How to store hard drives?

June 30, 2008 8:44 AM

Is there a foolproof way of storing internal hard drives for external (hot swappable) use?

We're using multiple hard drives for archival and storage purposes, all sata drives. We're thinking of putting them all in their own separate anti-static ziploc bags and shoving them into a fireproof safe, that way they'll be safe from pretty much everything.

I was wondering if anybody had any better ideas? foam molding for example?

posted by speek to computers & internet (9 comments total)

There are SATA enclosures out there which look and work a lot like external USB. In some cases you may need to buy a SATA controller card with an external SATA port (have used several of these for external SATA drives.) Alternatively you can get a long SATA cable and hang it out of your case.

There are also specific case mounted, removable hard drive enclosures which let you slide drives in and out.

Anyway, enclosures are cheap, so are controller cards. And an enclosure will protect the drive somewhat and making swapping it in and out easy. Newegg seems to have a good selection.

Not sure about your anti-static bag or safe idea... all depends on what you're storing. When in doubt, buy two hard drives and keep them in seperate locations.
posted by wfrgms at 9:20 AM on June 30, 2008

Oh yeah, back in the day when I was a network admin, we had a system for sending take backups home each day with our network monkeys. I think we'd take turns and had a sign out sheet so we always knew who had what tapes. It was a low tech solution for off site backup.
posted by wfrgms at 9:22 AM on June 30, 2008

We've got the connection part down pat, we've got a sata dock that we shove hard drives into whenever we need to. I'm just looking for a way to store those hard drives, they're regular internal sata hard drives.
posted by speek at 9:27 AM on June 30, 2008

I'd give folks like these a call and find out if they have storage solutions for either naked SATA or SATA drives in raid drawers.
posted by kalessin at 9:35 AM on June 30, 2008

Hard drives are quite rugged things. What you're doing sounds absolutely fine.

Provided you're not subjecting the drives to extremes of vibration, heat, cold or static electricity, they should be absolutely fine stored in your safe.

As a medium for archiving data in the long term, hard disks are not really recommended - over a period of years the stored information will gradually decay and become unreadable - but I assume you know this.
posted by le morte de bea arthur at 9:52 AM on June 30, 2008

kalessin,

I just called them, they stopped making fire resistant hard drive stuff, but I like that idea.
posted by speek at 10:04 AM on June 30, 2008

Oh yeah, back in the day when I was a network admin, we had a system for sending take backups home each day with our network monkeys. I think we'd take turns and had a sign out sheet so we always knew who had what tapes. It was a low tech solution for off site backup.

Bad idea, unless you want to read about it in the 'blue, Slashdot or Bruce Schneiers' blog - one of your network monkey's parks their car somewhere unsafe to grab a bite/video/groceries and has their car broken into and boom... You're organization is now front-page-news...
posted by jkaczor at 10:30 AM on June 30, 2008

I've decided that I'm going to look into getting a media safe.

It looks like its all I'll need for this stuff. Well, that and a bunch of anti-static pouches.


Thanks for all the help!
posted by speek at 10:56 AM on June 30, 2008

@jkaczor
This is why you encrypt or otherwise password-protect your backups.
posted by cnc at 1:15 PM on June 30, 2008