Am Freitag, 1. August 2003 19:42 schrieb Rod Rodolico: > Need to build a server that will handle a large database and a single, > high volume web site. I figure a hardware RAID-5 would be good. > > Any suggestions on motherboard, scsi raid controller and drives? I like > AMD and generally use their processors. One of my tech's is wanting me to > go with Serial ATA RAID controller, but I have distrusted any non-SCSI for > a long time. Is it time to change my opinion on that? > > Rod > > -- > Whenever one person is found adequate to the discharge of a duty by > close application thereto, it is worse execute by two persons and > scarcely done at all if three or more are employed therein. > -- George Washington, 1732-1799
I don't know of any worthwhile (server-grade) AMD mobos, intel (CPU+mobo) has served our need very well over the last 5 years, and the lower price for the cpu doesn't _really_ count in relation to the price for the entire machine... (We use AMD in most of our workstations, but never for a server. The quality of available boards simply is not up to par, IMO) So, no suggestion for a mobo here. For SCSI-RAID controllers however, we have used >50 pieces from ICP Vortex, and haven't had a single failure to date. Their RAID-configuration tools (in bios or with a running system, it's the same cli) really works and can save your butt, especially compared to the ones that come with HP - or even worse - IBM RAID-controllers, and they have the best phone support of any hardware company known to me (nope, I don't work for them, nor do I sell their products). Their open-source drivers are well maintained. Of course, there's a downside: they are really expensive, but easily worth the money, since they do come with a pound of peace of mind out of the box. However, we're in the process of evaluating one of their sample SATA controllers, with 4 WD 36 GB 10k RPM Raptors attached, no problems for the last 4 weeks on our busy groupware-server, so this seems to be the way to go for future low-end boxes. Our low-end choice to date has always been 3ware IDE-RAID controllers, they work flawlessly, have open-source drivers and a nice web-gui. I wouldn't use them for a busy database however , and performance drops to almost zero during RAID rebuild after a disk failure. 3ware also have a SATA board or two, but I don't know them personally (yet). Don't use them (probably others, too) on intel-brand mobos with integrated Promise controllers, there are unresolved bios issues with cold-booting from the 3ware. You have to be in situ to push the reset button after booting from the Promise with no disks attached fails. The mobos bios gets it all wrong :-(( Don't even think of using Promise, Highpoint or any other low budget garbage. They are cheap, in any respect I could think of, and you will never get an open-source driver with manufacturer support for them. Use software RAID instead of these 'gems'. So, overall, yes, I think it time for a new paradigm when it comes to RAID. [DO consider to put the webserver and the database on different boxes, if at all possible, especially if you expect heavy traffic. This can (WILL!) save you a lot of woes later on. You don't wan't web scripting - or whatever makes your website go - eating away CPU time from the database. And forget about RAID 5 for the database, the performance hit is just too heavy. Instead, for max performance use RAID 10 (mirrored stripe-sets) with disks distrbuted over as many controller-channels as you can afford (for SCSI, not important for SATA)] But trust me on the sun-screen ;-))) HTH, -- regards, Jochen Rosenbauer -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
