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2TB Disk Drives Now Available

I spoke with a regional Kaleidescape representative who suggested that there might be a difference between replacing a failed disc and swapping out one that was still functioning normally. He asserted that the KEAOS had as one of its functions to monitor individual drive function and take compensatory precautions for backing up drives that were on the brink of failure. Presumably this would involve tweeking the raid system to emphasize the content of a failing disk. He said that to remove a good disk would stress the system more than would replacing a failed one. He also suggested that the additional stress on the system might snowball, causing another aging disk to fail. If two were to go out simultaneously there would be major data loss.
 
I didn't think a 1U server could do that, only the 3U? Learning more stuff all the time here!
 
I'm actually only talking about the 3U server. The problem is that neither the regional sales rep nor our local dealer has an extra 3U sitting around. They do all of their demos on a mini system. So I have hit yet another roadblock.
 
It is true that your dealer can replicate the content on your Kaleidescape server onto another server. This process can be used to move content when you retire an old server, or to duplicate content onto another movie server for a second home, or to upgrade all the existing disks on a server to 2 TB disks. Only an authorized Kaleidescape dealer can perform replication, and then only when the source server and the destination server are owned by the same person. Replication transfers all the movies and albums, the user-entered metadata and cover art, paused bookmarks, and favorite scenes, but not the collections, scripts, mix albums, or parental control settings. When you upgrade to 2 TB disks, your dealer can send the old disks back to Kaleidescape so that they can be reinitialized for use in other servers. We can also rent a server chassis to your dealer to help you upgrade to 2 TB disks. Please contact your Kaleidescape dealer for more information.

We currently recommend against upgrading your server by replacing disk cartridges one at a time. However, we have made some software changes that can make this process less risky, and we are investigating whether these improvements should lead us to change our recommendation. Until and unless we change our recommendation (including the correct procedure to follow), you will be taking an unacceptable risk of losing your content and having to re-load all of your movies and music. We will keep this forum updated.

Tom Barnett
Kaleidescape, Inc.
 
Thanks for the update Tom.:)


Jim
 
Tom:

I really appreciate all of the effort that you have made in the past little while to resolve this problem. Your generous offer to rent a 3U chassis so that my dealer can replicate my data onto new 2T drives is a fine solution. Thank-you. As I have noted previously, we are completely delighted with our system. Your attention to customer needs is a special bonus.
 
Upgrading 3U server cartridges to 2T

Here is a followup to the previous postings about upgrading the 3U server. As per Tom Barnett's note, I arranged for my dealer to rent a 3U chassis from Kaleidescape so that the contents of my cartridges, a mixture of 750 GB and 1T drives, to a new set of 2T drives. I have purchased seven, formatted 2T cartridges. At this very moment the two 3U servers are hooked together as the contents of one are copied to the other.

It isn't cheap, but it is less expensive than buying a second 3U server and three additional drives. And it is a much more efficient use of the equipment. Kaleidescape charges rent for the spare 3U server--$500 per week with a minimum rental of two weeks. The new 2T cartridges sell for about $1250 apiece. It turns out that the entire contents of my original fourteen drives could be contained in six 2T drives. I needed more space so I bought seven. This leaves seven more slots for future expansion.

Kaleidescape tells me that it should take about one day per terabyte to be transferred. So I will be without my server for a week and a half.

A byproduct of this effort is that I will have eleven 750 GB discs and three 1T drives. I plan to have them erased and reformatted, but have no immediate plan for using them. I suppose that I will check out the marketplace area and see if there is resale market.
 
TomBarnett said:
Only an authorized Kaleidescape dealer can perform replication, and then only when the source server and the destination server are owned by the same person.
Click to expand...

This comes as a surprise...so if K is renting a server to complete a replication then obviously the source server and destination server are not owned by the same person. I would have thought it didn't matter who owned the servers, as long as the content that was copied to the destination server was deleted from the source server discs after replication.
 
Well, the destination server chassis is owned by Kaleidescape, but the server drives are owned by the same person as the original server. Those drives are then placed back in the first server chassis when the data transfer is complete.
 
So the chassis rental option is there for those situations where it just doesn't make sense for the buyer to acquire another chassis YET, e.g., drive size upgrades for the same chassis.

Their "owned by the same person" statement pertains to doing a 1U/5U to 3U upgrade or a whole system copy for a second, third, etc. home.

What is not permitted is Customer A allowing their content to be replicated to Customer B's new system. As dealers we have entrusted with the controls that enable the ability to replicate and all the legal mumbo jumbo that come along with that control.
 
disregard the above post, although the point remains. I carefully read the link where it shows two 2 Tb drives. Sorry.
 
Nothing to be sorry about, we'd all like 4TB disks! Given history, I gotta believe they will show up someday.:) (Certainly would be nice for BR content!!)


Jim
 
Looking forward to BR too. Was thinking about this anouncement on the 11th. Would be great to have two big things to talk about.
 
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