cron and dd with multiple sticks is a cool idea but can you use dd to image a mounted filesystem? I've never tried it.
Thanks again, Dan On Mon, Mar 26, 2012 at 6:52 AM, Royce Souther <osgn...@gmail.com> wrote: > /sys should not be needed in a server unless you have a goofy NIC that > needs proprietary firmware ROM to work. I remove it from my servers without > issue. > /proc does not actually exist on the physical file system. It is a special > mount that maps to memory inside the running kernel and lets you see what > the kernel is doing but no data is ever written to disk > /var/log can be redirected to a different log server on the network and > that is a good way to find out what happens when the USB / root boot server > dies > /tmp can be mounted to a RAM disk > > And with those changes there should be very few write cycles to the USB > memory stick and a quality thumb drive it could last many years. You can > have a second or even a third USB stick connected to the USB ports and you > can use dd and a cron script to once a day keep the other sticks up to date > with the main boot stick, no need for RAID1 and IPMI will let you switch if > the main stick dies. > > Thanks for the idea. I am going to try this. I will let you know how it > goes. > > > On Sun, Mar 25, 2012 at 9:03 PM, Dan Graham <graha...@gmail.com> wrote: > >> It's just like an external usb port on the back of the mainboard but its >> located near the sata ports. I use a cheap usb stick for boot root and have >> not bothered to worry about /sys /proc /var/log etc. I used to symlink >> /var/log etc to a physical disk. Last couple of times I just got lazy and >> did not bother. My last stick on my old Supermicro board (with the same >> feature) went for a year and a half without intervention, running full >> read/write 24/7. Regardless I feel very confident that no matter how you >> deploy this board it will make you happy. To install on usb stick just make >> sure its plugged in, setup bios to boot from it and install as you would >> normally from CD or use IPMI across the network from your workstation with >> an iso image (This is just pure "GEEK SEX"), less the swap of course. (Just >> use lottsa RAM) :) >> >> Seriously do this and feel the love.... >> >> >> On Sun, Mar 25, 2012 at 7:50 PM, Royce Souther <osgn...@gmail.com> wrote: >> >>> Is it any different then a normal USB port out the back? Other then a >>> port out the back is in danger of having someone pull the stick out. >>> >>> Can you make that USB port a read-only drive and have the system use RAM >>> for a read-write / root like a unisonfs? I would not want the memory stick >>> to die from to many write cycles. >>> >>> Do you have to do anything special with OS to install it on the memory >>> stick? >>> >>> Supper easy OS upgrades, just build a new thumb drive at your desk and >>> swap it at reboot. >>> >>> >>> On Sun, Mar 25, 2012 at 6:35 PM, Dan Graham <graha...@gmail.com> wrote: >>> >>>> Oh and I forgot the coolest part. It has a USB port integrated right on >>>> the main board which is where I install the boot/root filesystem. It lets >>>> me use all the sata ports for /home. ... :) >>>> >>>> Cya, Dan >>>> >>>> >>>> On Sun, Mar 25, 2012 at 6:30 PM, Dan Graham <graha...@gmail.com> wrote: >>>> >>>>> Hi Royce, >>>>> >>>>> I recently acquired one of these: It has dual gig Ethernet (Intel) an >>>>> IPMI port for remote headless access, etc. For $179 it is just amazing. I >>>>> put a Sandy Bridge quad core Xeon on it for $240 and run a number of KVM >>>>> VMs on it and it just flies. CPU power consumption maxes out at 80 Watts, >>>>> and idles at 20 or less. You could do far worse than this one. >>>>> All the best, Dan >>>>> >>>>> Mainboard: >>>>> >>>>> http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813182262&nm_mc=TEMC-RMA-Approvel&cm_mmc=TEMC-RMA-Approvel-_-Content-_-text-_- >>>>> >>>>> Xeon CPU: >>>>> >>>>> http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115083&nm_mc=TEMC-RMA-Approvel&cm_mmc=TEMC-RMA-Approvel-_-Content-_-text-_- >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> On Sun, Mar 25, 2012 at 11:53 AM, Jamie Furtner <ja...@furtner.ca>wrote: >>>>> >>>>>> On 2012-03-25 8:52 AM, Royce Souther wrote: >>>>>> >>>>>>> I am trying to put together a file server and trying to get as many >>>>>>> SATA ports as I can. I found a motherboard I like but it only has 6 SATA >>>>>>> ports. It also has PCI-Ex8 and PCI-Ex16 slots. I want to add a SATA >>>>>>> card. >>>>>>> Supermicro makes an 8 port SATA card that is PCI-Ex4. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Can I use a PCI-Ex4 cards in a PCI-Ex8 or PCI-Ex16 slot? If so then >>>>>>> I can have 22 SATA drives in this box. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Yes, you can use a card that uses a smaller number of PCIe channels >>>>>> in a larger slot - the reverse is not true of course. The card won't be >>>>>> any >>>>>> faster than if it were plugged into its native slot but it works >>>>>> correctly. >>>>>> >>>>>> This means you can use a x1 card in a x1, x4, x8 or x16 slot, a x4 >>>>>> card in a x4, x8, or x16 slot and so forth. >>>>>> >>>>>> Jamie >>>>>> >>>>>> -- >>>>>> Jamie Furtner ja...@furtner.ca >>>>>> "I aim to misbehave" >>>>>> - Malcom Reynolds (Serenity movie) >>>>>> "It's not safe... >>>>>> "For them." >>>>>> - River Tam (Serenity movie) >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> ______________________________**_________________ >>>>>> clug-talk mailing list >>>>>> clug-talk@clug.ca >>>>>> http://clug.ca/mailman/**listinfo/clug-talk_clug.ca<http://clug.ca/mailman/listinfo/clug-talk_clug.ca> >>>>>> Mailing List Guidelines >>>>>> (http://clug.ca/ml_guidelines.**php<http://clug.ca/ml_guidelines.php> >>>>>> ) >>>>>> **Please remove these lines when replying >>>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> -- >>>>> One thing you can be sure of. If you throw a loaded gun in a monkey >>>>> cage, something bad is going to happen. >>>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> -- >>>> One thing you can be sure of. If you throw a loaded gun in a monkey >>>> cage, something bad is going to happen. >>>> >>>> _______________________________________________ >>>> clug-talk mailing list >>>> clug-talk@clug.ca >>>> http://clug.ca/mailman/listinfo/clug-talk_clug.ca >>>> Mailing List Guidelines (http://clug.ca/ml_guidelines.php) >>>> **Please remove these lines when replying >>>> >>> >>> >>> >>> -- >>> Easy, fast GUI development. >>> http://PerlQt.wikidot.com >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> clug-talk mailing list >>> clug-talk@clug.ca >>> http://clug.ca/mailman/listinfo/clug-talk_clug.ca >>> Mailing List Guidelines (http://clug.ca/ml_guidelines.php) >>> **Please remove these lines when replying >>> >> >> >> >> -- >> One thing you can be sure of. If you throw a loaded gun in a monkey cage, >> something bad is going to happen. >> >> _______________________________________________ >> clug-talk mailing list >> clug-talk@clug.ca >> http://clug.ca/mailman/listinfo/clug-talk_clug.ca >> Mailing List Guidelines (http://clug.ca/ml_guidelines.php) >> **Please remove these lines when replying >> > > > > -- > Easy, fast GUI development. > http://PerlQt.wikidot.com > > _______________________________________________ > clug-talk mailing list > clug-talk@clug.ca > http://clug.ca/mailman/listinfo/clug-talk_clug.ca > Mailing List Guidelines (http://clug.ca/ml_guidelines.php) > **Please remove these lines when replying > -- One thing you can be sure of. If you throw a loaded gun in a monkey cage, something bad is going to happen.
_______________________________________________ clug-talk mailing list clug-talk@clug.ca http://clug.ca/mailman/listinfo/clug-talk_clug.ca Mailing List Guidelines (http://clug.ca/ml_guidelines.php) **Please remove these lines when replying
