Glyph Production Technologies'' PortaGig
62 is a portable RAID data storage system.
This diminutive unit (123mm W X
92mm D X 43mm H) is the offspring of
Glyph''s larger desktop RAID, the GT 062E.
The unit''s all-metal case contains two
2.5-inch hard drives (made by either Seagate
or Hitachi) and is available in a variety
of speed/size configurations: 5,400
RPM in 1.2, 2, and 3TB sizes and 7,200
RPM in 320GB, 500GB, 640GB, and 1TB
(tested here). All of these drive systems
have transfer speeds of up to
177MB/second.
PortaGig 62 is cooled by a small internal
fan and is bus-powered via FireWire
800. For FW 400 use, its bilingual 9-pin
socket will accept an 800-to-400 adapter
cable, or you can connect using either
the USB 2.0 or eSATA ports. Also included
are a wall-wart external power supply, FW
800 cable, and on/off switch.
PortaGig 62 ships with Glyph Manager
software for configuring and monitoring
the health of all connected and
supported Glyph drives. If a problem
arises, the blue activity LED on a drive''s
front panel will glow red and the GM icon
will animate in the Mac''s dock or generate
an error balloon on Windows computers.
While an updated version is in
progress, GM works in 64-bit systems
only if you connect drives using USB 2.
GM configures PortaGig to run in any
of three modes: RAID 0, RAID 1, and
Spanning. RAID 0 mode does block-level
striping without parity or mirroring. RAID
0 improves drive performance but offers
no redundancy. RAID 1, or “mirroring,”
allows data to be written identically to
both internal drives for redundancy—i.e.
real-time backup. As long as one drive
is working, your data is safe. Spanning
mode writes data sequentially across
both drives—when the first one fills, the
second one continues onward.
PORTAGIG 62 IN THE STUDIO
PortaGig worked fine as a Pro Tools session
drive in any of the RAID modes. Right
out of the box, I was able to record and
play back large track counts just as I normally
do using my internal SATA drive in
my MacPro.
But I wanted to partition PortaGig 62
into two volumes for backing up my current
Pro Tools session files and to save
a “clone”of my system drive using Mac''s
Time Machine program.
Because I have the artist''s and record
company''s assets on my Pro Tools
drive(s), I am interested in safety through
redundancy offered in RAID 1 mode,
instead of opting for maximum space.
PortaGig 62 ships Mac-formatted
and configured in RAID 0, so I used the
intuitive Change Configuration window
in Glyph Manager to reconfigure it in
RAID 1. That means the total drive
space of 1TB now becomes 500GB,
but it also means all data is cleared—
erased! I re-formatted the drive using
the Mac''s Disk Utility and partitioned
it into two 250GB volumes.
GM boots up instantly and provides
a fast system appraisal. Select any drive
and GM drills deeper, indicating each
drive''s model, serial number, and status
(fully-operational, initialized, degraded,
or halted); volume name or names for
each partition, connection configuration—
Firewire, USB, or eSATA; and even the
internal temperatures of the Oxford bridge
chipset and the drives themselves. Even
with the fan whirling, the PortaGig 62
runs quietly so fan''s speed (1500 RPM)
is displayed in case it dies, which could
lead to the drives overheating.
In continuous everyday use, PortaGig
62 has been totally reliable. It''s small
enough to be tucked out of the way anywhere
in my studio, but away from the
heat flow of my computer''s fan output. I
also liked the convenient back-panel
on/off switch.
SMALL DRIVE SCORES BIG
For me, the PortaGig 62 scores in three
ways: Its small size makes it the perfect
portable drive for “on the go” music production
on a laptop. It makes an excellent
archive drive for locating my precious files
in an alternative, safe place. Or it just works
great 24/7 as my main session drive.
The manufacturer''s insurance policy
is great, too. Like all Glyph drives, the
PortaGig comes with a three-year warranty,
a free two-year data recovery plan,
and a one-year replacement guarantee.
All good, indeed!
Overall Rating (1-5): 4
PortaGig 62 Product Page