[Boatanchors] 6360s, 7360 equivalents and DSB & SSB respectively plus OT Network attached storage

[Kludge]

-----Original Message-----
From: mikea [mailto:mikea at mikea.ath.cx] 
> USB is slow, even USB 2.0. The USB protocols are horrid. Now someone
> will bite my head off for writing that. 

Not me.  I would not do such a thing.  Backing a 160 GB drive to a USB 2.0
attached one was a pack-a-lunch experience.  

Okay, let me explain what's the haps in finer detail.  

The past couple OT messages have been related to my new-to-me computer, a
seriously boring subject to many and well worthy of being bypassed.  It has
an internal 80 GB IDE drive that I'm going to leave alone for now.  Instead,
the plan for the machine is to add "cartridge" drives removable 2-1/2" &
3-1/2" SATA drives (The motherboard has SATA capability that wasn't used in
its original construction.) for offline storage while using network-attached
storage for permanently attached storage accessible to the new machine and
Yet Another Machine not yet purchased which will be the primary online
computer.  

My current router is a Motorola 2442 provided by Vonage to connect their
VoIP service however I'm dropping the service in favor of one provided by my
wireless ISP.  (Their modem has a phone jack built in so I don't need a
separate device for VoIP.)  I have no problem going to another one once
Vonage is gone although finances aren't wonderful (Noelle comes first!) and
I'd rather see what I can do with this one first since I already own it.  It
has four available ports, three past the one in use for the existing
computer.  I would like to assign one for the 2nd computer and the remaining
two for NAS.  

This is where the aforementioned isolation comes in.  There should be no way
for the NAS and the modem to connect one with the other.  Instead, only the
computers should have access to the drives, and the modem should only be
able to connect to the computers.  Electrically, I'm fine, or will be once I
get a new UPS in place.  It's the data I want to protect as much as I can.
Everything will be tied together with good old Cat 5 (or Cat 5e) string in
as many different colors* as I can find to help keep them straight.  (I like
color coding cabling; it makes chasing it all down much more easier.)

As I recall through my med-addled mind, I can assign a separate IP to each
port on some devices (I haven't checked the current router to see if this is
true with it.) which I think would accomplish what I want to do but I'm not
sure.  I retired from the field in 1992 with the idea of forgetting
everything I knew about networks, The various Unix/Linux derivatives &
everything else and becoming a Windows Weenie to harass Help Desks
everywhere as needed.  Unfortunately it didn't quite work out that way and
now I'm trying to drag back details long unused.  That is one of the details
I've forgotten, sad to say.

The NAS boxes I'm thinking about will either be dedicated "black boxes" that
contain the drives and have a 10/100BaseT connection (commonly called an
RJ-45) on one end and nothing more or minimal self-booting Linux boxes
running Samba or something similar with large internal drives but no
keyboard or monitor attached as a general rule.  In either case, they'll be
as low tech as I can get away with while accomplishing the desired end.  

While we usually have a couple good walloping storms during monsoon season,
lightning isn't so much a problem as very dirty power failures &
restorations, the former from high winds and vehicle collisions taking out
utility poles.  Last year, such a failure cost me a UPS, computer and,
within the computer, one of three 500 GB SATA hard drives among other
things.  

GB & BA related content: After the change over, all of the library info I
have related to the Aircraft Radio Corporation book, surplus electronics and
electronics in general - most of which is related to hollow state - will be
relocated to one of these drives as well as backed up on one of the
removable cartridge drives.  This will be accompanied by a gross
reorganization which will allow the information to be more readily accessed.
Or, stated another way, it's possible I may be more a help than a hindrance
to the lists after it's all done.

* If anyone has any odd Cat 5[e] cables floating around they don't need, I'm
interested.  The ones for this install will be custom made (a skill I still
remember) and buying new just to cut them up doesn't seem right.  Aside from
the one that will parallel my landline wiring (when I get around to actually
installing one) to the bed for some lazy man's computer time, they'll run
from one to about four feet in length and, as mentioned, would like to be in
a variety of colors.  

Best regards,
 
Michael, WH7HG BL01xh
http://www.nationalmssociety.org/chapters/NTH/index.aspx 
http://wh7hg.blogspot.com/ 
http://kludges-other-blog.blogspot.com 
Hiki Nô!