Interest check - scsi equipment.

[abaxas]

I'm having a monster clear out and found 2x 29160 loads of 36/72 gig 10k scsi disks and a 5 disk sca caddy thing.

Problem is, I cant work out if it's worth selling on for peanuts or just throwing in the skip. Just they would be useful for someone wanting low latency, but not for someone wanting transfer speeds.

Ideas please...

* yes I will smash up the disks if they are going in the skip.

[AndyG]

I'd say useless unless for a old hardware collector or Solaris tinkerer - anyone after low-latency nowadays would just go with SSDs.

[abaxas]

I'd say useless unless for a old hardware collector or Solaris tinkerer - anyone after low-latency nowadays would just go with SSDs.

Good idea.

I'll photo up and stick on 'for sale' for a silly price.

If anyone wants, they can make use.

[kingpotnoodle]

I'd say useless unless for a old hardware collector or Solaris tinkerer - anyone after low-latency nowadays would just go with SSDs.

Old SCSI kit can be outpaced by modern SATA kit these days, it's really the dinosaur. Most of the SCSI appliances are considered EOL now, and manufacturers will stop supporting them, so there may be a market for working spare parts to keep old servers working.

[badass]

I just destroyed and binned a load of similar stuff.
I wonder what its scrap value could have been?

[Saracen]

This sort of hardware still has a use, but I'm not sure how much of a value.

I still run a server with 6 x 10k SCSI disks in a RAID 5 array, and it has a value to me in that it does everything I need of it, and I don't have to buy new hardware, and it just runs and runs and runs. It's been reliable as hell. And, while the capacity isn't huge, it's adequate for what I use it for.

And that's with 20GB disk (or 18GB, whatever). Would I like 36 or 72GB disks in there? Sure. But my problem is that the current array is sufficient capacity, so all I'd be doing is adding extra spare capacity over the spare capacity I've already got.


Part of this is all about thinking about what data you put where. Modern multi-TB drives are all very well, but they tend to make us lazy. And they make backup regimes harder, too. But, break down your storage strategy into types of data, and an array of old reliable drives starts to make more sense. I don't keep video files, MP3s, games, etc on that SCSI array, but I do keep accounting data, email archives, VAT records, document e-archives, contracts and commissions, sensitive company-confidential documents, bids and quotes, and so forth.

Are these drives going to interest the average game-playing home user? I very much doubt it. But would they interest a cash-strapped small home business user? Quite possibly. The question is what they're worth to such a user. And from abaxas' point of view, finding someone with such a need.

[abaxas]

This sort of hardware still has a use, but I'm not sure how much of a value.

I still run a server with 6 x 10k SCSI disks in a RAID 5 array, and it has a value to me in that it does everything I need of it, and I don't have to buy new hardware, and it just runs and runs and runs. It's been reliable as hell. And, while the capacity isn't huge, it's adequate for what I use it for.

And that's with 20GB disk (or 18GB, whatever). Would I like 36 or 72GB disks in there? Sure. But my problem is that the current array is sufficient capacity, so all I'd be doing is adding extra spare capacity over the spare capacity I've already got.


Part of this is all about thinking about what data you put where. Modern multi-TB drives are all very well, but they tend to make us lazy. And they make backup regimes harder, too. But, break down your storage strategy into types of data, and an array of old reliable drives starts to make more sense. I don't keep video files, MP3s, games, etc on that SCSI array, but I do keep accounting data, email archives, VAT records, document e-archives, contracts and commissions, sensitive company-confidential documents, bids and quotes, and so forth.

Are these drives going to interest the average game-playing home user? I very much doubt it. But would they interest a cash-strapped small home business user? Quite possibly. The question is what they're worth to such a user. And from abaxas' point of view, finding someone with such a need.

Agreed,

Maybe I should take a photo and stick it all up for £30 delivered. No bites in a few days = skip.

[Saracen]

Agreed,

Maybe I should take a photo and stick it all up for £30 delivered. No bites in a few days = skip.

Worth a try. Or failing that, stick them on, what's the name of it? ... that locally-based "free" stuff exchange or donation website.

It'd be a crying shame to see useful hardware go to waste, but I wonder whether even the £30 (to cover postage costs of some quite heavy clobber) is worth it to most people.

I've given away quite a few items, including scanners and printers, because I don't need them, can't be bothered with the minefield that is eBay selling and would rather see them go to someone that will get use from them rather than a landfill or reclaim/crush operation, especially if the person that uses them couldn't afford to buy new. I've even done that with a PC or two, and if you're cash-strapped (like unemployed) then a free PC might be the difference between the kids having a old less powerful PC and not having one at all.

It'd just be a shame to see perfectly functional gear go in a skip .... but I'll bet a lot of gear does exactly that, every day.

[DanceswithUnix]

I'm sure it is useful to someone. Problem is finding them.

At my previous job, an Itanium server had a scsi drive die. The boot drive to be exact. No chance of putting an SSD in that old lump of tin, but would be stupid to scrap such a server for want of a drive.

Before anyone points out that their celeron/sempron/atom is faster than an itanium, the kit was for replicating customer faults on the correct platform so these things can have a use

[abaxas]

Worth a try. Or failing that, stick them on, what's the name of it? ... that locally-based "free" stuff exchange or donation website.

It'd be a crying shame to see useful hardware go to waste, but I wonder whether even the £30 (to cover postage costs of some quite heavy clobber) is worth it to most people.

I've given away quite a few items, including scanners and printers, because I don't need them, can't be bothered with the minefield that is eBay selling and would rather see them go to someone that will get use from them rather than a landfill or reclaim/crush operation, especially if the person that uses them couldn't afford to buy new. I've even done that with a PC or two, and if you're cash-strapped (like unemployed) then a free PC might be the difference between the kids having a old less powerful PC and not having one at all.

It'd just be a shame to see perfectly functional gear go in a skip .... but I'll bet a lot of gear does exactly that, every day.

It's not that I want any money for em. I just feel it's a bit of a shame to skip wokring and useful kit but it's easier to thrown in the bin than send off! If someone in the NE area wants to collect, they can have them + tonnes more 'other crap' I've collected over the years.

Do I really need 3 10/100 hubs when I have 2 gigbit ones spare etc.
Did I really need to keep that pentium pro machine with 32m ram


I think a monster clear-out thread is approaching. Expect cheapness.

[peterb]

The SCSI cards are probably the thing of greater interest/value. There are still some SCSI devices in use (tape drives etc) that need a controller, and they are expensive new!