[Linux-cluster] Advice on Storage Hardware

[Mark Hlawatschek]

Hi,

actually there is no problem to build a GFS Cluster with some kind of IP Based 
Storage (gnbd). You can also build a Web server infrastructure ontop of a NFS 
Server (or NAS Appliance). But it is also a good idea to use a GFS Cluster 
(maybe diskless shared root) based on a FC Infraystructure if you need 
performance, scalability and reliability. It is allways the question, what 
you really need ...
Can you describe your requirements for the web services at a more detailed 
level - Maybe I/O rate - scalability - reliability ?

It's normally not the network bandwidth that is the problem, it is the 
latency.

Mark


On Friday 11 November 2005 21:03, David Brieck Jr. wrote:
> We're planning on building a cluster to handle web operations but
> we've run into a dilemma on storage. From all the reading I've done it
> appears that the best case would a fibre channel SAN with GFS; however
> we'd like to keep the cost down but still retain very reliable
> storage.
>
> In our cost cutting efforts I've come up with an idea that I think
> would float, but that our hardware vendor (whose trying to sell us the
> SAN) doesn't think is possible.
>
> I'd like to replace a SAN device with 2 servers clustered together and
> connected to an external SCSI array. Only one of the servers would be
> accessing the array, the other would just be a standby in case of a
> failover. The accessing server would use GNBD and GFS to export the
> block device to all clients which of course would run the clients of
> GNBD and GFS.
>
> The documentation seems to imply this is a viable alternative to a SAN
> but I'd like to know if anyone is using this type of setup or if there
> would be a reason why it wouldn't work properly. I would appreciate
> any help since I'm not an expert on this yet. (but should be soon due
> to RedHats courses).
>
> All servers in the cluster will have dual ethernet, etc so hopefully
> bandwidth shouldn't be a problem.
>
> Thanks in advance.
> David Brieck
>
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-- 
Gruss / Regards,

Dipl.-Ing. Mark Hlawatschek
http://www.atix.de/

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