>> It's time to switch hosts. I'm looking at the following: >> >> Dual Xeon E5-2690 >> 32GB RAM >> 4x SSD RAID10 >> >> This would be my first experience with multiple CPUs and RAID. Advice >> on any of the following would be greatly appreciated. >> >> Is the Gentoo Software RAID + LVM guide the best place for RAID >> install info if I'm not using LVM and I'll have a hardware RAID >> controller? > > Exactly what RAID controller are you getting? > > My personal rule of thumb: on-board RAID controllers are not worth the > silicon they are written on. Decent hardware raid controllers do exist, > but they plug into big meaty slots and cost a fortune. By "a fortune" I > mean a number that will make you gulp then head off to the nearest pub > and make the barkeep's day. (Expensive, very expensive). > > Sans such decent hardware, best bet is always to do it using Linux > software RAID, and the Gentoo guide is a fine start.
I'm told it will likely be an "Adaptec 7000 series controller". >> Since RAM is so nice for buffers/cache, how do I know when to stop >> adding it to my server? > > When more RAM stops making a difference. > > The proper answer to your question is "mu", meaning it can't really be > satisfactorily answered with the info available. Only you can really > answer answer it, and only after you have examined your system in > detail. But, assuming you will use this hardware for mostly routine > normal tasks, 32G RAM is heaps and should be plenty for a long time to come. > > Nothing you've ever posted leads me to believe you need crazy amounts of > RAM. It's not like your business model is to eg load every public blog > at wordpress.com with all comments and store it all in an in-memory > database :-) In that case maybe I'll go with 16GB instead. It's easy to add more later I suppose. >> Any opinions on Soft Layer? > > Never heard of it. > What is it? It's a host in the US. I should have said so. http://www.softlayer.com - Grant
