Think about a software solution - Symantec's Ghost or similar disk
imaging software. It will give you a quasi-mirror of the source.
"Quasi" because the source must be restored via sw, you can't just put
the target disk in and boot from it.



Bob wrote:
> I have been evaluating the Enermax ES-352 3.5" PATA HD backup system
> for a couple months now. It works roughly as advertised in the backup
> mode if you are careful about what disk-based s/w you are running.
>
> However, the manufacturer is unwilling to support the unit in terms of
> providing extra trays or s/w fixes. I am having my supplier work on
> finding out why they are unwilling to support their product, and based
> on what I find out, I may send it back for a full refund.
>
> So, I am doing some research ahead of time, looking for a hardware
> controller (IDE, PATA), that will connect to two HDs and operate them
> as a backup pair. The Source HD must be capable of being the boot
> device.
>
> I do not want any of the backup function to be dependent on backup s/w
> such as Acronis or its ilk. I want the controller to act like RAID 1
> but only at designated times. IOW, at a designated time, the
> controller will create a mirror of the Source HD onto a Target HD, and
> once the mirror is completed, it will detach from the Target until the
> next backup cycle.
>
> Such a system would include two removeable bays (Kingwin KF-23) and
> three trays - that way I could backup once each day and then rotate
> the 3-disk set once a week, keeping the third tray on the shelf.
>
> Promise and others make RAID 1 controllers but I do not know if they
> can function as one-time backup units. I tried to find out on their
> website but all they talk about is RAID.
>
> The reason for wanting a controller that is capable of RAID 1 is
> because the backup would be done in real time without having to shut
> the system down. That's how mirroring works, so it is the ideal
> strategy for making the kind of backup I want. All I really need is
> for the controller program to schedule the mirror build and then stop
> the continuing RAID functionality once the mirror is completely built,
> thereby freezing the mirror in time.
>
>
>