[ale] Refurbished HDDs
Jim Kinney
jim.kinney at gmail.com
Wed Feb 4 17:12:09 EST 2026
Since all storage that is fast is also highly unreliable in the long term,
it requires multiple copies just for data to be readable later. So RAID 60
in 2 different array boxes in at least 2 physically separated locations
plus tape copy local and offsite just to back up a few hundred GB of crappy
cell phone pictures requires about 11 hundred ZetaBytes of total storage
while hundreds of minions hammer away carving the pictures into stones for
permanent archives. The melting and pouring of colored glass to set
permanent color as individual pixes requires a level of accuracy in stone
masonry never before achieved. If only This can be completed before the
heat death of the Universe, I can dodge the spousal complaint of "where's
that picture I took of that thing with the people when we were out with
those other people before I got my new phone?".
It's not a great plan, but I have a backup plan.....
:-)
--
James P. Kinney III
Every time you stop a school, you will have to build a jail. What you gain
at one end you lose at the other. It's like feeding a dog on his own tail.
It won't fatten the dog.
- Speech 11/23/1900 Mark Twain
*http://heretothereideas.blogspot.com/
<http://heretothereideas.blogspot.com/>*
On Wed, Feb 4, 2026, 1:46 PM Boris Borisov <bugyatl at gmail.com> wrote:
> Are you guys are trying to make backup of the whole internet :)
>
> On Wed, Feb 4, 2026, 13:33 Jim Kinney via Ale <ale at ale.org> wrote:
>
>> No problem.
>>
>> I have 18+/- 2TB 3.5" Dell SAS 6G bps drive, a Dell drive array and sleds
>> with sas2sata interposers. Array supports both. Cables and a pci card come
>> with it.
>>
>> You haul. My knee hurts.
>>
>> --
>> James P. Kinney III
>>
>> Every time you stop a school, you will have to build a jail. What you
>> gain at one end you lose at the other. It's like feeding a dog on his own
>> tail. It won't fatten the dog.
>> - Speech 11/23/1900 Mark Twain
>>
>>
>> *http://heretothereideas.blogspot.com/
>> <http://heretothereideas.blogspot.com/>*
>>
>> On Wed, Feb 4, 2026, 2:30 AM Alex Carver via Ale <ale at ale.org> wrote:
>>
>>> I'm not in Georgia to take them and I really am looking for TB-sized
>>> disks so I will say thanks but I am declining the offer.
>>>
>>> On 2026-02-03 05:33, Chuck Payne via Ale wrote:
>>> > Alex,
>>> >
>>> > When Jim offers hardware, he offers it. I recived a lot from him.
>>> Still
>>> > grateful for the haul. I just saying.
>>> >
>>> > On Tue, Feb 3, 2026 at 7:58 AM Jim Kinney via Ale <ale at ale.org
>>> > <mailto:ale at ale.org>> wrote:
>>> >
>>> > Manufacturers don't refurbish hard drives. It doesn't happen. Third
>>> > parties "refurbish" by wiping and resetting drive firmware.
>>> > Manufacture warranties are void.
>>> >
>>> > I was not clear in my offer. I'm not asking for money. I just want
>>> > this hardware hauled away by someone who wants it. I lack time and
>>> > interest to be involved. So, Alex, if you want this stuff, let me
>>> > know. Once Alex decides, I'll toss the rest on the group for
>>> another
>>> > rehoming event. I want to unload the entire space formerly used as
>>> > my test gear server closet. I have several thousand systems at work
>>> > to wrestle with and I no longer experiment at home with new
>>> > technologies. At the end of the day, I make tiny, wearable
>>> > sculptures from silver and occasionally gold or platinum, semi and
>>> > precious stones, and fused glass. I'm done making invisible things
>>> > that 99.9% of humans don't understand.
>>> >
>>> > --
>>> > James P. Kinney III
>>> > ////
>>> > ////Every time you stop a school, you will have to build a jail.
>>> > What you gain at one end you lose at the other. It's like feeding a
>>> > dog on his own tail. It won't fatten the dog.
>>> > - Speech 11/23/1900 Mark Twain
>>> > ////
>>> > http://heretothereideas.blogspot.com/ <http://
>>> > heretothereideas.blogspot.com/>
>>> > ////
>>> >
>>> > On Mon, Feb 2, 2026, 11:54 PM Alex Carver via Ale <ale at ale.org
>>> > <mailto:ale at ale.org>> wrote:
>>> >
>>> > I'm no stranger to drive failures but I'm also not exactly
>>> flush
>>> > with
>>> > cash enough to buy a dozen drives at over $300 each. Recall I
>>> > wasn't
>>> > asking about used drives, I asked about manufacturer
>>> refurbished
>>> > which
>>> > is a bit different.
>>> >
>>> > This is going in a NAS already, redundancy is part of the
>>> > process but
>>> > there's other backups, too.
>>> >
>>> > On 2026-02-02 10:20, Bob Toxen wrote:
>>> > > It's been my experience that high quality disks, such as the
>>> > Western
>>> > > Digital Caviar series, will last 5 years and should be
>>> > replaced at
>>> > > that time!!! I find most other brands to be suboptimal,
>>> > e.g., expect
>>> > > a head crash and catastrophic loss of all data. The Caviar
>>> > Black disks
>>> > > spin at 7200 RPM and carry a 5 year warranty!
>>> > >
>>> > > I've had poor luck with Seagate. YMMV.
>>> > >
>>> > > I realize that a RAID array is redundant but is it worth
>>> > being cheap to
>>> > > hopefully replace every failed disk before another one also
>>> > fails?
>>> > >
>>> > > Understand that the MTBF is less than that for one disk
>>> > increased by
>>> > > being able to continue until two disks fail. This is
>>> > because, assuming
>>> > > all disks of the same type and time in service are more
>>> > likely to fail
>>> > > around the same time, same as incandescent light bulbs.
>>> > >
>>> > > I suggest, if you use refurbished disks, pick a RAID mode,
>>> > such as RAID6,
>>> > > with double redundancy due to two different parities that
>>> can
>>> > withstand
>>> > > two disk failures in the array.
>>> > >
>>> > > Wikipedia's "RAID" entry is excellent.
>>> > >
>>> > > If the cost isn't out of your pocket buy new WD Black!
>>> > >
>>> > > Bob
>>> > >
>>> > > [Bob's political comment suppressed by Bob]
>>> > >
>>> > > On Sat, Jan 31, 2026 at 06:25:39PM -0800, Alex Carver via
>>> Ale
>>> > wrote:
>>> > >> Anyone have recommendations for an online place to buy
>>> > refurbished HDDs (not
>>> > >> SSDs)? I want to add a few more drives to the NAS.
>>> >
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>>> >
>>> > --
>>> > Terror PUP a.k.a
>>> > Chuck "PUP" Payne
>>> > -----------------------------------------
>>> > Discover it! Enjoy it! Share it! openSUSE Linux.
>>> > -----------------------------------------
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>>> > openSUSE Advocate/openSUSE Member
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>>> > openSUSE Community Member since 2008.
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