Multiple hard disks

[IAmATeaf]

So I’ve setup a BI server which has a 256gb SSD for the OS and 2 2Tb drives for storage. Looking at the config dialogs it suggests that I should point New and the Db at the fastest drive, so the SSD. When this hits a limit I can then tell it where to then move the vids to. How then can I utilise the 2nd drive for storage?

I have read various threads including one where the suggestion was to RAID the drives but I’d rather keep the drives as simple basic drives as opposed to RAID 1 where if 1 drive fails you loose the lot.

The only way I can think of doing this is to create another New folder, say New2 on the SSD and set this move vids at the limit to the 2nd drive. I can then set half the cams to use New and the other half to use New2.

Is my thinking above correct or is there another simpler way to make use of both of my drives?

 

[Walrus]

Don't put the new on the SSD. Write directly to the hard drives. Put half of your cameras on one HDD, half on the other.

Eg New folder is one HDD, Aux1 is the 2nd HDD.
Half your cameras record to New, half to Aux1.

 

[SouthernYankee]

Put the DB on the SSd
Put the new folder on one drive.
Put the aux1 on the other drive.
Do not use the stored folder.
Assign 1/2 your cameras to the new folder
Assign 1/2 you cameras to the aux1 folder.
Asign both new and aux1 to delete when drive is full.
Set limit size on each drive to 95% of total drive space. Never allocate 100% of disk space to bi.

 

[aristobrat]

x3, although when you start mixing in cameras with different resolution, you may not wind up with a 50/50 split if you’re trying to keep the number of days of history as close as possible.

 

[IAmATeaf]

Thanks peeps, I knew I was over complicating it. I had already setup New, Stored and Alerts folders on both drives but didn’t realise that I could bypass Stored. I also didn’t like the idea of putting New on the SSD as it would then need to be moved.

Doing as suggested above sorts out the issues but I’m still learning and I’m sure I’ll have plenty of dumb questions as I play around more.

 

[Walrus]

Alerts on SSD, not HDD.

 

[IAmATeaf]

I’ve now done as suggested but now the 2nd drive isn’t listed in the dropdown, I’ve created the thread below but anybody have any ideas?

Second drive not showing in drop down for camera?

 

[IAmATeaf]

Anybody have any ideas why the second disk isn’t being listed in the drop down?

 

[SouthernYankee]

Have you rebooted the computer after the changes. I have a similiar set up, but I did not change the bi folder alises

 

[IAmATeaf]

Have you rebooted the computer after the changes. I have a similiar set up, but I did not change the bi folder alises

Yep I tried that, also tried setting to a different folder but it still doesn’t show up as a selectable option in the drop down.

 

[essjay]

Interested in this.

What is the advantage of splitting your cameras across two drives VS putting "New" on Drive1 and "Stored" on Drive2 (when "New" is full, move to "Stored" on the other drive).

Obvious thought is that BI is not moving clips around but the other side of the coin, only 1 of your drives is constantly under pressure.

 

[Walrus]

Doing it your way, if the 'New' drive fails, you lose all recent footage for all cameras. Splitting it, you lose footage for half your cameras.

 

[toastie]

Whilst I read in the Forum many contributor's giving advice that the db goes on the SSD, New on the Hard Drive, this is not what is written in the BI manual.
My copy of the manual BI 5 Page 72 has, "Although New and Database should remain on your fastest storage possible because of frequent access...."

Has the advice changed recently in the manual, could there be a difference if you choose to record only triggered events not continuously in BI? Currently I have BI recording triggered events/clips, I have a NVR which records continuously which is also there as a back up.

Is there some concern about the premature failure of an SSD if there are frequent writes and reads?

 

[Walrus]

I think the manual means fast (local) storage, ie don't write directly over a network to a NAS.

The concern with writing to an SSD first, and then moving to a HDD, is actually wear & tear on the HDD. I have my clip files set to combine/cut to 1 hour. If I put new on the SSD and set the size to, say, 100GB, then move to stored on the HDD, once the system is up and running and the new is full, every hour it would be moving files to the HDD. Every hour the HDD would be spinning up, writing, and shutting down, 24x a day. The thought is, this is harder on the HDD than having it spinning all the time, running at a constant temperature.

Kind of like if you were driving a long distance. Cruise at a highway speed.. or start your car, floor it and drive 200mph for a few minutes, then come to a screeching halt and shut your car off, then do that again in an hour? What's better for the car?

Plus, depending on how many cams you have, the new folder on the SSD may only hold a few hours footage. If you then want to review footage from yesterday, you'll have a delay while the HDD spins up.