They fit tightly enough, and are really easy to swap out when needed. Then, get any arbitrary external 5.25" drive enclosure. I'm using Firewire, but USB is just as cheap. Again, here's the first thing I found on Froogle: http://www.ocie.com/metacart/product.asp?intProdID=2391505 $15. So, for $25+shipping you have your hot-swap tool-free setup. If you have an external enclosure, you may have to power cycle (or unplug/plug) the thing for your OS to detect the changed drive. --Danny

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participants (8)

Christopher Shanahan
Danny Sauer
David Bottrill
Greg Wallace
James Knott
Ken Schneider
Kevanf1
Mike McMullin