On Fri, Oct 26, 2007 at 02:29:10AM +1000, Tim Starling wrote:
My tentative answer would be that I don't think
we're very far ahead of
the growth curve on storage. I don't know how expensive it will be or
whether we will be able to deploy new hardware fast enough. Our record for
deployment of storage hardware has been pretty poor.
Would it be productive to look into ATAoverEthernet SAN shelves? They're
a bit pricey still, but they have the advantage that you don't need
expensive controllers like FC in the attached boxen as well: you just
Ethernet stuff together.
You'd want it on a separate LAN, for oblivious raisins, but the client
drivers are in 2.6.11+, IIRC. The company that's spearheading this
protocol has drive shelves up to 16 position, as I recall. Coraid is
their name.
#insert <std_disclaimer.h>
Their 3U 15 drive shelf is $4k; they have a 24 slot which is probably
6K. And, of course, 500GB Seagate 7200.11 SATAs are about $100 each
right now. I'm pretty sure the 1TBs are still ... well, let me look.
Yup, I was within 5%: $334 a piece at Newegg.
So, assuming the 24 slot -- and these cages do hardware raid in front
of the AoE -- that's 12TB raw for $8400.
Or, of course, 24TB raw for slightly over $14k.
Or is the problem not capex but engineering and deployment?
Cheers,
-- jra
--
Jay R. Ashworth Baylink jra(a)baylink.com
Designer The Things I Think RFC 2100
Ashworth & Associates
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