From: fork-admin@xent.com  Tue Sep 17 11:30:12 2002
Return-Path: <fork-admin@xent.com>
Delivered-To: yyyy@localhost.example.com
Received: from localhost (jalapeno [127.0.0.1])
	by jmason.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 8ABEC16F03
	for <jm@localhost>; Tue, 17 Sep 2002 11:30:11 +0100 (IST)
Received: from jalapeno [127.0.0.1]
	by localhost with IMAP (fetchmail-5.9.0)
	for jm@localhost (single-drop); Tue, 17 Sep 2002 11:30:11 +0100 (IST)
Received: from xent.com ([64.161.22.236]) by dogma.slashnull.org
    (8.11.6/8.11.6) with ESMTP id g8H9JaC03588 for <jm@jmason.org>;
    Tue, 17 Sep 2002 10:19:37 +0100
Received: from lair.xent.com (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by xent.com (Postfix)
    with ESMTP id AB2CD2940D8; Tue, 17 Sep 2002 02:16:04 -0700 (PDT)
Delivered-To: fork@example.com
Received: from venus.phpwebhosting.com (venus.phpwebhosting.com
    [64.29.16.27]) by xent.com (Postfix) with SMTP id 7132229409F for
    <FoRK@xent.com>; Tue, 17 Sep 2002 02:15:25 -0700 (PDT)
Received: (qmail 24536 invoked by uid 508); 17 Sep 2002 09:18:40 -0000
Received: from unknown (HELO hydrogen.leitl.org) (217.80.40.43) by
    venus.phpwebhosting.com with SMTP; 17 Sep 2002 09:18:40 -0000
Received: from localhost (eugen@localhost) by hydrogen.leitl.org
    (8.11.6/8.11.6) with ESMTP id g8H9IXY03200; Tue, 17 Sep 2002 11:18:33
    +0200
X-Authentication-Warning: hydrogen.leitl.org: eugen owned process doing -bs
From: Eugen Leitl <eugen@leitl.org>
To: "Stephen D. Williams" <sdw@lig.net>
Cc: Gary Lawrence Murphy <garym@canada.com>,
	Udhay Shankar N <udhay@pobox.com>, Adam Rifkin <adam@KnowNow.com>,
	<FoRK@xent.com>
Subject: Re: storage bits
In-Reply-To: <3D8684B4.7060801@lig.net>
Message-Id: <Pine.LNX.4.33.0209170748460.14309-100000@hydrogen.leitl.org>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
Sender: fork-admin@xent.com
Errors-To: fork-admin@xent.com
X-Beenthere: fork@example.com
X-Mailman-Version: 2.0.11
Precedence: bulk
List-Help: <mailto:fork-request@xent.com?subject=help>
List-Post: <mailto:fork@example.com>
List-Subscribe: <http://xent.com/mailman/listinfo/fork>, <mailto:fork-request@xent.com?subject=subscribe>
List-Id: Friends of Rohit Khare <fork.xent.com>
List-Unsubscribe: <http://xent.com/mailman/listinfo/fork>,
    <mailto:fork-request@xent.com?subject=unsubscribe>
List-Archive: <http://xent.com/pipermail/fork/>
Date: Tue, 17 Sep 2002 11:18:33 +0200 (CEST)
X-Spam-Status: No, hits=-11.2 required=7.0
	tests=AWL,EMAIL_ATTRIBUTION,IN_REP_TO,KNOWN_MAILING_LIST,
	      QUOTED_EMAIL_TEXT,SPAM_PHRASE_01_02,USER_AGENT_PINE,
	      X_AUTH_WARNING
	version=2.50-cvs
X-Spam-Level: 

On Mon, 16 Sep 2002, Stephen D. Williams wrote:

> To make what work?  I already pointed out that a single drive is
> comparable between IDE/SCSI.

Alas, that's wrong. Both the drives are faster (10..15 krpm vs. ~7 krpm,
faster seek), and the EIDE protocol is ridiculously dumb (queing;
disconnect).
 
> I think you're wrong with recent releases.  I'll check this week. 
> There's also JFS and XFS.

None of them are production quality. Right now only ext2 and ext3 qualify.  
It will take a good while (a year, or two) before we can trust anything
else.
 
> >SCSI has got advantages still, particular if it comes to off-shelf 
> >high-density racks.
> >
> Check out RaidZone.com.

Have you looked inside a dual-CPU 1U Dell? Three drives are easy to get 
in. Anything else would require a redesign, and would in nontrivial 
thermal engineering issues.
 
> A number of vendors are putting the Promise IDE hardware on the
> motherboard.  All that remains is the proper drive socket.

I can't think of a single major vendor who sells 1U systems with hardware
EIDE RAID.

> Additionally, you can get hardware IDE raid as a pair of drive bays or
> even an IDE-IDEx2 controller that can be screwed into a 1U chassis.

I believe you that stuff can be found, if one is looking for it. However, 
I wouldn't put this into production unless I've had that system hanging in 
the local rack under simulated load for a half a year.


