Re: Do we need more emphasis on backup?

Scary if the person has a DBA background. But there are lots of people,
like myself, who find themselves doing this sort of work and do not have the
formal training (small business, small db, but still an important part of
the business IS). Now, I know my limits and I would not take on the task of
administering a high-volume, mission-critical DB. Nonetheless, there are
many tips, tricks, and gotcha's that I have yet to learn.

I welcome an FAQ on this subject and genuinely appreciate the efforts of
those who create it. It will make me a better "wanna-be"!

-----Original Message-----
From: Jim Seymour [mailto:jseymour(at)linxnet(dot)com]
Sent: July 6, 2004 6:32 AM
To: pgsql-general(at)postgresql(dot)org
Subject: Re: Do we need more emphasis on backup?

Bruce Momjian <pgman(at)candle(dot)pha(dot)pa(dot)us> wrote:
>
> pgman wrote:
> > Jim Seymour wrote:
[snip]
> > >
> > > My position is that your data is only as reliable as your hardware,
> > > period.
[snip]
> >
> > There is a basic misconception that all PC hardware is created equal ---
> > that hard drives, mother boards, and RAM are all the same because they
> > are all PC-compatible. Compatible != Similar Quality.
[snip]
>
> Should I add an FAQ discussing hardware selection and the importance of
> reliable hardware?

Scary to think that people who don't know enough about running a proper
server, and thus have to be *told* this, are admin'ing databases.

Start with: Gotta have ECC, or at least parity-checking, RAM.

Mention the (some kinds of?) IDE drives issue.

Mention that hardware RAID systems must have battery-backed write
cache. (I actually had a RAID vendor, whose products no longer had
batter-backed write cache, tell me "Just use a UPS.")

Jim