This is comparing the use of an external hard drive to backup data.
A DVD+R in 10x mode will write at about 13525 1K blocks/sec. If there was such a thing as a 500GB DVD-R drive, then it would take 592 minutes to fill it.
Using a Seagate ST3500320NS for testing and the ICY DOCK MB664, both purchased from BCPi.
1.03, Size 16GB, System oxygen.umassmed.edu command:
/usr/sbin/bonnie++ -f -u kdb -d /media/disk/DATA/
| Sequential Output | Sequential Input | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Block | Rewrite | Block | Seeks | ||||
| K/sec | %CP | K/sec | %CP | K/sec | %CP | /sec | %CP |
| 27520 | 6 | 13801 | 2 | 29657 | 2 | 140.8 | 0 |
command:
/sbin/hdparm -t /dev/sdb1
Timing buffered disk reads: 98 MB in 3.04 seconds = 32.27 MB/sec
(1K blocks on disk)/(write speed)/(seconds/minute)
480721636/27520/60 = 291 minutes.
Twice as fast as burning a DVD.
1.03, Size 16GB, System oxygen.umassmed.edu command:
/usr/sbin/bonnie++ -f -u kdb -d /media/disk/DATA/
| Sequential Output | Sequential Input | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Block | Rewrite | Block | Seeks | ||||
| K/sec | %CP | K/sec | %CP | K/sec | %CP | /sec | %CP |
| 56247 | 12 | 28902 | 5 | 57095 | 3 | 177.2 | 0 |
command:
/sbin/hdparm -t /dev/sdb1
Timing buffered disk reads: 264 MB in 3.02 seconds = 87.35 MB/sec
(1K blocks on disk)/(write speed)/(seconds/minute)
480721636/56247/60 = 142 minutes.
Connecting the IcyDock by eSATA is clearly the best choice. It is twice as fast as USB 2.0 and four times as fast as burning a DVD-R.
This device only supports eSata Power.
1.03, Size 16GB, System oxygen.umassmed.edu command:
/usr/sbin/bonnie++ -f -u kdb -d /media/disk/DATA/
| Sequential Output | Sequential Input | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Block | Rewrite | Block | Seeks | ||||
| K/sec | %CP | K/sec | %CP | K/sec | %CP | /sec | %CP |
| 85909 | 19 | 45038 | 7 | 90762 | 6 | 198.2 | 0 |
command:
/sbin/hdparm -t /dev/sdd1 Timing buffered disk reads: 328 MB in 3.01 seconds = 109.09 MB/sec
The advantage of this device is that it supports either 4 pin molex or eSata Power.
1.03, Size 16GB, System oxygen.umassmed.edu command:
/usr/sbin/bonnie++ -f -u kdb -d /media/disk/DATA/
| Sequential Output | Sequential Input | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Block | Rewrite | Block | Seeks | ||||
| K/sec | %CP | K/sec | %CP | K/sec | %CP | /sec | %CP |
| 85457 | 19 | 44637 | 8 | 101743 | 8 | 148.1 | 0 |
command:
/sbin/hdparm -t /dev/sdd1 Timing buffered disk reads: 324 MB in 3.01 seconds = 107.69 MB/sec
big1 and big2 are on our newer file server.
big3 and big4 are on older file servers.
1.03, Size 16GB, System alcor.umassmed.edu command:
1 gigabit connection /usr/sbin/bonnie++ -f -u kdb -d /storage/big1
| Sequential Output | Sequential Input | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Block | Rewrite | Block | Seeks | ||||
| K/sec | %CP | K/sec | %CP | K/sec | %CP | /sec | %CP |
| 43766 | 6 | 15740 | 7 | 26053 | 5 | 182.8 | 0 |
1 gigabit connection /usr/sbin/bonnie++ -f -u kdb -d /storage/big2
| Sequential Output | Sequential Input | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Block | Rewrite | Block | Seeks | ||||
| K/sec | %CP | K/sec | %CP | K/sec | %CP | /sec | %CP |
| 32988 | 4 | 12146 | 4 | 21649 | 4 | 229.4 | 0 |
100 megabit connection /usr/sbin/bonnie++ -f -u kdb -d /storage/big3
| Sequential Output | Sequential Input | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Block | Rewrite | Block | Seeks | ||||
| K/sec | %CP | K/sec | %CP | K/sec | %CP | /sec | %CP |
| 5422 | 0 | 3449 | 3 | 10342 | 1 | 169.3 | 0 |
1 gigabit connection /usr/sbin/bonnie++ -f -u kdb -d /storage/big4
| Sequential Output | Sequential Input | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Block | Rewrite | Block | Seeks | ||||
| K/sec | %CP | K/sec | %CP | K/sec | %CP | /sec | %CP |
| 16973 | 2 | 8645 | 3 | 17939 | 2 | 882.2 | 3 |
1.03, Size 16GB, System mizar.umassmed.edu command:
/usr/sbin/bonnie++ -f -u kdb -d /storage/big1
| Sequential Output | Sequential Input | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Block | Rewrite | Block | Seeks | ||||
| K/sec | %CP | K/sec | %CP | K/sec | %CP | /sec | %CP |
| 86810 | 40 | 44220 | 18 | 103896 | 26 | 187.9 | 0 |
/usr/sbin/bonnie++ -f -u kdb -d /storage/big2
| Sequential Output | Sequential Input | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Block | Rewrite | Block | Seeks | ||||
| K/sec | %CP | K/sec | %CP | K/sec | %CP | /sec | %CP |
| 50030 | 24 | 28606 | 8 | 74558 | 8 | 281.0 | 0 |
1.03, Size 16GB, System germanium.umassmed.edu command, LVM stripped across dual ES.2 Seagate drives:
/usr/sbin/bonnie++ -f -u kdb -d /storage/big0
| Sequential Output | Sequential Input | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Block | Rewrite | Block | Seeks | ||||
| K/sec | %CP | K/sec | %CP | K/sec | %CP | /sec | %CP |
| 153194 | 32 | 75430 | 12 | 185617 | 13 | 330.3 | 0 |
The 500GB drive is aproximately 30 cents/gigabyte.
A 9GB DVD-R DL is about $1. This is 11 cents/gigabyte but I didn’t find anything faster than 4x.
A 9GB DVD+R DL is about $2. This is 22 cents/gigabyte and you can find these for 10x speeds.
The Seagate Hard Drive when used with the Icy Dock in eSata mode is just 50% more expensive than a DVD+R DL but 4 times faster.
The Seagate Hard Drive when used with the StarTech Trayless Bay in eSata mode is just 50% more expensive than a DVD+R DL but 6 times faster.