These days it is important for contemporary businesses to purchase network equipment if only to get their goods or services on the web. This outlay is due not solely to the costs of buying the equipment, but also because these units need frequent updating, regular maintenance, and repairs, which often must be performed by some IT professional services. And of course having a computer systems down whether for scheduled upgrades or emergency repairs results in a highly painful profit loss. Used computer hardware can reduce the basic outlay by a large sum and appeals particularly to new businesses and professional individuals working by themselves. Therefore, the idea of sourcing used processors and second hand data storage is especially attractive. Nearly any hardware involved in running a company can be bought second hand, saving a fortune in total.
Another advantage to using second-hand IT units is availability. Nonetheless getting second-hand equipment to meet your requirements may sometimes seem to be a herculean undertaking, specially if you know you need second-hand HP 9000 servers for example. Truth be said, buying second-hand is pain-free when you join forces with efficient suppliers. More often than not you can ask for your favored brand or model. Many of the issues with new technologies don’t come to light until the hardware has already been introduced. This can trigger patching and upgrading the hardware. At times, the new IT equipment causes so much trouble that companies just cut their losses and replace it with something else after a miscarried attempt at implementation.
Of course used computer hardware has the advantage of having been tried and tested exhaustively. You won’t have to waste time sorting out the issues commonly associated with new hardware. Additionally, as every item is painstakingly reconditioned prior to sale, there’s no need to worry about the quality. The key to getting the correct used equipment is using the best suppliers. Contact a few and find someone with experience in the industry. Doing this ensures the units you need are in good working order. And in case something goes wrong, make sure your purchases are backed up by a guarantee.
The evidence shows that the benefits of buying used IT equipment are more than simply financial. With a greater range, fewer issues, and better value for money, you will never want to go back to purchasing new items again.
A couple of the recent Tech Tips from www.geeks.com have made mention of RAID, but the level of detail required in those tips didn’t shed much light on what RAID actually is. The number of e-mail responses and comments in the Readers Digress section was convincing enough that an introduction to the basics of RAID would be an appropriate Tech Tip, so here it is.
Introduction
The word RAID sounds like it might describe something Marines conduct in Fallujah, or a can of what all roaches fear, but it is simply an acronym that stands for Redundant Array of Independent (or Inexpensive) Disks. Depending on who you talk to, the letter “I” can stand for either independent or inexpensive, but in my opinion independent is more appropriate, and far less subjective.
RAID generally allows data to be written to multiple hard disk drives so that a failure of any one drive in the array does not result in the loss of any data, as well as increasing the system’s fault tolerance. I say RAID generally does this, as there are several RAID configurations that provide different approaches to redundancy, but some RAID configurations are not redundant at all. Fault tolerance refers to a system’s ability to continue operating when presented with a hardware (or software) failure, as should be experienced when a hard drive fails in one of the redundant configurations of RAID.
The Hardware
The basic hardware required to run RAID includes a set of matched hard drives and a RAID controller.
RAID can be run on any type of hard drive, including SCSI, SATA, and ATA. The number of hard drives required is dependent on the particular RAID configuration chosen, as described later. I mention the need for matched hard drives, and although this is not absolutely necessary, it is recommended. Most arrays will only be able to use the capacity of the smallest drive, so if a 250GB Hitachi drive is added to a RAID configuration with an 80GB Hitachi drive, that extra 170GB would probably go to waste (the only time that this doesn’t apply is in a RAID configuration called JBOD (Just a Bunch Of Disks); which really “isn’t a RAID configuration” but just a convenient thing that a RAID controller can do - see “Basic RAID Configurations” below for more information). In addition to matching capacities, it is highly recommended that drives match in terms of speed and transfer rate as the performance of the array would be restricted by the weakest drive used. One more area that should be considered while matching is the type of hard drive. RAID controllers are generally for either SCSI, SATA, or ATA exclusively, although some systems allow RAID arrays to be operated across controllers of different formats.
The RAID controller is where the data cables from the hard drives are connected, and conducts all of the processing of the data, like the typical drive connections found on a motherboard. RAID controllers are available as add on cards, such as this Silicon Image PCI ATA RAID controller, or integrated into motherboards, such as the SATA RAID controller found on the Asus K8V SE Deluxe (http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=K8VSE-DELUXE). Motherboards that include RAID controllers can be operated without the use of RAID, but the integration is a nice feature to have if RAID is a consideration. Even for systems without onboard RAID, the relatively low cost of add on cards makes this part of the upgrade relatively pain free.
Another piece of hardware that is not required, but may prove useful in a RAID array is a hot swappable drive bay. It allows a failed hard drive to be removed from a live system by simply unlocking the bay and sliding the drive cage out of the case. A new drive can then be slid in, locked into place, and the system won’t skip a beat. This is typically seen on SCSI RAID arrays, but some IDE RAIDS cards will also allow this (such as this product manufactured by Promise Technology: http://www.promise.com/product/product_detail_eng.asp?productId=92&familyId=7).
The Software
RAID can be run on any modern operating system provided that the appropriate drivers are available from the RAID controller’s manufacturer. A computer with the operating system and all of the software already installed on one drive can be easily be cloned to another single drive by using software like Norton Ghost. But it is not as easy when going to RAID, as a user who wants to have their existing system with a single bootable hard drive upgraded to RAID must start from the beginning. This implies that the operating system and all software needs to be re-installed from scratch, and all key data must be backed up to be restored on the new RAID array.
If a RAID array is desired in a system for use as storage, but not as the location for the operating system, things get much easier. The existing hard drive can remain intact, and the necessary configuration can be made to add the RAID array without starting from scratch.
Basic RAID Configurations
There are about a dozen different types of RAID that I know of, and I will describe five of the more typical configurations, and usually offered on RAID controller cards.
RAID 0 is one of the configurations that does not provide redundancy, making it arguably not a true RAID array. Using at least two disks, RAID 0 writes data to the two drives in an alternating fashion, referred to as striping. If you had 8 chunks of data, for example, chunk 1, 3, 5, and 7 would be written to the first drive, and chunk 2, 4, 6, and 8 would be written to the second drive, but all in sequential order. This process of splitting the data across drives allows for a theoretical performance boost of up to double the speed of a single hard drive, but real world results will generally not be nearly that good. Since all data is not written to each disk, the failure of any one drive in the array generally results in a complete loss of data. RAID 0 is good for people who need to access large files quickly, or just demand high performance across the board (i.e. gaming systems). The capacity of a RAID 0 array is equal to the sum of the individual drives. So, if two 160GB Seagate drives were in a RAID 0 array, the total capacity would be 320GB.
RAID 1 is one of the most basic arrays that provides redundancy. Using at least two hard drives, all data is written to both drives in a method referred to as mirroring. Each drive’s contents are identical to each other, so if one drive fails, the system could continue operating on the remaining good drive, making it an ideal choice for those who value their data. There is no performance increase as in RAID 0, and in fact there may be a slight decrease compared to a single drive system as the data is processed and written to both drives. The capacity of a RAID 1 array is equal to half the capacity of the sum of individual drives. Using those same two 160GB Seagate drives from above in RAID 1 would result in a total capacity of 160GB.
RAID 0+1, as the name may imply, is a combination of RAID 0 and RAID 1. You have the best of both worlds, the performance boost of RAID 0 and the redundancy of RAID 1. A minimum of four drives is required to implement RAID 0+1, where all data is written in both a mirrored and striped fashion to the four drives. Using the 8 chunks of data from the example above, the write pattern would be something like this… Chunks 1, 3, 5, and 7 would be written to drives one and three, and chunks 2, 4, 6, and 8 would be written to drives two and four, again in a sequential manner. If one drive should fail, the system and data are still intact. The capacity of a RAID 0+1 array is equal to half the total capacity of the individual drives. So, using four of the 160 GB Seagate drives results in a total capacity of 320GB when configured in RAID 0+1.
RAID 5 may be the most powerful RAID configuration for the typical user, with three (or five) disks required. Data is striped across all drives in the array, and in addition, parity information is striped as well. This parity information is basically a check on the data being written, so even though all data is not being written to all the drives in the array, the parity information can be used to reconstruct a lost drive in case of failure. Perhaps a bit difficult to describe, so let’s go back to the example of the 8 chunks of data now being written to 3 drives in a RAID 5 array. Chunks one and two would be written to drive one and two respectively, with a corresponding parity chunk being written to drive three. Chunks three and four would then be written to drives one and three respectively, with the corresponding parity chunk being written to drive two. Chunks five and six would be written to drives two and three, with the corresponding parity chunk being written to drive one. Chunks seven and eight take us back to the beginning with the data being written to drives one and two, and the parity chunk being written to drive three. It might not sound like it, but due to the parity information being written to the drive not containing that specific bits of information, there is full redundancy. The capacity of a RAID 5 array is equal to the sum of the capacities of all the drives used, minus one drive. So, using three of the 160GB Seagate drives, the total capacity is 320GB when configured in RAID 5.
JBOD is another non-redundant configuration, which does not really offer a true RAID array. JBOD stands for Just a Bunch Of Disks (or Drives), and that is basically all that it is. RAID controllers that support JBOD allow users to ignore the RAID functions available and simply attach drives as they would to a standard drive controller. No redundancy, no performance boost, just additional connections for adding more drives to a system. A smart thing that JBOD does is that it can treat the odd sized drives as if they are a single volume (thus a 10GB drive and a 30GB would be seen as a single 40GB drive), so it is good to use if you have a bunch of odd sized drives sitting around - but otherwise it is better to go with a RAID 0, 1 or 0+1 configuration to get the performance boost, redundancy or both.
Final Words
Implementing RAID may sound daunting to those unfamiliar with the concept, but with some of the more basic configurations it is not much more involved than setting up a computer to use a standard drive controller. But, the benefits of RAID over a single drive system far outweigh the extra consideration required during installation. Losing data once due to hard drive failure may be all that is required to convince anyone that RAID is right for them, but why wait until that happens.
Computer Geeks tech tips and computer advice
In the present day countless shoppers are selecting to become careful with their finances in the face of the numerous economical challenges around at the moment. They are shopping a good deal more intelligently and are promptly becoming cautious about where precisely to spend their cash. Thinking cautiously about basic acquisitions for the home is considerably important in order to decrease energy consumption. The 4 various types of American fridge freezers on sale are the top-mounted, bottom-mounted, side-by-side and chest freezer.
The top mounted freezer is definitely the most purchased type and consumes ten to twenty-five percent less energy than any other model of freezer. It’s just the thing for the prudent shopper who also needs a lot of space. It’s also extremely important to find a fridge freezer that is the correct size for the room in order to reduce energy usage. Whilst this model of fridge freezer is the most chosen in many houses, it’s tough for children as well as shorter adults to lay their hands on products stored at the back of the freezer.
Another American fridge freezer not normally seen in many kitchens nowadays is the bottom-mounted series. It is rather more costly than the top-mounted freezer. This model of freezer is in essence the identical design but it is much more handy when accessing stored products. The bottom-mounted could come with either a freezer drawer or swinging style door. This brand of freezer can be bought in only a handful of styles. Search on the Internet for an array of electrical products such as; American fridge freezers , freezers and electric fire suites from leading brands.
The side-by-side fridge freezer is by far the most costly of the styles. It’s splendid for a gallery style kitchen since its space efficient having sleek, slender doors. The side-by-side American fridge freezer may have countless extras like that of an indoor water and ice unit, or an ice crusher. The most recent models are also adorned with a LCD TV integrated into the doors. It’s possible to get your hands on a fridge freezer that goes with or compliment the decoration of your kitchen, so that it blends stylishly into the room.
The chest freezer isn’t attached to a refrigerator and can therefore stand upright. It offers the most available room for keeping food and is brilliant for the larger family. The chest freezer might perhaps be procured with a temperature control device and audible alarms that start when the temperature rises too high. If a chest freezer is procured without a defroster, the ice will have to periodically be removed.
Whether you live by yourself or have a large family to share food with, the fridge freezer has become a necessity in a great deal of households where few could live without. When looking for this item, it is considerably important to write down the particular design of your house and family dynamics in order to make the best decision you can.
Household decor partisans recognize that water fountains come in assortment of sizes and shapes and are fashioned from various types of materials. For instance, copper, slate, ceramic, and acrylic are only few of the many materials from which tabletop fountains are made.
Nothing is as remarkable a copper fountain when it comes to ornamenting your home with rusty mannered add-ons. It normally comes with coating. If it isn’t coated, it might mature with time and explicate green marks that are produced by natural ripening of copper.
Resin manufactured tabletop fountains are a popular choice among the buffs of water fountains. The architects have resin as their first selection when it comes to constructing a water fountain because of the expansible dimensions of resin as a material. Moreover, resin is a long-lasting material and it is unfavorable weather-resistant. That is why resin is applied a lot in scheming tabletop fountains.
Some people love the glass prepared tabletop fountain for its elegant and sophisticated visual aspect.
Angel figurines bestow peace of mind, concordance, and glorification to any surrounding. Angel statuettes have many periphery gains including but not restricted to acquiring you fortified refund on your NJ tax return.
These days it is essential for a business to have an internet presence, computers have become a major expense for everybody. On top of the initial investment, IT equipment requires scheduled maintenance and upgrading and this oftentimes has to be performed by an IT professional. And of course having your network offline whether for scheduled maintenance or repairs will more likely than not translate into a painful notable drop in income.
Purchasing second hand hardware and other related items helps businesses to reduce costs, in particular start-ups and solo professionals due to the large expenditure required. Therefore, sourcing second hand processors and refurbished external hard drives is particularly attractive. They can source these items at a fraction of the price and they will run every bit as well if not better than brand new computer hardware. An additional plus to choosing refurbished IT units is availability. Still getting used equipment to meet your requirements may seem like an arduous undertaking, especially when you know precisely what you need. When dealing with IT asset disposal services that specialize in used servers and information storage, they will do most of the work for you. Let them know should you favor a specific unit, brand or even features.
It is common knowledge that the latest networking equipment is almost always problematic, and some of it simply isn’t really worth the money. Generally this will call for patching and upgrades. As a matter of fact it is not unusual for businesses to absorb the loss and replace their new IT equipment in its entirety. With used servers, used data storage, and used networking equipment, this is no longer an issue, whether it’s a second hand AS400 server or some second-hand IBM RS6000 servers. This equipment has already had any teething problems sorted out. Fortunately, since they’re meticulously refurbished before sale, you do not need to be worried about reliability.
Working with the right suppliers is the secret to making life easier. Look around and find someone with a good track record. This makes sure the units you purchase are fit for their purpose. And in case something goes wrong, make sure your purchases are supported by a warranty. For businesses that make the decision to skip new equipment and invest in used networking equipment, used servers, and used data storage, the advantages encompass more than simply money. Therefore why not save some money by straightaway opting for refurbished networking equipment and even leveraging some great IT financing options as well?
1. Pocket DVD Wizard
http://www.deprice.com/pocketdvdwizard.htm
The Pocket DVD Wizard allows you to make backup copies of your personal DVDs, Mpeg, Avi and DivX® video and then play them on your Windows Mobile Pocket PC or Portable Media Center. Imagine the possibilities! You can now record your favourite TV program with your DVD recorder and transfer it to your Pocket PC, then watch it later in the office, or on the beach!
2. dvdSanta
http://www.deprice.com/dvdsanta2.htm
dvdSanta is an All-in-One software that lets you copy, create, convert and burn your DVD movies. It can copy 9GB double layer DVD movies into a 4.7GB DVD-R disc, can turn your photos into DVD movies with Hollywood style motion effects, can convert other video formats (avi, wmv, vob, asf, DivX, Mpeg,…) into DVD video, can transfer miniDV camcorder tapes directly to DVD video.
3. DVD Region+CSS Free
http://www.deprice.com/dvdregioncssfree.htm
DVD Region+CSS Free enables you to watch and copy any region-coded/CSS-encrypted DVD movies on any DVD drive! It fully supports region-protected (RPC2) DVD drives, and does not require any firmware modifications. It will even work if you have used up your region counter and can no longer change the DVD drive’s region.
4. WinAVI Video Converter
http://www.deprice.com/winavivc.htm
WinAVI Video Converter is a nice tool for converting video clips to an assortment of formats. The attractive, modern interface features large, clearly labeled icons, so you won’t have to dig through the menus very often. You can convert a variety of file types to WMV, AVI, MPEG, and RM. Other notable pluses include a built-in DVD-burning utility, a batch-conversion tool, and a preview pane.
5. DVDFab Express
http://www.deprice.com/dvdfabexpress.htm
DVDFab Express is simply the easiest way to copy a DVD movie. Just insert the movie and a blank DVD then press Start. Your entire movie - including menus, trailers and special features - is copied to a single DVD with just one click, and everything happens automatically.
David D. Deprice posts his honest, no BS, tell it like it is DVD software reviews at http://www.deprice.com/multimedia.htm
It is the most annoying thing when one day you use your computer and nothing seems to work fine. Program freezes, files get corrupted or internet doesn’t work. You called the customer support or some friends you know who’s very much familiar with computer and still didn’t solve the problem.
There could be one to many things why this happens, you probably came across with spy- wares or dangerous ad-wares or even virus when you were working on that computer last time, but whatever the reason is, your only main concern is to get it up and running so you can go on with your work.
You tried everything and the only hope you can think of now is to format your computer. Formatting is the last and ultimate solution you should resort into. You just don’t format a computer like your deleting a file. You need to back up all your software data, personal documents, pictures, other folders you may feel important, and of course you got to look for those original installation disk for your devices such as printers, scanners or any other device hooked up in your computer, these are called drivers. If your computer came with original recovery disks then you need that too, recovery disks are usually bundled with your branded computer system, such as HP, Dell, Gateway or any other leading computer manufacturer and if you have them, its as easy as putting the CD recovery disks and running it, it will do the rest of the process for you.
If your recovery disk is gone or you didn’t have one then this is what this article is for. Your only savior is to go back to the most recent settings that worked, in other words yesterday’s settings. Microsoft provides an effective way to somehow backup your computer settings and configuration, this is called System Restore. System Restore has the ability to create a restore point wherein every once a week or two depending on how often you install or uninstall updates and programs. The following steps will walk you through the process of setting up your restore point and how to go back if you need it.
Start by going to Start->Programs->Accessories->System Tools, and then open System Restore.
On the right side panel it will give you an option to Create Restore point or Restore my computer to an earlier time.
Choose Create Restore Point, and then put your description, hit next then put in the date you want to go back to, then hit “Create” and that’s it. You just save yourself on formatting your computer in the future.
Guil Tabasa is a consultant for Altertek Solutions; he has been in the consulting business for more than 7 years now. He has helped small and medium businesses add value to their business that directly contributes to their revenue. You can email Guil
Headquartered in Gold River, California, K-Designers celebrated their 30th anniversary in 2008. They perpetually work to provide their clients with the quality innovation choices with the launch of new programs and product lines. Launched in 1978 by Larry and Lee Judson, K-Designers will continue their home improvement innovations well into the next 30 years.
K-Designers provide their prospective customers skilled in-home consultations where the design master will center on the unique demands of the customer as refers to their unique home environment. Upon reserving an appointment, the client can have a design pro talk over what a home redesign project entails with them. A client gets expert advice, tips, pricing, and an explanation of how the full remodeling project will unfold.
K-Designers revels in custom design that meets and exceeds client needs. They center on using the finestbest quality materials in order to aid their clients add resale value to their homes. A client then gets product and labor warranties in writing. K-Designers also offers adjustable financing options. This is so that any potential client can take on a home improvement project with peace of mind from a financial standpoint. All on top of being solid in the knowledge that knowledgeable craftsmen are doing the work on their home.
They believe that offering a varied set of options to their customers assist customers in making the best remodeling decisions. Through their partnerships with premier suppliers, every client can choose from a surplus of exterior siding, eaves, windows, garage doors, security doors, and other products. K-Designers 11 Western U.S. locations offer a throng of products and services for home remodeling needs.
K-Designers commitment is to supplying a total solution to homeowners who place their trust in them. From initial design consultation, to providing experienced craftspeople, to the final finishing nail in place they work to deliver what customers want. Beginning in 1978, through to today, the Company believes in quality through every phase of home remodeling.
Hard Drive Failure?
Generally a clicking sound coming from your hard drive is a Bad Omen. It could be a harbinger of horrific hardware happenings, so my immediate advice is “BACKUP YOUR HARD DRIVE!” as soon as possible. If the drive fails, you’re out of luck. In fact, even if you don’t suspect a problem with your hard drive, it’s wise to make regular backups so you can survive a hard drive failure with only minimal inconvenience.
See my article Backing Up Your Files to learn about backup strategies, hardware and software. And if you’re curious about which hard drives noises you should be concerned about, listen to these clicking sounds made by dying hard drives.
Scan Your Drive
On Windows XP, you can check your hard drive for errors by running the CHKDSK utility. Restart your computer and hold down the Ctrl key while it’s booting up. When you see the option to start your system in Safe Mode, select it and continue. Click the Start button, then click Run, then type CHKDSK C: /F /R then press Enter. The /R option tells CHKDSK to scan for bad disk sectors, and the /F option means to fix any errors found. (On a Windows 98 system, use the SCANDISK command instead of CHKDSK.)
If CHKDSK offers to “convert lost chains to files”, recover lost data, or fix something else, you should accept. (If CHKDSK tries to sell you a cheap Rolex, politely decline the offer.) After CHKDSK finishes, restart your computer normally and see if the dreaded click of doom returns. If so, the drive is most likely damaged, and should be replaced as soon as possible. If you decide to purchase a new computer, see Copying Old Hard Drive to New PC for help with transferring your files.
Are You On The Level?
But before you trash your troublesome drive, you should try one more thing… Some hard drives are very sensitive to non-level surfaces, and will not function properly if they’re sitting on a slant. Shut down your computer, make sure your system unit is on a flat surface (use a level to make sure), and then restart. I was all set to give up on an older computer that was doing the click/whir routine, but I noticed it wasn’t sitting on a level surface. As soon as I fixed that, the problem was gone!
That clicking sound MAY signal impending hard drive failure, but keep in mind you don’t always get such a warning. So play it safe… back up your files on a regular basis.
BOB RANKIN… is a tech writer and computer programmer who enjoys exploring the Internet and sharing the fruit of his experience with others. His work has appeared in ComputerWorld, NetGuide, and NY Newsday. Bob is publisher of the Internet TOURBUS newsletter, author of several computer books, and creator of the LowfatLinux.com website. Visit Bob Rankin’s website for more helpful articles and free tech support.