Just to verify - you would like to create a Raid5 on 1 machine and share
it via NFS, or would you like to create a Raid5 out of other machines'
drives shared via NFS? (the first is very reliable, but the latter is a
little far fetched, though may be technically possible)
My impressions of Raid and NFS:
Raid: very stable - use the 2.2.11 patch on 2.2.13
NFS: very stable - but don't use the kernel based NFS server
(stick to the user space rpc.nfsd)
How I obtained these conclusions: watching linux raid and nfs mailing lists
the raid list has confidence in their work, so I tried Raid and I
love it
the kernel based nfs list so far seems to find bugs regularly and
the atmosphere isn't geared (yet) for production reliability
(though the guys are doing great - just some time before
I'll test drive my machines on it)
For the Raid5 array, software raid is very nice, very inexpensive, etc.
Stability depends on how stable the scsi driver is for your hardware.
(some weird trouble with Adaptec's 2940U2W? - I have one in a test machine
and it's very nice but I anxiously await not having to patch my kernel
specifically for it) The scsi drivers overall feel reliable though. The
idea is to find the mailing lists specific to your hardware and software
configurations and look before you leap. I do like this method versus
waiting for commercially developed drivers, because atleast I can see what
the internal issues are for each development team. (if you absolutely
need reliability, wouldn't you like knowing how much faith the developers
have in their own work?)
I'd vote for running test machines of Sun's disk suite and the Linux
NFS/Raid combo, and then evaluate where you want to put your trust.
Don't take my word for it. :)
It is all a holy war of some sort or another.
You pick where you put your faith.
- anon
On Mon, 6 Dec 1999, Dong Hu wrote:
-Hi,
-
-We need about 200G hard disk space for software a development
-environment. I am considering of using linux-raid5 configuration.
-We will use nfs to share the disk on 100 Ethernet Lan.
-
-My concern is, how stable an reliable is linux NFS and raid5?
-Any experience of using this in a production environment?
-The speed is not so critical.
-
-I plan to use nine 18.2G or 36G Ultra2 SCSI hard disks(7200rpm
-Seagate or Quantum) and configure as raid5.
-
-If I can't get positive feedback, we may go to SUN Solstice
-DiskSuite, which is what we are using and is quite reliable.
-
-Thanks for any opinions.
-
-Dong
-===========================
-Dong Hu
-Cygnus Solutions, Toronto
-Phone: (416)482-2661 x 313
-FAX: (416)482-6299
-Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
-===========================
-
