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Server sata hard disk failure rates
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Server sata hard disk failure rates

Hi,

I'm thinking of buying a dedi from a budget provider with single sata disk.

I'm curious to know the expected life of a 1 or 2 year old hard disk in a server environment.

Thanks for your time.

Comments

  • Maybe today, maybe 5 years from now. It's a total random time span. But it's recommended to keep backups all time. Even if the HDD is new.

    Thanked by 1niceboy
  • ClouviderClouvider Member, Patron Provider

    That depends on the drive and it's use before. If it's a budget provider I would assume desktop drives. If you are on used one I would expect less than a year a safe bet. Do long smart test first of all to see the current condition.

  • @niceboy said:
    Hi,

    I'm thinking of buying a dedi from a budget provider with single sata disk.

    I'm curious to know the expected life of a 1 or 2 year old hard disk in a server environment.

    Thanks for your time.

    Depends on drive, depends on a lot of factors, heating, etc...

    I've owned a laptop for 13 months, hard drive failed on saturday.

    I owned a cheapie laptop for 6 years. hdd still going strong..

    Just what it is, you can never know when they're going to fail.

    If your worried, I'd get your provider to setup software raid or get a raid card in there...

    Thanked by 1niceboy
  • Depends on the disk, depends on age, number of spin ups, temperature during its lifetime, wear, etc.

  • gestiondbigestiondbi Member, Patron Provider

    For example, I have HDD that have more than 10 years and working fine. I also have some that break in one month of use! You can't trust only one HDD.

    Thanked by 1niceboy
  • DamianDamian Member
    edited July 2015

    I have a 500GB WD Green drive that has about 50,000 hours on it. It works fine.

    I also know of an enormous pile of WD RE 1 TB drives all manufactured late 2012 that are dropping like flies.

    While cleaning up at my parent's house about a month ago, I found a Maxtor PO-12S drive that was manufactured in 1990. It still worked.

    It's just not possible to specify a lifetime on drives.

    Thanked by 1niceboy
  • shovenoseshovenose Member, Host Rep

    That's impossible to say

  • sc754sc754 Member

    It's a shame SSD's aren't cheap enough yet, they should last much longer than traditional disks and have more predictable failure indicators

  • @sc754 said:
    It's a shame SSD's aren't cheap enough yet, they should last much longer than traditional disks and have more predictable failure indicators

    PC world are having a sale at the mo, picked up my one for £49.

  • sc754sc754 Member
    edited July 2015

    @MSPNick said:

    What model? I've got a 250gb samsung 840 I bought about 2 years ago for £100. I think my next ultrabook upgrade will have to wait until 250gb drives become the norm.

  • @sc754 said:

    Evo 840's are now £84.. I got the ocz for £49

  • sc754sc754 Member

    @MSPNick said:

    Yeah I got it for a hundred because the person in currys mislabelled it, it was suppose to be 140 at the time. Ok I'll take a look for my home pc

  • @sc754 said:
    Yeah I got it for a hundred because the person in currys mislabelled it, it was suppose to be 140 at the time. Ok I'll take a look for my home pc

    pretty good for PC world.. I needed mine asap... I didn't want to wait for delivery on amazon, etc... but they're cheaper by like a pound or so.

  • qpsqps Member, Host Rep

    Hard drive lifespans vary greatly. Each model drive can have different reliability. Sometimes firmware versions can make a big difference too within each model.

    Take a look at some of the articles out there.

    https://www.backblaze.com/blog/best-hard-drive/

    This shows how much reliability can vary based on model.

  • @qps I'd dismiss the stats from Backblaze since they use consumer hard drives and there is no cooling on all those drives in the custom chassis.

  • qpsqps Member, Host Rep

    techhelper1 said: I'd dismiss the stats from Backblaze since they use consumer hard drives and there is no cooling on all those drives in the custom chassis.

    Yeah, I was just using it as an example of how much difference there can be between different models.

  • qps said: Yeah, I was just using it as an example of how much difference there can be between different models.

    The difference is if a drive isn't used under the tested conditions - it can be a big difference, not between the drive models itself.

  • ClouviderClouvider Member, Patron Provider
    edited July 2015

    sc754 said: It's a shame SSD's aren't cheap enough yet, they should last much longer than traditional disks and have more predictable failure indicators

    o_O?

    Last longer ?

    more predictable failure indicators ?

    Why enterprise solutions are still being built on SAS drives ?

    Damian said: While cleaning up at my parent's house about a month ago, I found a Maxtor PO-12S drive that was manufactured in 1990. It still worked.

    I suppose it had a lot of working hours done during the time it was gathering dust at your parents house.

  • 2 days brand new drive - 2009 - faulty series

    3 years single 320GB drive 2006 -2009

  • NeoonNeoon Community Contributor, Veteran
    edited July 2015

    You can't estimate it, but when you drop a notebook 3 times from a table for example. You will know it.

  • coolicecoolice Member
    edited July 2015

    wrong post

  • rds100rds100 Member

    A single or even dual HDDs can die any time and sometimes without any warning. It could also work for many years without any problem. It's a matter of luck. So just keep backups and have recovery strategy and you will be fine.
    Having everything replicated on two geographicly diverse single drive servers is probably better than having everything on one dual-HDD server.

    Thanked by 1niceboy
  • DewlanceVPSDewlanceVPS Member, Patron Provider

    Most of provider give 2 year old SATA disk.. I will recommended you to buy SSD (256GB).


    SATA life is too short for busy server. Maybe 2 year max if you use old disk and I think SATA disk life is nearly 4 year or less.

  • niceboyniceboy Veteran

    Thanks so much for all your comments and valuable time.

  • MaouniqueMaounique Host Rep, Veteran

    Clouvider said: Why enterprise solutions are still being built on SAS drives ?

    People who know choose SAS. Quality build, practically immortal most of them, high speed 15k even, workhorses in our 1000 days plus uptime servers.
    Sata cheap large storage, really putting the I in RAID, SSD fast but not really as safe as sas, but probably better than sata.

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