[Freedombox-discuss] Harddrive + Excito B3

[Robinson Tryon]

On Sat, May 7, 2011 at 6:25 PM, Sandy Harris <sandyinchina at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Yes, but if possible e-sata is preferable to USB attachment.
> It is faster and, unlike USB, it supports the SATA erase
> commands.
>

The primary problem I see with eSATA ports is that they aren't USB
ports. USB ports are like Velcro: You can use them to attach just
about anything to the computer.

So an eSATA port is pretty much a one-trick pony.

That being said, if the project designs or decides on some hardware
and determines that hanging a hard drive off of an eSATA port is *the*
supported configuration (or one of the major configs), then it could
definitely be worth it.

There is something to be said for using already-deployed tech, too.
I'm not sure I'm anywhere near a "normal" test case, but I have
umpteen USB flash drives and at least 10 external hdds/usb-to-IDE or
SATA cables/enclosures. I believe that only one of those external
drives supports both USB and eSATA connections, and I don't even have
an eSATA cable.

If we have hundreds or thousands of these little wall warts plugged
into outlets in apartments and houses all over the place, we all know
that some of them are going to die some horrible (and hilarious)
deaths. I'm thinking Toddler + Jello + Curiosity, but I'm sure truth
will be stranger than fiction.

USB-connected devices, especially storage devices, will give us a good
way to help our users extract data off of their Freedomboxes when
something goes catastrophically, Jellorifically wrong with them.  It
can be useful to consider usability and user-serviceability during
both the best of times as well as the worst of times.


-- Robinson