From: | Richard Neill <rn214(at)cam(dot)ac(dot)uk> |
---|---|
To: | Jeremy Harris <jgh(at)wizmail(dot)org> |
Cc: | pgsql-performance(at)postgresql(dot)org |
Subject: | Re: SATA drives performance |
Date: | 2009-12-24 18:09:46 |
Message-ID: | 4B33AE6A.2040806@cam.ac.uk |
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Lists: | pgsql-performance |
Jeremy Harris wrote:
> On 12/24/2009 05:12 PM, Richard Neill wrote:
>> Of course, with a server machine, it's nearly impossible to use mdadm
>> raid: you are usually compelled to use a hardware raid card.
>
> Could you expand on that?
Both of the last machines I bought (an IBM X3550 and an HP DL380) come
with hardware raid solutions. These are an utter nuisance because:
- they can only be configured from the BIOS (or with a
bootable utility CD). Linux has very basic monitoring tools,
but no way to reconfigure the array, or add disks to empty
hot-swap slots while the system is running.
- If there is a Linux raid config program, it's not part of the
main packaged distro, but usually a pre-built binary, available
for only one release/kernel of the wrong distro.
- the IBM one had dodgy firmware, which, until updated, caused the
disk to totally fail after a few days.
- you pay a lot of money for something effectively pointless, and
have less control and less flexibility.
After my experience with the X3550, I hunted for any server that would
ship without hardware raid, i.e. connect the 8 SATA hotswap slots direct
to the motherboard, or where the hardware raid could be de-activated
completely, and put into pass-through mode. Neither HP nor IBM make such
a thing.
Richard
>
> - Jeremy
>
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