Welcome to part one of this primer, which will go into detail about the myriad storage options available for professional laptop and desktop Macintosh systems, including the MacBook Pro and Mac Pro. While some of this information will be relevant to users of iMacs, Mac minis, and MacBooks, the article is really aimed at users of professionally-oriented systems, which have many more storage options available to them.

It is important to remember that while your computer and its hardware is probably a relatively expensive piece of equipment in your setup, if not the most expensive, this collection of parts is worth nothing compared to your data itself. A computer can be fixed by swapping out failed components, but data, once truly lost, cannot be so easily replaced. Your data might comprise financial records, projects for clients, email, office documents, media, and many other things that are either not replaceable at all, or might require tens if not hundreds of hours to reproduce. We at Chesapeake Systems take data integrity very seriously, both our own and of course our clients’, and it’s why we’ve decided to make the Storage Primer a regularly updated part of our web site and newsletter content.

The Storage Primer will be broken into a number of areas:

• Built-in (internal) storage options for professional Mac laptops and desktops

• External Direct-Attached Storage/DAS options (portable and desktop)

• Storage Area Networks/SANs (fibre channel & iSCSI, including volume-locked & file-locked)

• Network-Attached Storage/NAS systems, AKA file servers (using Ethernet connectivity)

We may, in future pieces, delve into non hard-disk storage mediums such as data tape and optical disc (CD/DVD/Blu-ray), and even SSD (solid-state disks). Likewise, future articles may go more into depth on backup systems and methodologies. However, the crux of the initial portions of the storage primer is spinning disk (AKA hard drive) storage for day-to-day use.

With that said, let’s get started!

- Dave Massey

Has the high price of transportation put a squeeze on your budget? Telecommuting may be the answer. This year, more than ever, professionals in many diverse fields are making the move to a convenient and satisfying alternative to the 9 to 5 grind.

Working remotely while maintaining fast access to your data is the primary challenge facing a telecommuter. The complexity of this task can vary depending on a number factors ranging from the security policies of your employer to the types of data that you will be accessing.

Chesapeake offers complete end-to-end solutions for fast secure telecommuting. We can help you to design, purchase, install and support your perfect home office. We also offer systems engineer services for your office network, ensuring fast and efficient configuration and support for your office telecommuting portal.

Whether you need access to your company’s file server, web site or a complete video and voice conferencing system, we have the expertise to make the process understandable and effective. Read on for an overview of some of the technologies that make this possible.

- Michael Sellers

For those who don’t know ChesaXchange is a service where you can purchase and sell previously owned computer equipment. In the past, the associated web page was mostly used as a place for Chesapeake Systems to sell used computers. We have now turned it into more of a community driven marketplace.

- Michael Sellers

Apple has once again brought its unique brand of richness and simplicity to servers. OS X Leopard Server is the fifth generation of their server software. Leopard Server continues the OS X Server tradition of delivering platform-independent file/print, e-mail, Web, and network edge services (such as firewall, VPN, proxy, virus, and spam filtering). But now has some new, very “Apple” features.

Hello Folks,

Chesapeake Systems now has a blog! However, to be more accurate, we’re implementing the WordPress blogging system as the main day-to-day “content management system” for our website. Basically, we’re using WordPress as a pre-built tool that allows us to easily add articles and stories to our site, for your enjoyment and edification.