Use of 2x HDDs worth considering?

Hello guys,

Lately we got recommended getting a batch of laptops (mobile workstations) customised with 1x SSD (RAID0) + 2x 2.5-inch 1TB HDDs - consultant suggests the 2nd HDD will make proper risk contingency on vPro systems.

Scenario 1 they say: any time electronics of OS disk (SSD RAID0) fail you always get more than one HDD to restore OS with, which allows more options available for vPro remote repair and a better risk plan.​

Does that make sense at all?
But also how can this 1x SSD RAID0 + 2x HDDs configuration be beneficial in other ways?

We are a start-up in CAD business (automobile engineering) and have lots of gigantic 3D models to deal with daily by the way - just would like to know if these large storage vPro PCs suit our needs.

Apologies for my inferior knowledge in regard to IT should this seem to be one dumb question.
Thank you all very much indeed for any ideas.

Regards

 

RAID 1 is what you are talking about... Honestly, SSD's aren't too expensive and they'll give you much better performance especially when dealing with huge 3D models.. A 960GB SSD can be had for $200... So you can have a SSD for the OS, about 240GB size and then 2 960GB SSDs for your CAD stuff..

 

@ulubiony while vPro is a good thing on paper, it is pretty much undocumented, or at least this documentation isn't publicly available. How large is your fleet? It may be better to skip vPro altogether - especially if it saves you some $$$ you can invest in SSDs instead.

 

Too few details and many assumptions (on my part) here, but let's start with how much the consultant is charging for this? And is he connected in any way to the hardware (kickbacks, etc.).

I would suggest you put your money towards a complete 'extra' system that you can put into production use with instead of trying to save redundant layers of backups of the system. Data backups? Yes, you need redundant backups as much as you are willing to pay for (and then some). For backups (data) I recommend multiple NAS' configured to backup each other daily/nightly and with the capabilities that any one of them can handle the normal traffic until the one that is offline is brought up again.

In summary; if it is a system backup you need; get a supplementary system (not a useless backup of the O/S install...). If you are in need of data backup; dual NAS as described along with multiple external drives which are rotated and at least one stored offsite.

Backing up the O/S and programs without a working system to restore to is a little shortsighted, imo. VPro? Just say no.

 

SSD failure can't be discounted although HDD failure is more probable. I would have a backup image of OS + software installation (preferably standard for all the machines) and then it's only the data which need the backups (perhaps a combination of full and incremental). Off-machine backups protects against total machine failure or loss.

John

 

Thanks guys for your most valuable perspectives.

But scenario 1 can also happen 'when you're on a business trip where there's no way to see the IT guy in person - now vPro can remotely restore OS onto HDD no.2 (for risk plan) besides HDD no.1 (for general data storage only)' so they say.

I'm not sure whether or not that can possibly be done though.

Our CAD works normally take up around 20GB/each assembly and so large HDD storage is def helpful, but not so sure about vPro (would like to know whether this 'vPro+2-HDD' package makes any sense though.)

 

Scenario 1 is a scare tactic from my perspective.

If you go on a business trip with a singe working computer you deserve whatever happens to you.

You need a working backup (and then a working backup of the backup for the really important clients). Relying on a remote IT guy to 'restore to second HDD' sounds good for a bad movie plot... but a working computer is the real world actual 'hero'.

Have multiple (identical) systems ready to go. Have multiple copies of the data. Be ready for almost anything.

And if you have enough copies of the above and you're still not ready to tackle the world? Probably won't matter much then...

(You'll have something much bigger than computer issues to be worrying about).

 

The first thing I pack when I go on a trip is a spare PSU as that's usually the first part to die.

Then I would think about an external drive with an image, at least for the OS partition, and this can also be used for backups of work in progress. The portable SSDs which are now available are faster than internal hard drives so backing up will be quick and protects against loss of the computer.

John

 

John, that is a start. But if the actual computer (hardware) dies, gets stolen or has an accident, those precautions won't help.

If your business (ask yourself; do you make money solely from computers?) or business clients are important enough; a second (third, fourth...) computer is not optional. It is just common sense.

 

I was trying to make the point that having dual internal hard drives will offer even less protection against that type of event than a portable external backup (which isn't carried in the computer bag). Losing a stack of work is far more catastrophic than losing the computer.

John

 

Yeah, true. But for some, losing work and losing the computer are one and the same.

 

Yeah, thanks for insights, guys!

A) won't matter whatever number of hard drives if that particular PC's stolen.
B) external drives make better risk plan than added security layers in one very PC
C) vPro remote IT guy doing movie plots is probably just a gimmick (to some it's probably got better use but not our team)

We'd only consider storage advantages rather than anything about risk mgt.

Thanks tilleroftheearth, John, Starlight5, TomJGX.
Have a great day.

 

It would be easier (and more secure) to periodically clone the drive to a high capacity USB thumb drive. You can get 64 GB thumb drives for under $30 US.

Continue with your incremental backups to a off-site server; set a schedule that every week or two you plug in a thumb drive and do a complete clone of the partition. Keep 2-3 thumb drives for each device, rotate them so you have complete clones, taken every two weeks for the past six weeks. Lock those up in a little fireproof box, cabinet or safe, maybe inside of anti-static bags to keep them from getting accidentally zapped.

Even if you have an employee who knows they are quitting (or going to be fired) you can re-create their machine as long as it was not to a state any older than six weeks ago.

If you need more stringent copies kept for disaster recovery then make it mandatory once a week. Using USB 3.0 it should take less than 15 minutes to clone a 64 GB drive. Then if something happens, the laptop is stolen, crushed by a truck or dropped off a fishing boat, you can recreate the entire machine on similar hardware.