The release of OS X El Capitan marked the dumbing down of Disk Utility into a barely usable version of its former self. Gone from Disk Utility are many features long taken for granted, including support for creating and managing RAID-based storage systems.
With the removal of Disk Utility features, utility app developers stepped in and provide some of the missing features. One of those utility developers was SoftRAID, makers of a popular app for creating software-based RAID arrays for the Mac.
The folks at SoftRAID have taken their well-respected SoftRAID app and pared it down to the basics needed to replace the lost RAID support in Disk Utility. Along with the new Lite version of SoftRAID came a corresponding reduction in price, making it an economical choice for those who need the basic RAID support that Apple had removed.
SoftRAID is the best RAID for Mac OS X. Create advanced RAID 0,1, 4, 5, 1+0 volumes for higher performance, greater data reliability, and/or redundancy.
Apple returned some of the RAID capabilities to macOS Sierra but did so without making any improvements, essentially just putting ancient code back into the Disk Utility app.
What We Like
What We Don't Like
Installing SoftRAID Lite
SoftRAID Lite installs as an application in your Mac’s /Applications folder. The only unusual bit occurs when you launch the app the first time; the SoftRAID driver needs to be installed or updated. Apple has been including the SoftRAID driver ever since OS X Tiger was released in 2005. But although the SoftRAID driver may be present, the Mac doesn't use it unless a drive has been formatted or converted by the SoftRAID app.
The SoftRAID driver is 100 percent compatible with the Mac, and provides boot support for all software-based RAID arrays made with the SoftRAID app.
Should you ever wish to stop using SoftRAID, it includes an uninstall function that will remove the app.
Using SoftRAID Lite
SoftRAID Lite, and for that matter, the full version of SoftRAID, uses a tiled interface presented in a window with two panes. The left-hand pane holds tiles representing each physical disk connected to your Mac. Within each tile is information about the disk, including size, model, how it's connected to your Mac, and whether it's using the Apple or SoftRAID driver. The tile also includes information about S.M.A.R.T status, hours of use, and format.
In the right-hand pane, you'll find tiles for each formatted volume, including size, formatting, available space, type (RAID or non-RAID), plus a few bits of additional information.
The most interesting piece of the SoftRAID interface occurs when you click on one tile, either a Volume tile or a Disk tile. In either case, the association between the selected tile and any other tile is displayed with a nifty pipe drawn between associated tiles.
It also can validate the condition of a RAID volume. I had a lot of fun trying the various RAID levels. RAID0 (striped) approached 3G SSD speeds. Best raid 1 for mac. Using four disks, I set up two RAID1s and them mapped them into a RAID0, giving me the reliability of the former and the speed of the latter.
An example of the benefit comes when you select a tile representing a RAID volume. The resulting pipe shows which disks make up the RAID array.
Creating a RAID ArrayBest Raid Software For Mac
RAID arrays you create must start with disks that you initialize (format) with SoftRAID, or convert from previously formatted disks. Initializing a disk will erase all data on the drive while converting it will keep the data intact. At the time of this SoftRAID review, the conversion feature wasn't yet available; it's scheduled to appear in the next update.
We’ve used the conversion feature in previous versions of the full version of SoftRAID, and it has performed as expected. Nevertheless, when the feature becomes available, I highly recommend creating a current backup of your data before you perform any conversion from Apple to SoftRAID, or back again.
Once you have two or more disks initialized or converted for SoftRAID uses, you can select the appropriate disk tiles, and then select the option to create a new volume. If two or more disks are selected, you can choose to have SoftRAID create a striped or mirrored array. You can also select the format type (HFS+, Encrypted HFS+, Case Sensitive HFS+, or MS-DOS). You can also specify the size of the volume you wish to create.
Oct 10, 2016 Fliqlo. Fliqlo is the ultimate 3d desktop screensaver with a flipboard layout and on thousands of Macs across the world. The most beautiful free screensaver for mac.
SoftRAID MonitorRaid System For Mac
Once you have at least one RAID array, the SoftRAID Monitor begins to run in the background and watch over the disks used in an array. The SoftRAID Monitor will notify you of any disk errors that occur, including S.M.A.R.T errors, volume failures, predicted failures, or an SSD with high wear rates.
In addition, for mirrored arrays, the monitor will let you know if a mirror needs to be rebuilt, if a disk is missing from a mirror, or if a rebuild process has completed.
Additional SoftRAID Lite FeaturesFree Software For Mac Downloads
SoftRAID Lite includes a number of features that go well beyond what Apple provides in Disk Utility:
Final Thoughts
I’ve used the full version of SoftRAID in the past on our own office servers, so I'm familiar with the app and how easy it is to use for creating and managing RAID arrays on Macs.
The Lite version is targeted directly at those of us who made use of Disk Utility to handle our software-based RAID needs. With Apple abandoning RAID support in Disk Utility, SoftRAID Lite steps right in, with an easy-to-use interface, and much more advanced RAID monitoring capabilities than were available in Disk Utility, all at a very reasonable price.
Software For Mac Free
If your Mac makes use of RAID arrays that you created with Disk Utility, I highly recommend SoftRAID Lite as a replacement. It will not only take care of your basic RAID creation and management needs, but it also goes well beyond what Disk Utility could ever do for you.
Little App Factory
SoftRAID Lite 5 is $49.00. A demo is available.
Comments are closed.
|
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |