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Offline pyrreTopic starter

File storage server
« on: January 10, 2009, 11:39:08 PM »
I am about to set up a file server.
But.
I have specific needs.
I want to have disks in. sort of a "cluster".
I do not want to run ANY KIND of raid.
But i want the ability to add or remove disks as i see fit.
And the disks MUST be available in the same mountpoin/share...
Do any of you have any suggestion to what os and what software to use?
Amiga 1200 Tower Os 3.9
BPPC 603e+ 040-25/200, 256MBram, BVIsionPPC, Indivision AGA MK2.
Amiga 2000 (rev 4.0) Os 1.2/1.3
2088 bridgeboard, 2MB ram card, 2091 SCSI.
Amiga 500+ Os 2.1
Derringer 030, 32MBram, Buddha in sidecar, Indivision ECS.
Amiga CD32
Video decoder
 

Offline pyrreTopic starter

Re: File storage server
« Reply #1 on: January 11, 2009, 12:54:29 AM »
Maybe you misunderstood... :-)

not hotswaping.
In a raid you need all disks to bee equal size.
And in raid 0 you have absolutely no data security. if one disk fails all data is lost.
In raid 5 you do not use all available space for data storage. Some space goes away in redundancy.

I just want to add several disks into one logical drive.
And the ability to add disks to make the storage space larger. or change disks as i buy newer end bigger ones.
And some sort of fail safe. if one disk dies only the data on that disk is lost, and the drive is replaceable.

Hope that clarifies my intentions...
Amiga 1200 Tower Os 3.9
BPPC 603e+ 040-25/200, 256MBram, BVIsionPPC, Indivision AGA MK2.
Amiga 2000 (rev 4.0) Os 1.2/1.3
2088 bridgeboard, 2MB ram card, 2091 SCSI.
Amiga 500+ Os 2.1
Derringer 030, 32MBram, Buddha in sidecar, Indivision ECS.
Amiga CD32
Video decoder
 

Offline pyrreTopic starter

Re: File storage server
« Reply #2 on: January 11, 2009, 02:32:11 AM »
well... I do mind...
but over the past years i have been working on computers, only one disk has died of natural causes.
And it made "clicking" sounds for 6 months before it really died... Normally plenty of times to replace it.
However.
I cannot afford purchasing a large number of drives at once. and saving up to do so takes much too long time.
I just want the possibility to ad disks as i go along.
And of course replace failing disks...

Secure storage of data is already taken care of.
i just need a large storage for movies and tv series...
(most of wich is purchased, and i do not like "disk jockeying"  :-D )
Amiga 1200 Tower Os 3.9
BPPC 603e+ 040-25/200, 256MBram, BVIsionPPC, Indivision AGA MK2.
Amiga 2000 (rev 4.0) Os 1.2/1.3
2088 bridgeboard, 2MB ram card, 2091 SCSI.
Amiga 500+ Os 2.1
Derringer 030, 32MBram, Buddha in sidecar, Indivision ECS.
Amiga CD32
Video decoder
 

Offline pyrreTopic starter

Re: File storage server
« Reply #3 on: January 11, 2009, 03:21:26 PM »
The thought strike me of using Linux and LVM.
The computer to use as file server is a PIII 1000 with 768MB ram.

So far it has 8 disks of total 425 GIG.
Which will be replaced as i purchase bigger disks...
For starters i will test different OS and see what fits best.

according Linux.
How difficult is it to learn how to use Linux?
How may i reduce footprint of os and tweak the OS for my specific needs and hardware?
Amiga 1200 Tower Os 3.9
BPPC 603e+ 040-25/200, 256MBram, BVIsionPPC, Indivision AGA MK2.
Amiga 2000 (rev 4.0) Os 1.2/1.3
2088 bridgeboard, 2MB ram card, 2091 SCSI.
Amiga 500+ Os 2.1
Derringer 030, 32MBram, Buddha in sidecar, Indivision ECS.
Amiga CD32
Video decoder
 

Offline pyrreTopic starter

Re: File storage server
« Reply #4 on: January 12, 2009, 08:06:08 PM »
It will mainly be running a file server.
hopefully with a HTTP interface.
if the server runs gui or not does not really matter.
Linux based "openfiler" is a probability.

I have absolutely no previous linux or unix experience.

The server setup:
Intel PIII 1000 CPU
Via TUV4X motherboard
768MB ram
silicon image PCI IDE controller (not raid)
NVidia GF TI4200 (the smallest i had available)
CNet gigabit wired Ethernet adapter.
Disks:
10 gig fujitsu (system)
13,5 gig IBM
20 gig Maxtor
40 gig WD
40 gig WD
80 gig WD
120 gig WD
120 gig WD

All the disks will be used for testing and learning the os..
and will be replaced later on as economy seems fit... :-)
Amiga 1200 Tower Os 3.9
BPPC 603e+ 040-25/200, 256MBram, BVIsionPPC, Indivision AGA MK2.
Amiga 2000 (rev 4.0) Os 1.2/1.3
2088 bridgeboard, 2MB ram card, 2091 SCSI.
Amiga 500+ Os 2.1
Derringer 030, 32MBram, Buddha in sidecar, Indivision ECS.
Amiga CD32
Video decoder
 

Offline pyrreTopic starter

Re: File storage server
« Reply #5 on: January 12, 2009, 09:08:30 PM »
SMB will be for sharing the files in the network, yes.
The GUI for configuring and using the server itself will be run on HTTP
Amiga 1200 Tower Os 3.9
BPPC 603e+ 040-25/200, 256MBram, BVIsionPPC, Indivision AGA MK2.
Amiga 2000 (rev 4.0) Os 1.2/1.3
2088 bridgeboard, 2MB ram card, 2091 SCSI.
Amiga 500+ Os 2.1
Derringer 030, 32MBram, Buddha in sidecar, Indivision ECS.
Amiga CD32
Video decoder
 

Offline pyrreTopic starter

Re: File storage server
« Reply #6 on: January 13, 2009, 04:07:54 AM »
@ Trev
I just run 2000 server and converted disks to dynamic disks.
In that matter all disks were spanned as one logical volume. however. If i wish to remove one disk from the volume i break it apart and loose ALL data. UNWANTED.
From earlier experiences I do not want do mount drives in folders. I have had problems of data corruption at some point.
This last time i tried 2000 server it had problems with data transfer rates. It was not able to stream data over gigabit Ethernet to my mediacentre xbox.
Freenas did, on the same hardware.

I have now installed ubuntu 8.04 on my server.
Will in the next days try use LVM filsesystem and see how it works out.
A friend of mine standing in the same position as me, wanting to build e cheap end easy to expand fileserver is testing linuxbased openfiler. If ubuntu does not work out for me i will try open filer as well...
If  freeNAS was stable running vinum volume manager I would have choset it..

EDIT:
Messed up with the different types of volume managers... :-)
Amiga 1200 Tower Os 3.9
BPPC 603e+ 040-25/200, 256MBram, BVIsionPPC, Indivision AGA MK2.
Amiga 2000 (rev 4.0) Os 1.2/1.3
2088 bridgeboard, 2MB ram card, 2091 SCSI.
Amiga 500+ Os 2.1
Derringer 030, 32MBram, Buddha in sidecar, Indivision ECS.
Amiga CD32
Video decoder
 

Offline pyrreTopic starter

Re: File storage server
« Reply #7 on: January 14, 2009, 10:04:54 AM »
Or, you could just show 4 1.5TB disks in the controller...
one at the time..
Amiga 1200 Tower Os 3.9
BPPC 603e+ 040-25/200, 256MBram, BVIsionPPC, Indivision AGA MK2.
Amiga 2000 (rev 4.0) Os 1.2/1.3
2088 bridgeboard, 2MB ram card, 2091 SCSI.
Amiga 500+ Os 2.1
Derringer 030, 32MBram, Buddha in sidecar, Indivision ECS.
Amiga CD32
Video decoder
 

Offline pyrreTopic starter

Re: File storage server
« Reply #8 on: January 14, 2009, 03:54:55 PM »
@ bloodline

What do you mean by dump?
As in trowing them away?
Amiga 1200 Tower Os 3.9
BPPC 603e+ 040-25/200, 256MBram, BVIsionPPC, Indivision AGA MK2.
Amiga 2000 (rev 4.0) Os 1.2/1.3
2088 bridgeboard, 2MB ram card, 2091 SCSI.
Amiga 500+ Os 2.1
Derringer 030, 32MBram, Buddha in sidecar, Indivision ECS.
Amiga CD32
Video decoder
 

Offline pyrreTopic starter

Re: File storage server
« Reply #9 on: January 14, 2009, 04:42:46 PM »
I have two PCI pata controllers...
Will invest in some more... just to be sure.
However, as long as the PIII survives I'll always have a pata controller to extract files from pata disks...
Amiga 1200 Tower Os 3.9
BPPC 603e+ 040-25/200, 256MBram, BVIsionPPC, Indivision AGA MK2.
Amiga 2000 (rev 4.0) Os 1.2/1.3
2088 bridgeboard, 2MB ram card, 2091 SCSI.
Amiga 500+ Os 2.1
Derringer 030, 32MBram, Buddha in sidecar, Indivision ECS.
Amiga CD32
Video decoder
 

Offline pyrreTopic starter

Re: File storage server
« Reply #10 on: January 14, 2009, 05:46:08 PM »
@ Trev

I have no economics now to purchase disks nor any controller.
That will have to come over time.
In the meantime i will have to coop with the diskspace i have in my main computer. And as soon as i can afford purchasing new disks i will expand my server.
For now i test out different operating systems and see what fits my needs.

Any Microsoft based OS is out of the question.

A Redhat derivative called open filer suits my needs as a file server. In open filer i can add as many disks as LVM will allow. and when i can afford new disks i can swap them at any time with any disk i wish. thus expanding the storage space.

And when i have enough disks to run raid i will convert the storage array into a raid. If i have to backup data i am not sure. Have not tested that option yet.
Need some help from a friend to do so...

EDIT:
Damn.. backup and reformat has to be done to convert to a raid... :-(
Amiga 1200 Tower Os 3.9
BPPC 603e+ 040-25/200, 256MBram, BVIsionPPC, Indivision AGA MK2.
Amiga 2000 (rev 4.0) Os 1.2/1.3
2088 bridgeboard, 2MB ram card, 2091 SCSI.
Amiga 500+ Os 2.1
Derringer 030, 32MBram, Buddha in sidecar, Indivision ECS.
Amiga CD32
Video decoder
 

Offline pyrreTopic starter

Re: File storage server
« Reply #11 on: January 15, 2009, 02:23:26 AM »
@ Trev
Well...
cost considered, redundancy is not an issue for the moment.
when the server goes "online" i will start to save up funds to expand the storage.
But tree disks of 1.5 TB will be spared and as soon as i have a controller ready, it will be set up in a dynamic (read: expandable) raid 5.
In the meantime the storage amount i have is sufficient.
But i am trying out different operating systems. and my main concern is running and maintaining the OS...
As it looks right now, i have to get to learn a new os, linux...
Amiga 1200 Tower Os 3.9
BPPC 603e+ 040-25/200, 256MBram, BVIsionPPC, Indivision AGA MK2.
Amiga 2000 (rev 4.0) Os 1.2/1.3
2088 bridgeboard, 2MB ram card, 2091 SCSI.
Amiga 500+ Os 2.1
Derringer 030, 32MBram, Buddha in sidecar, Indivision ECS.
Amiga CD32
Video decoder