10 replies to this topic

[Yorn]

I didn't know where else to post this, but I figured you guys might want to know about a guy making this:
http://www.diskbuncher.com/

Looks like it is an alternative to Drive Extenders, which we now know is NOT going to be in the next version of Windows Home Server. Could be interesting to watch this project develop, cause it might turn into something useful.

[Brito]

Hi Yorn, long time no hear news from you.

Welcome back!

As for the tool you mention, they have a neat looking site but development seems a bit halted, they seem to be around since 2006 and still haven't passed after version 0.1

Nevertheless, I do like the idea of just adding disks in bulk without any more worries or need for different drive letters.

Hope all is well with you.

[Wonko the Sane]

As for the tool you mention, they have a neat looking site but development seems a bit halted, they seem to be around since 2006 and still haven't passed after version 0.1

Actually as seen from here they seem to be working on it:
http://diskbuncher.o...opment_progress
only they didn't release anything yet.

Nevertheless, I do like the idea of just adding disks in bulk without any more worries or need for different drive letters.

...and I thought all these years that mountpoints were made for that ....



Wonko

[fpdragon]

As for the tool you mention, they have a neat looking site but development seems a bit halted, they seem to be around since 2006 and still haven't passed after version 0.1

Nevertheless, I do like the idea of just adding disks in bulk without any more worries or need for different drive letters.

Hi guys,

I'm the one behind http://www.diskbuncher.com.

First of all: The website has just a standard style from http://www.origo.ethz.ch/ . It's just something like sourceforge not a real self made website Ok... The content is from me ^^

I definitely NOT working since 2006 on this project! I think it was October 2010 when I started. I don't know where this facts are coming :-/ . Anyway, Version 0.1 had a big issue: It wont make it happen to create shares from your bunched drives. That was a show stopper for me and that's the cause why I nearly started from scratch to make version 0.2. It will make it possible to share your bunched disk without any problem and it even should work on XP (not like 0.1). So don't make too much thoughts about 0.1. It's already dead!

If you look at the site you will see that there is still progress. 0.2's implementation is much more complicated but maybe in a view weeks the "engine" is on the same level as 0.1 had. But! 0.2 has many optical an comfortable changes to 0.1.

I'm currently having a test running with the current version with 9 disks and shared with about 4 or 5 TB of data. So if you know how it's implemented you currently can live with this version quite good but it's not good enough to make another preview release right now. So you have to wait... sorry.

Edited by fpdragon, 16 February 2011 - 03:51 PM.

[Wonko the Sane]

Welcome to the board.

I definitely NOT working since 2006 on this project! I think it was October 2010 when I started. I don't know where this facts are coming :-/ .

Well you have a copyright on the home page:

a project by ETH Zürich
© 2006 - 2010

Evidently Nuno mistakingly took 2006 for the beginning of the project.

So you have to wait... sorry.

Take your time , noone is pushing you.



Wonko

[Yorn]

Nuno, I still read the forums every couple of weeks, but as my job description changed to Windows Server administration, I haven't been working on the hardware or clients as much as I used to. I still follow this site, though!

If Disk Buncher reads ImDisk drives as well, then you could potentially have a lab of computers that connect to a server that then uses IMG files on the lab computers to stripe data across multiple drives. How weird (but cool) would that be? I could see using this in a student lab or other environment.

[fpdragon]

DiskBuncher 0.2+ will have the same limitations as NTFS Junction Points have. You can't use it with network drives or non NTFS file systems. That was the price for the sharing feature of diskbuncher. I don't know this ImDisk but if it presents a virtual NTFS drive then it should be possible.

You could test this by just creating a Junction point from a ImDisk folder. If you can do this then the chances are very good that DiskBuncher will be compatible.

To the © 2006:
Thats just the copyright for the site system but now I understand :-D

[fpdragon]

PS: Very good to hear that somebody is already looking at the site! thx

[pscEx]

Hallo fpdragon, Herzlich willkommen hier!

Just a (not very serious, more kidding) question.

I really have 9 of smaller drives. They all are in removable drive cases. They are fom the ICE age where USB sticks have been an exotic new method. At that time the only senceful method to use common data / apps in different PCs.
When I understand diskbuncher.com page correctly, the app can make one logical drive from them.

But which hardware adaptors can I use to connect them all to my PC?

Nevetheless: Great work!

Peter

[fpdragon]

thanks...

I'm not sure what exactly you have here. Hmmm before USB stick times... You will need .net 4 with XP or Vista or Win 7. If the hardware is that old then I'm not sure if it can handle it.

To the adaptors:
I have a crazy motherboard with 8 sata ports (two different controllers) and 4 sata ports with pci but I don't think this is a question of hw. If your disks can be used as normal harddisks (no network drive) and can be formated with NTFS then I don't see any problem AT THE MOMENT.

The big problem I have is that I nearly get no feedback to the program it self. Ok it makes no sense with 0.1 but I will need help in testing 0.2 on other platforms with other exotic disks or hardware. Also the question of service packs could be interesting and I am only working with all updates and all sp installed. I only have one server, one pc and one laptop to test DiskBuncher.

Volunteers first :-D

[fpdragon]

Try to create Junction links between the disks. If it works it should be possible to use with DiskBuncher.