large filesystem & fileserver architecture issues.

[Gerry Creager N5JXS]

We just implemented an IDE RAID system for some meteorology data/work. 
We're pretty happy with the results so far.  Our hardwre complement is:

SuperMicro X5DAE Motherboard
dual Xeon 2.8GHz processors
2 GB Kingston Registered ECC RAM
2 HighPoint RocketRAID 404 4-channel IDE RAID adapters
10 Maxtor 250 GB 7200 RPM disks
1 Maxtor 60 GB drive for system work
1 long multi-drop disk power cable...
SuperMicro case (nomenclature escapes me, however, it has 1 disk bays 
and fits the X5DAE MoBo
Cheapest PCI video card I could find (no integrated video on MoBo)
Add-on Intel GBE SC fiber adapter

Drawbacks:
1.  I should have checked for integrated video for simplicity
2.  Current HighPoint drivers for RH9 are not RAID yet; use RH7.3 with 
ALL the patches
3.  Make sure you order the rack mount parts when you order the case; it 
  only appeared they were included...
4.  Questions have been raised about the E-1000 integrated GBE copper 
NIC on the Mobo; Doesn't matter: it's gonna be connected to a 100M 
switch and GBE will be on fiber like God intended data to be passed (No, 
I don't trust most terminations for GBE on copper!)

It's up and working.  Burning in for the last 2 weeks with no problems, 
it's going to the Texas GigaPoP today where it'll be live on Internet2.

HTH, Gerry

Nicholas Henke wrote:
> On Tue, 2003-08-05 at 11:45, Michael T. Prinkey wrote:
> 
>>On 4 Aug 2003, Nicholas Henke wrote:
>>
>>We have a lot of experience with IDE RAID arrays at client sites.  The DOE
>>lab in Morgantown, WV has about 4 TBs of IDE RAID that we built for them.  
>>The performance is quite good (840 GBs, 140 MB/sec read, 80 MB/sec write)
>>and the price is hard to beat.  The raid array that serves home
>>directories to their clusters and workstations is backed up nightly to a
>>second raid server, similarly to your system.  To speed things along we
>>installed an extra gigabit card in the primary and backup servers and
>>connected the two directly.  The nightly backup (cp -auf via NFS) of 410
>>GBs take just over an hour using the dedicated gbit link.  Rsync would
>>probably be faster.  Without the shortcircuit gigabit link, it used to run
>>four or five times longer and seriously impact NFS performance for the
>>rest of the systems on the LAN.
>>
>>Hope this helps.
>>
>>Regards,
>>
>>Mike Prinkey
>>Aeolus Research, Inc.
> 
> 
> Definately does -- can you recommend hardware for the IDE RAID, or list
> what you guys have used ?
> 
> Nic

-- 
Gerry Creager -- gerry.creager at tamu.edu
Network Engineering -- AATLT, Texas A&M University	
Cell: 979.229.5301 Office: 979.458.4020 FAX: 979.847.8578
Page: 979.228.0173
Office: 903A Eller Bldg, TAMU, College Station, TX 77843

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