[ldm-users] Fedora 7 redux: BUSTED!

[Gilbert Sebenste]

On Mon, 15 Oct 2007, Michael Dross wrote:

> Hope this is not too far off topic...
>
> SAS is SCSI. "Serial Attached SCSI" It's just a "newer/better" version so to
> speak. SAS drives are to SATA, like
> SCSI is/was to IDE... in terms of performance... if that makes any sense.
> Overly simplified, but hopefully
> draws a connection.
>
> Now the confusing part is that a SAS designed backplane and controller will
> work with SATA II drives.
> But most folks that have paid the premium for SAS raid controllers, need the
> performance and usually install
> SAS drives, despite their higher cost.

Cool. Well, here's where I ask another question.

Starting in February, as UNIDATA points out oh so well, for those of us 
who love the Level 2 radar data...we're going to love it a lot more. To 
the tune of 2.3 times more, in terms of file size. Only the lower tilts 
will have the "super resolution", but let's face it: those file sizes 
aren't going to be small.

So I am thinking this. I am on a pretty tight budget, and yet I want the 
Level 2 data...from every site...

I buy a RAID 1 array. This means I have two 750 GB SATA drives, running 
SATA 1 until either the Kernel or the OS or the hardware firmware gets 
straightened out. I have 1.5 GB/sec throughput on each drive. If one hard 
drive blows up, everything is still cool and things keep chugging along. 
And, I (hope) things can be rebuilt on the blown second drive 
automagically.

So my questions are:

1. Is this going to be fast enough to handle Level 2 data starting next 
spring?

2. How do you set this up?

3. What specific hardware is needed? (Yes, I've never done this before.)

4. Or do I tell my boss that I REALLY need SCSI or SAS drives to do a 
RAID 1 array with what I am going to do?

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Gilbert Sebenste                                                     ********
(My opinions only!)                                                  ******
Staff Meteorologist, Northern Illinois University                      ****
E-mail: sebenste at weather.admin.niu.edu                                  ***
web: http://weather.admin.niu.edu                                      **
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