> > 3. Why is RAID so hard to set up on Linux?
>
> Huh? It was a snap for me. Perhaps it's more of an familiarity
> issue. It
> doesn't take me 3 days to set up an FTP server or 2 days for a
> nameserver...
> maybe hours but not days.
>
> That should be a real consideration. Setting up a server that you are not
> sure of and not comfortable with will almost certainly result in a Bad Day
> if something goes wrong. I certainly would not know the first thing about
> setting up NT server with Raid and therefore wouldn't recommend a
> production
> server on it - especially if I would be responsible for it - even
> though it
> may do just fine.
Well, I don't want to start a basic discussion about Linux pro's and con's,
but I agree with Shon and there are a few things about Linux and RAID that I
feel should should be said. I have started to use Linux in production
environments half a year ago. Now I got servers running root RAID1, Samba,
Amanda, Firewall/dial-up router etc. Nevertheless, I can calculate if
something takes me two hours with NT it will take at least two days with
Linux to really get it running, understand what is going on and to debug it.
Of course, after I set up things with Linux, I can forget the machine, it
runs just fine.
I really like Linux (although it somethimes occurs to me that Linux maybe
doesn't like me...), but at this point, I expect a big "bang" to Linux: It
has been praised by the press. Lots of Win-Admins will suggest Linux to
their IT Managers. But what will they hear, if, after maybe three weeks of
experimenting (and that's the minimum it will take for a Win-Linux
converter), there is still nothing really presentable? Will the positive
press messages continue? What, if the positive publicity turns, because
Linux is stamped "command line gurus only"?
Marc, you are saying you wouldn't want to setup a RAID1 on NT. Have you
tried it? Since you know computers I'd think it will take you 30 minutes the
first time. Just because that's the time you need to find the right program
in the help files. Not beacause you will encounter any trouble. After the
first time, you'll do it in five minutes while you are having a pizza (if
you can eat that fast). A beginner will need two hours. RAID handling is not
much more difficult.
I really do not want to critize anybody here (and I certainly wouldn't feel
entiteled to). But, after following this list (and others) for six months
now, I've seen 11 Kernels and thousands of traps, hints and methods how to
setup RAID. Redhat doesn't seem to be able to include an easy and correct
RAID setup in their distribution. SuSE and others don't even mention
anything about it. Why? But, what's one of the first thing somebody does,
who sets up a Server? - He thinks about RAID. It's nice that SW RAID is
faster and - theoretically - cheaper than HW. But what, if you calculate the
time it takes you to implement SW RAID?
This is not a speech for GUI's and MS. I started Linux because I didn't like
Bill and the way MS is running things. I was sick of protection faults, user
profile spying, monopol, and so on. And so far, I struggeld my way through.
Thanks to your help here. I am sure, others with the same profile have and
will follow. But: how many "newbie questions" can you support?
Maybe you won't agree. But it is an idea: shouldn't some of the energy spent
in developing new features be spent in making RAID more user friendly?
Change the strategy a bit from moving forward to making it accessible?
...was just some philosophic thinking.... Please don't kill me for the noise
and those heretical thoughts :-) (At least, this time it's not the happy99
virus I am sending out. Are thoughts like this considered a Virus?).
Cheers,
Till
