[X-Servers] Mac mini Snow Leopard Server part II

[Joe Sporleder]

On Dec 16, 2009, at 10:54 AM, Joe Sporleder wrote:

> I've decided to replace a G5 server that had a power supply die. I'm going to get a Mac mini Snow Leopard Server, and set the internal 500GB hard drives to a mirrored RAID. Then, I'll be able to use Disk Utility or SuperDuper to make a clone off of the internal drives for my backup routine.
> 
> I've decided that I'm going to get one or two of the Newertech Voyager Q universal hard drive docking station, then that way I can take care of my local backup and offsite backup with one interface. For my spare 500GB 2.5" drives that'll be using for my backup and will fit in a Mac mini, is there a particular manufacture that folks would recommend for reliable 2.5 hard drives? I plan on buying several 2.5" hard drives that I'll rotate between daily local backups and offsite. It's easy for me to come up with a spare Intel Mac mini in case the Mac mini server fails.
> 
> We don't need a lot of storage, and Fridays and Mondays are our busiest days, and I'm confident that the Mac mini server will be able to handle our loads easily. Reliability and redundancy is more important to us than speed. My current backup routine works, but I'm looking to simplify it so that I can train other less technical folks as my techie backups in case I'm out of the office/out of town when a server failure occurs.
> 
> Joe


A follow up on my own question. I notice that the HDs in the mini server spin at 5400 RPM. Is Apple just being a bit cheap in going with 5400 RPM drives, or are there heat/reliability issues with putting a 7200 RPM drive into the mini server? I am considering purchasing Seagate Momentus 7200 RPM 500GB drives for my backup/replacement/spare drives for my mini server.

Joe