Managing Photo/Video Data

[thewaterisdeep]

Hi all,

 

I am seeking advice and suggestions for options on managing my photo and video data. I am a fresh college graduate with a limited budget so I am looking for a cost efficient solution without sacrificing too much usability and reliability. My experience and knowledge as it applies to computing is somewhat limited to the basics so I hope any suggestions can be made with that in mind. 

 

 

My Current Workflow

My current setup is an old 2nd Gen Drobo 4-Bay with about 18TB of data currently. On average, I produce about 30TB with each shoot I do (I do freelance photography). With my current workflow, I use a set of 2.5" external drives (1TB Touro S) to store incoming data. Off them I do my edits, clone a backup copy (using CarbonCopy Cloner), and offload the files periodically to my Drobo. I am also currently working off a 2013 Macbook Pro.

 

 

Next Setup

This workflow works but is somewhat limiting and slow. It's also easy to become disorganised with the data moving across multiple different drives. Lastly, it is also not the most secure in terms of having a solid backup system. I am looking to invest in a system that would allow me to have a second copy of all my data existing on my Drobo, while having plenty of space left to store future projects. It should also work with both Windows and Mac, as I am looking to build a PC in the near future to handle video editing projects. The new PC will hopefully have both Thunderbolt 3 and USB 3.1 connections. It will also be preferred if the solution allows me to easily add more storage as I go, or as higher capacity drives start to fall in prices.

 

 

My Research

Based on what I have read and seen, I have a few options in mind but none of them seem to really be a good fit.

• Hardware RAID – I understand that hardware RAID is probably the way to go because I want that cross compatibility with both Mac and Windows. Are there actually any software RAID solutions that will seamlessly work on both platforms?
   
• File format – With the file format system, I am thinking about using ExFAT to have both Mac and Windows compatibility. Are there any opinions against this?
   
• RAID 6 – I understand that RAID 6 will give me better protection than RAID 5. My preference is hence for perhaps a 5-bay enclosure with a RAID 6 configuration.
   
• NAS – My other option is a NAS. This is an area that I do not have much experience with. I know very little about networks and modems, and by extension how I can setup my NAS for fast data transfer. I also do not have an Ethernet port in my room but the router/modem (?) is in the living room (I live in an apartment). I am not sure if my wifi speeds will be fast enough for use with a NAS solution. I have watched a couple videos off the LTT YouTube channel and understand that I can custom build my own DIY NAS. In particular, Unraid seems interesting. This is plausible but I am unsure if I have the ability to troubleshoot if something does go wrong. Little to no downtime would be highly desirable. Off the shelf solutions seem rather expensive and I am unsure how to best pick between them for my needs (photo/video work), and if they will work with my router/modem (the free option provided by my ISP) and my desire Mac/Windows setup.

 

Options

As mentioned, I have found some possible options that do not quite fit the balance of price and performance but I will outline them here nonetheless:

 

• G-Tech: This option seems to be a popular choice amongst the creative community and seems to be a reliable option. They are quite pricey though and will be stretching what I can afford. They use a hardware RAID but currently don't have something that plugs over Thunderbolt 2 + USB 3.0 or Thunderbolt 3 + USB 3.1 and supports 20TB and bigger. One option is to use their Thunderbolt 2 only products, and rely on the Thunderbolt 3 to Thunderbolt 2 adapters later to connect the enclosure to my future machines. However I am not confident how well this will work (if at all) after looking at some existing reviews of these adapters from Apple and StarTech. Also, I think new models with Thunderbolt 3 and or USB 3.1 should be coming in the near future.
   
• LaCie: LaCie's 5Big enclosures are a possible option, though I am unsure how reliable they are. I have read some major issues with the machine from user reviews. Again this being a Thunderbolt 2 only device, I am betting on using an adapter to use on future machines. Also a pricey option like the G-Tech stuff.
   
• Akitio: I found that Akitio has a low-cost enclosure with USB 3.1 connection and hardware RAID with its NT3.1 model. The issue with this is that I will need to purchase two 10TB hard drives to be able to store all my data coming off my Drobo. That does not leave my with much space left. The total cost of this build after adding the hard drives is also high, and I feel I might be better off using that money on an enclosure with more drive bays.

 

Either way, for a direct attached solution, I will probably purchase two sets (albeit at different times) to ensure I have a second/third backup of my data.

 

 

Suggestions

If you have any suggestions or advice on how to best approach this, please let me know. Again I am looking for a solution that is a balance between price, read write performance, and reliability. It also needs to fulfil the option of connecting to both Mac and Windows. I have been fussing over this for a few months now, and have yet to figure out an ideal solution. Or if you've been in a similar situation or are actually facing the same issue, please comment too with your thoughts.

 

Thank you!

[fjdhdhcyfhf]

5 minutes ago, thewaterisdeep said:

Are there actually any software RAID solutions that will seamlessly work on both platforms?

nope.

5 minutes ago, thewaterisdeep said:

File format – With the file format system, I am thinking about using ExFAT to have both Mac and Windows compatibility. Are there any opinions against this?

FAT/ExFAT is the only true cross platform filesystem. NTFS should work but to be honest i dont think iv ever plugged in a NTFS drive to my mac. You can't use a gigabit network to transfer files?

7 minutes ago, thewaterisdeep said:

RAID 6 – I understand that RAID 6 will give me better protection than RAID 5

Do you intend to run a NAS 24/7 with hot spares?

7 minutes ago, thewaterisdeep said:

NAS – My other option is a NAS.

You will not get any benefit using a NAS for two computers. Just stick a large hard drive in your desktop and use file sharing over network. Also get a pair of USB drives to rotate off site for back up. The pair of USB drives will prob make the internal drive suggestion above redundant.