[Scottish] Hardware question - slightly linux related :)

[Colin Shorts]

Hi,

Maybe I'm missing the point, but I would have thought a single larger array would be more reliable
than multiple smaller arrays.

RAID 5 offers a good level of redundancy (which is still no excuse for not performing backups), so
from my point of view it would make more sense to have a single array with larger drives, than two
or more arrays with smaller drives.

You should also take heat into consideration when thinking about an array (noise too if that's
important), newer (larger) drives should be more efficient both in terms of power usage, heat and
space. I wouldn't think there was much point in going for 750GB drives unless money is no object
;) 500GB drives are possibly the best bang for buck right now... assuming your doing sata300.

HTH,

Colin


--- Phillip Bennett <phillip at mve.com> wrote:

> Hi guys,
> 
> I am looking at replacing one of my Linux servers here at the moment and 
> wanted to ask people about their experiences with hardware configuration..
> 
> Basically, it will have about a terrabyte or so of space available in the 
> form of a RAID array, (probably RAID5) and I was wondering if anyone would 
> be able to tell me the pros/cons of having all this available in just ONE 
> array, as opposed to having two or more smaller arrays.  Are there 
> performance advantages that people know about?  I realiase that with two 
> smaller arrays, there is less risk to data, but more cost for disks, but 
> could this be offset by buying larger (750G) drives?
> 
> I'd be interested to know what people think and why.
> 
> For those wondering, it'll be a PowerEdge 2950 with all disks internal, as 
> opposed to an external array.  Will this make a difference?  Is there 
> another brand that people would recommend for this type of thing.
> 
> Thanks in advance,
> Phil. 
> 
> 
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