HDD to HDD transfer

[mdewid]

Hello,
I am trying to transfer 3tb of data from my dlink 323 nas to a second set of HDD's on the network. The NAS is configured as JBOD with 2 1.5tb WD drives. The data is going through a dlink wireless router (N) connected by cable. My pc is a dell inspiron with 2gb of memory. The last time I tried this it took over 24 hours. Any advice is appreciated.

 

[gtvr]

That's not horribly surprising. How many actual files comprise the 3TB?

1tb / 8hours, 125GB/hour. Presumably this is Windows SMB file transfers?

Are all network adapters & the router gigabit, or are they 100mbit? Cat 6 cabling?

 

[Kewlx25]

Wireless N caps at 300mbps. Assuming 1/2 of that (150mbit), it would take ~23 hours.

Lots of small files would also dramatically slow down the transfer.

 

[mdewid]

That's not horribly surprising. How many actual files comprise the 3TB?

1tb / 8hours, 125GB/hour. Presumably this is Windows SMB file transfers?

Are all network adapters & the router gigabit, or are they 100mbit? Cat 6 cabling?

Yes windows SMB. My ethernet adapter is 100 mbit. If I upgrade the adapter to gigabit and maybe purchase a gigabit switch will this improve the speed? OR is the limiting factor more source HDD speed or the 2 gb of ram?

The 3tb is made up of about 3500 files. ugh!

 

[mdewid]

Wireless N caps at 300mbps. Assuming 1/2 of that (150mbit), it would take ~23 hours.

Lots of small files would also dramatically slow down the transfer.

I am not transferring data wireless. I am using a Lan connection but going through the wireless router as a switch. Do I still have the limitation? Should I purchase a gigabit switch?

 

[gtvr]

I'd say that the 100mbit network is the first bottleneck. It really depends on your HD speed though. it's like the old saying, the chain is only as strong as the weakest link. So you need cat5e or cat6 cabling, gigabit adapters on all devices & a gigabit switch / router. Decent HD speed. I'd say the 2GB ram is not a big factor - pure disk access is more of an issue than processor or RAM.

3500 files isn't that bad. If you had said 35,000 files that would be different. There is some overhead with each file, writing permissions or other file info, besides just the raw data. Maybe try an FTP program (there are a bunch of free FTP servers) and compare speeds.

 

[mdewid]

Best answer selected by mdewid.

 

[mdewid]

I'd say that the 100mbit network is the first bottleneck. It really depends on your HD speed though. it's like the old saying, the chain is only as strong as the weakest link. So you need cat5e or cat6 cabling, gigabit adapters on all devices & a gigabit switch / router. Decent HD speed. I'd say the 2GB ram is not a big factor - pure disk access is more of an issue than processor or RAM.

3500 files isn't that bad. If you had said 35,000 files that would be different. There is some overhead with each file, writing permissions or other file info, besides just the raw data. Maybe try an FTP program (there are a bunch of free FTP servers) and compare speeds.

It seem that my ethernet card 10/100 is physically attached to the motherboard. I am looking for a gigabit alternate I can use in an expansion slot. I will then connect the cabling and gigabit switch as you suggested. Also thinking up upgrading my laptop HDD to a sata 2 200gb. Thanks for your help