What is RAID?

RAID stands for Redundant Array of Independent Disks. A RAID uses two or more hard disk drives enclosed in an external storage solution. For the more techie folks, you can also build a RAID array inside of your computer. However, the latter requires a bit more work so, for the purpose of this article, we'll focus on simple, plug and play external storage RAID.


Here are the most commonly used RAID levels:

What is USB 3.0?

Photo via USB Implementers Forum, Inc.

USB 3.0 or "SuperSpeed" USB, is the newest generation of USB interface. And, for Polyline's demographic, that's probably the most important thing you have to know about USB 3.0; it's super fast.

Why does my computer say my brand new hard drive has less capacity than was advertised?

It's because hard drive manufacturers define gigabytes and megabytes differently than some computer systems.

For simplicity, hard drive manufacturers define a megabyte as 1,000,000 bytes and a gigabyte as 1,000,000,000 bytes. This is a decimal system and seems familiar to anyone who worked with the metric system in school. (Here in the United States, we're introduced to the metric system in school, even if we don't use it very often.) It's the way hard drive manufacturers have always defined these terms.

Who is a good BD-R manufacturer?

You'll want to stick with a brand name that you recognize: Falcon, Panasonic, Sony, Verbatim, etc. Many of these brands have a lot invested in the original development of the Blu-ray format and all of them have a lot invested in their brands' reputations. You can rest assured that these companies have paid the appropriate licensing fees and are adhering to the strict specifications of the format.

Just as important as the brand of BD-R, are the people you decide to buy from. Here are some tips to help ensure you're purchasing quality BD-R media from a reputable distributor:

Why are CDs made from petroleum?

CDs are made from polycarbonate,  which is made from petroleum.

The simple truth is that, right now, most of our plastics (including the plastics in CD-Rs and other optical media) are made from petroleum.

Is there really a difference between your so-called professional hard drives and commercial hard drives?

Yes, there are several differences. Professional hard drives have:

What is LTO partitioning?

LTO Partitioning and the new Linear Tape File System allow LTO Ultirum 5 to function like a hard drive. (Notice, I didn't say it's as fast as a hard drive, I said it functions as one.)

By partitioning the tape, it allows one partition to hold the index, which tells the drive exactly where a file is located. The second partition holds the content.

What is a slimline jwel case?

This is a slimline jewel case.