Production server running from USB stilck with /var on HD ?

[Philip Rhoades]

RG,


> Date: Tue, 10 Jul 2012 21:01:49 -0400
> From: "R. G. Newbury" <newbury at mandamus.org>
> To: users at lists.fedoraproject.org
> Subject: Re: Production server running from USB stilck with /var 
> on,>>
> 	>HD
> Message-ID: <4FFCD07D.7080504 at mandamus.org>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed
>
>
>>> >On 10.07.2012 06:07, Philip Rhoades wrote:
>>>> >>People,
>>>> >>
>>>> >>I have been using RH and Fedora since the beginning and love it!
> <big snip>
>
>> So even putting /var on the hard disk would not help much?
>>
>>
>>> >You should probably assemble a little cluster and then use kvm for
>>> >virtualization. It's very speed efficient to reboot virtual 
>>> machines.
>>
>> I did think of that but that does not resolve all the problems - it
>> allows me to create a new (virtual) server quickly and swap it in 
>> when
>> it is ready to go - so there is not much downtime BUT then the
>> underlying OS doesn't get updated . . and I still have the same 
>> problem
>> to update that.  I have been thinking about using a SSD for the OS 
>> but
>> it would be nice to be able to plug in a new drive without taking 
>> the
>> box apart - I suppose I could look for plug-n-play SSD that can be
>> inserted into a drive-socket in a standard CD drive bay . .
>
> USB sticks are not fast enough. However, you might find that an SSD 
> in a
> portable case *with eSATA* will be fast enough not to be 
> objectionable.
> Set things to boot from the external (in BIOS) and test it. When 
> ready,
> halt the server, swap the SSD into the box and reboot, change the 
> BIOS,
> and done!. Downtime maybe 4 minutes if you are quick. Data can be on
> another physical drive, or replicated to a partition on the
> to-be-swapped drive immediately before server shutdown.
>
> I have a portable external drive case which cost maybe $8 more for 
> eSATA
> capabilities and it IS fast. Waaayyyy faster than USB!


OK, I'm convinced.  I think what I'll do is:

- put existing 3.5" drives into something like this:

   
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0354508

- Use SSD drives in something like this:

   http://www.icydock.com/goods.php?id=114

Then do something like what I did for the last upgrade: create a 
virtual machine with the new OS but use a physical SSD for it (instead 
of a virtual drive) and then when it is ready to go, reboot it as the 
new physical boot drive.  Then I can just repeat the process with 
another SSD in one of the other slots when the following OS is 
available.

I will test out the eSATA stuff as well.

Thanks!

Phil.
-- 
Philip Rhoades

GPO Box 3411
Sydney NSW	2001
Australia
E-mail:  phil at pricom.com.au