[lug] RAID under Linux

[rm at mamma.varadinet.de]

On Sat, Mar 24, 2001 at 12:56:23AM -0700, Sean Reifschneider wrote:
[...]
> Well, even if you put the drives in a hot-pluggable chassis, Linux is VERY
> unhappy if you pull an IDE drive without rebooting.  Is there a way to say
> "Hey, this drive is about to be pulled" with IDE?

Not that i know of. I have used 'so-called' IDE RAIDs in the
past, but what they do is mimic a single IDE drive to the server
IDE controller while having two IDE channels inside. When you
unplug a drive it get get's powered down (from what i can see
the lock operates a microswitch). It seems that the IDE controller
inside the RAID box know how to handle disapearing drives.
I don't think these boxes are a real advantage over software
RAID. IF you really need high availability investing in a 'serious'
RAID controller is worth the money. Hotplug only helps if some-
one is arround, having a hot spare can make all the difference.
What i _do_ love about the IDE boxes is their disk cloneing mode.
Just put in a fresh disk and get a copy within 30 minutes.

 Ralf

> Sean
> -- 
>  Some girl with psychic power, She said "T-bone, what's your sign?"
>  I blinked and answered "Neon", I thought I'd blow her mind.
> Sean Reifschneider, Inimitably Superfluous <jafo at tummy.com>
> tummy.com - Linux Consulting since 1995. Qmail, KRUD, Firewalls, Python
> _______________________________________________
> Web Page:  http://lug.boulder.co.us
> Mailing List: http://lists.lug.boulder.co.us/mailman/listinfo/lug