Best connection for external HD Ethernet USB or Firewire

[hombrewdude]

I am looking to add a redundant back-up system to my existing harddrives.

Speed is always an issues, as it being able to upgrade the capacity

Currently I am using a 60gig harddrive in an external case connected with firewire.
This is nice and fast, but I need more room.

How are the ethernet units? Speed ok?
I can connect it close to my 100mbit router

I have also seen USB externals also, I think I want to avoid these.

Something that I can swap out the harddrive would be nice.
So after the 400gb is no longer "large" I can use something else.

 

[nmarchini]

If you can I would wait until the new External SATA (eSATA) drives start coming through to the UK

Here are some links so you can check it out...it will be the way forward from USB and firewire. Motherboards will soon start to carry the eSATA interface so no need for an additional card.

This one is prob the best bet as it comes with a PCI card to provide the interface

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=511370

Card only
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=97830

 

[Paperdoc]

From what I've read, the firewire 400 (IEEE 1394a) connection between computer and external enclosure is about the same speed a eSATA, and both are better than USB2. The only interface faster is Firewire 800 (IEEE 1394b). So if you already have a Firewire interface running, all you need is a larger HDD to mount in the external enclosure.

As a backup unit, I am not sure how a network-attached drive works out. After all, to back up from it you'd have to load an OS with network drivers to access the drive. But with a local unit attached directly by Firewire, any basic OS will get you to the device run by the mobo. In fact, you might even be able to make the external drive a boot drive if you needed to.

 

[belvdr]

I am looking to add a redundant back-up system to my existing harddrives.

Speed is always an issues, as it being able to upgrade the capacity

Currently I am using a 60gig harddrive in an external case connected with firewire.
This is nice and fast, but I need more room.

How are the ethernet units? Speed ok?
I can connect it close to my 100mbit router

I have also seen USB externals also, I think I want to avoid these.

Something that I can swap out the harddrive would be nice.
So after the 400gb is no longer "large" I can use something else.

If you want speed, and don't have gigabit ethernet, don't go for a NAS unit. Consider that the maximum theoretical throughput of the interface is 100Mb for your setup or 400Mb for firewire.

I like the eSATA drives as they are fast compared to my FW800 LaCie drive. It could be in the controller internal to the drive, but I figured the translation to FireWire or USB is the culprit in slowing it down.

 

[belvdr]

As a backup unit, I am not sure how a network-attached drive works out. After all, to back up from it you'd have to load an OS with network drivers to access the drive. But with a local unit attached directly by Firewire, any basic OS will get you to the device run by the mobo. In fact, you might even be able to make the external drive a boot drive if you needed to.

Backup from it? I believe you mean to it. At any rate, the newer NAS devices have their own OS, so there is no need for that. The OS lets just about any OS attach to it.

In this situation, I would advise against it, since the speed will be nothing near what is desired.