Looking for suggestions on how to increase storage capacity on my system. I'm
looking forward to a "full house" in the forseeable future, and I am
considering solutions. Let me tell you what I've done so far.
I mounted three drives in a RAID5 configuration, using linux's 'md' driver.
The resulting /dev/md0 was then added as a Physical Volume to my LVM2 Volume
Group. I cut and paste bits of the VG as and when I need to create and destroy
partitions. Works well, and is easy and convenient.
Then the array filled up, so I used mdadm to add/grow a fourth drive to the
array, and once the array reshape was complete, did a pvresize on /dev/md0 to
increase the available space in the VG. Then when it filled up again, I
repeated the process with a fifth drive.
When I needed more space, I replaced all five drives with three BIG drives
(horrendous expensico!) in a fresh RAID5 config and retired the five smaller
drives. Eventully, I had to add/grow/pvresize a fourth BIG drive, and
inevitably, a fifth.
Then I replaced the five BIG drives with three *REAL BIG* drives, retired the
BIG drives. Since then, I've added *REAL BIG* drive numbers four and five. I
am looking t my VG shrinking again, and I'm wondering if there might be an
alternate means of upgrading in a few months time, when I'm down to the
wire.
Yes, I could repeat my previous procedure, but I'm right on the sweet-spot as
it is. A 50% increase in drive-size is going to cost me a 280% increase in
drive cost. So, I don't want to (can't afford to) go this way.
Yes, I can add more than five drives to the array. The motherboard will manage
8x SATA drives and I have a 4-port SATA add on board I could use as well. But
trust me, more than 5 drives is a nightmare to shoehorn into any regular case,
especially when there's a DVD drive in there as well. And we haven't even
started abut PSU and heat issues. So I'd rather not go this way either!
So what? Some sort of NAS box, with custom cabinetry to handle 10-12 drives,
and multiple big wattage PSUs? Convert from SATA to eSATA?
Ideas, please!
---
■ Synchronet ■ Vertrauen ■ Home of Synchronet ■ telnet://vert.synchro.net
|
