How to manage a big itunes library?

Another very tedious backup solution is to back up to dual-layer or single layer DVD's. That is best facilitated using a backup program that allows backup to multiple discs. If you have a library of of 5000 CD's that would take about 330 DVD's or half as many dual-layer (SLOW to burn) DVD's, and to restore your library would mean transferring those all back to another hard drive in the event of failure of the original copy. Still, it is yet another potential backup strategy for an additional hard-copy on fewer discs.

PS If you do backup to DVD, my calculations, I think, were for WAV files. If you use Apple Lossless or some other compression scheme you'd be using much fewer DVD's. Also, if you back up to DVD, I'd strongly recommend buying high quality media such as Taiyo Yuden, as opposed to most of the crap they sell at the mega-office warehouse stores, most of which is made in China, has poor lamination process and spotty reliability in burning. I've had half a cake-pak of those type of CD's fail to burn. YMMV, but I always use Taiyo Yuden now and have had no problems at all. One can easily see the difference in lamination process in comparing a TY disc to the alternatives. Again, a tip from one whose backup is his livelihood. Genuine TY media is available from The Supermedia Store

Over the last three years, I've bought a lot of equipment from Other World Computing. Good people and good stuff!

I can definitely vouch for Taiyo Yuden DVDs and DVD-DLs as well. And, Mitsui for CDs.

The number of CDs I've ripped to Apple Lossless is only about 40GBs, so I don't have nearly the challenge Ejlif is faced with. A 250GB fanless hard drive might be a solution for me.

Ejlif, you may have to consider a small RAID system placed in a different location from your listening room.

Wow I was ready to pull the trigger on a 4TB Drobo. I only needed to find out if it was to noisy. Sounds like that idea may be out the window. Now it sounds like it isn't reliable. Damn someone needs to come out with a great big drive that is reliable. They'd get rich it sounds like.

Ejlif - I don't think it's the drive that's unreliable, it is the RAID device itself and the interface with the drives. These are not "great big drives", as you intimated. A RAID unit usually has multiple slots that house many duplicate-sized hard drives - you buy whichever SATA (or whatever type the RAID device uses) raw hard drive that you choose and just slide them into the slots. The RAID hardware is what you are paying for in the case of these modular boxes. The hardware is what allows you to create and maintain seamless redundant copy drives in multiple slots and keep the system running in the the event of a drive failure. It also would have to keep all those drives cool as multiple large drives are bound to generate some heat. As someone pointed out, in the event of a disaster such as a flood, fire or theft you'd be SOL as all copies would likely be damaged/lost (they'd all be contained within that device unless you occasionally pull and replace a drive with a replacement and put the copy drive in a safe, off-site location. The RAID devices DO make the process of keeping/maintaining a backup of large amounts of data a very easy process if the device works properly. I don't know what the problems folks are having with the Drobo units are, but you should be able to use any brand of SATA drive you choose within the box itself. If the thing is noisy it is likely a problem with the cooling fan(s) and or the specific drives that are chosen by the user (some drives are noisier than others), as well as how the case of the device may amplify that noise.

Marco