<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2//EN">
<HTML>
<HEAD>
<META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=US-ASCII">
<META NAME="Generator" CONTENT="MS Exchange Server version 5.5.2653.12">
<TITLE>RE: filePro RAID comments wanted</TITLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY>
<BR>
<BR>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>> -----Original Message-----</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>> From: Walter Vaughan [<A HREF="mailto:wvaughan@steelerubber.com">mailto:wvaughan@steelerubber.com</A>]</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>> Sent: Wednesday, May 05, 2004 3:54 PM</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>> To: filepro-list@celestial.com</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>> Subject: filePro RAID comments wanted</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>> </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>> </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>> Okay I've decided on building a Brand-New Bad *ss filePro server.</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>> It's ordered, so (Dual Xeon, Pure Intel w/ SATA RAID 5) I don't</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>> need advice on RAID 10 vs 5 vs 1+0, SCSI vs SATA.</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>> </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>> What I need is advice on keeping things simple. Since day one</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>> we've always had an /etc/default/fppath that looks like</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>> /appl</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>> </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>> /appl</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>> so everything's been in /appl/filepro or /appl/fp. Since FreeBSD</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>> and most other systems like to suggest mounting user directories</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>> and other sundries on different mount points the / directory</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>> typically only gets 10-20% of the disk space, which sucks for</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>> the /appl end of things.</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>> I've noticed that many of us have filepro mounted on a /u mount</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>> point, HOWEVER we've got probably 10,000 places in code since</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>> 1986 that has hard coded locations like /appl/fp/shellscript.</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>> </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>> Call it bad programming, but hey it's a rapid application environment.</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>> We were rapid. Rapid is more important than bright.</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>> </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>> Didn't say we're the brightest. Just more rapider.</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>> </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>> Anyway I think that the best thing would be to have</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>> a single mount point rather than accept the defaults</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>> and then combine the disk space that would have gone</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>> to /usr with the / mount point. Its not like I plan or would</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>> want to just add bigger drives later. I expect this disk setup to</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>> last as long as the previous. (7 years)</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>> </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>> I'm not worried about fdisk times. I've jerked the plugs out</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>> of many a freeBSD box the past few years under load, and not</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>> once did it expect to fdisk upon reboot. Heck with redundant</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>> power supplies, it should never go without power, and with</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>> a hot spare even the loss of a drive will be invisible.</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>> </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>> I guess I've talked myself into doing it this way, just looking</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>> for something I'm missing.</FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>> </FONT>
<BR><FONT SIZE=2>> Let the cannonballs fly.</FONT>
</P>
<BR>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>You can mimic fpTech approach, use symbolic link.</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>Symbolically link /appl to /u/appl thus solving both problems.</FONT>
</P>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>Hope this helps!</FONT>
</P>
<BR>
<P><FONT SIZE=2>Jose Lerebours</FONT>
</P>
</BODY>
</HTML>