You still need a hard drive to run FreePBX as far as I know. Either that or burn out your 2GB CF drive after a couple months of constant writes. I would assume Apache and MySQL would need to go on the HD. Voicemail can go there as well. Linux/Asterisk binaries and base config files can probably go on the CF read only. Would this work?
Are there any how-to's around that have done something like this? It is starting to make a bit more sense to me to do it this way but I'm no expert. If I did it this way I would not have a need for RAID so it will probably come out to about the same price. > -----Original Message----- > From: Nicholas Kathmann > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Tuesday, June 13, 2006 1:22 PM > To: Asterisk Users Mailing List - Non-Commercial Discussion > Subject: Re: [Asterisk-Users] Hard drive write cache > > They have IDE and even some SATA (not easily available) flash > drives also, some of which are over 80GB. The more space you > get, the quicker it goes up in price with the larger models > costing more than most servers. If you want, you can also > use an IDE to CF adapter. > > For the locking plugs, google NEMA-L5 or NEMA-L6 and that > will show you what they look like. They are readily > available in most hardware stores for low cost. On the > server side, you can tie wrap the power cable to the rail or > something like that, but I would suggest just getting a > server that has the thumbscrew and clamp to hold the power > cord in place. They are available on most IBM servers. If > the power cord is mounted to the wall with staples or those > nail in C clamps, someone would have to go out of their way > to pull the power cord out. > > Another option if it's a really small installation is to use > a mini-itx fanless system. We have 2 set up here (in a test > lab for now) with 1Ghz Via processors running up to ten > (that's all we've tried) concurrent calls with no problems. > These is no transcoding and echo cancellation running on > these. Next it to try some Digium and Sangoma PCI cards in > them and see how they work. I'll post the results when we > finish. Such systems are extremely reliable as long as you > don't pull too much from the small power supplies, etc. > Regardless of what you use or what you do, trying to achieve > 5 nines reliability is going to require a whole rack full of > systems, storage, batteries, etc and a whole lot of > configuration and testing. Even PBX systems (not all) > require downtime for firmware upgrades, etc. Most people > don't bother since the systems aren't connected to data networks. > > It was actually easier to pull the power cables out of some > of the PBX equipment (such as the Definity G3si) than it is > to pull the equipment out of the Cisco VoIP or IBM servers > combined with the right PDUs, etc. > > Thanks, > Nick > > shadowym wrote: > > Thanks for the suggestions. > > > > CF is not an option for FreePBX which is a requirement for the > > installs I have in mind. Astlinux on CF is a great option > otherwise. > > That is by far the simplest, cheapest, and suprisingly most > reliable > > solution I have come across so far. If there was a half > decent (open > > source) GUI that could run on Astlinux on CF it would be a > no brainer IMHO. > > > > Physically locking down the server is not an option. It > will be hung > > on the wall in place of where a traditional PBX would normally go. > > This is a telecom closet NOT a server rack environment. > UPS with auto > > shut down is just one link in the chain. Do you have any further > > information of locking plugs? I have not come across those > before. > > Of course in order for that to make sense I would need > locking plugs > > on both the server AND UPS end. It has to be idiot proof. > > > > Think PBX and/or network appliance not computer server. They are > > idiot proof so it is quite reasonable IMHO to expect the > same from an > > Asterisk server (or in my way of thinking, Asterisk network > appliance). > > > > > >> -----Original Message----- > >> From: Nicholas Kathmann > >> [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > >> Sent: Tuesday, June 13, 2006 11:04 AM > >> To: Asterisk Users Mailing List - Non-Commercial Discussion > >> Subject: Re: [Asterisk-Users] Hard drive write cache > >> > >> If all you are worried about is the write cache on the > disks, why not > >> just put the system on a UPS set to shutdown the system in > the event > >> of power failure, then place both the UPS and asterisk > servers in a > >> locked rack. In the event of a power failure (or someone knocking > >> the plug loose, which you can use locking plugs to further > mitigate), > >> the system will stay up on battery power then shut itself down to > >> prevent data corruption. I doubt you will get that level > of uptime, > >> but there are other options to help achieve higher > reliability. You > >> can run the OS and asterisk on a solid state disk, and > have voicemail > >> and whatever else you want to go to rotating disks. That > will also > >> help with power usage on the server when using the UPS. > Industrial > >> flash disks are said to have (but they really can't > promise this) a 3 > >> million hour MTBF. > >> > >> Thanks, > >> Nick > >> > >> shadowym wrote: > >> > >>> The cold hard truth is that if Asterisk cannot achieve > >>> > >> 99.999% uptime > >> > >>> without becoming much more expensive that a traditional PBX > >>> > >> then it is > >> > >>> not a viable alternative. Even elcheapo Key systems are > >>> > >> rated for five nines. > >> > >>> That is what the telco world requires unless your just > >>> > >> using Asterisk > >> > >>> in your basement as a hobby or as a one man company. > >>> > >>> Redundant Servers is moving into the realm of > non-competitive with > >>> Traditional PBX IMHO. > >>> > >>> I don't care about corruption of the CDR or any of the > >>> logging/database information. All I care about is the > ability make > >>> phone calls after power failure. That IS the MAIN function > >>> > >> of a PBX. > >> > >>> Not call centers, databases, CDR, click 2 call, and all the > >>> > >> other bells and whistles. > >> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>>> -----Original Message----- > >>>> From: Boris Bakchiev [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > >>>> Sent: Tuesday, June 13, 2006 2:13 AM > >>>> To: Asterisk Users Mailing List - Non-Commercial Discussion > >>>> Subject: RE: [Asterisk-Users] Hard drive write cache > >>>> > >>>> These days you don't have to worry much about your write > >>>> > >> cache unless > >> > >>>> you're running application where once single byte changed > >>>> > >> will affect > >> > >>>> whole file. > >>>> > >>>> Look at it this way, the only corruption will occur is > >>>> > >> whatever the > >> > >>>> files were open by asterisk at the time of the crash. And > >>>> > >> only up to > >> > >>>> the point where the file was last open. > >>>> As far as I know asterisk does not keep cdr or log files > >>>> > >> open so you > >> > >>>> would loose only the data that was written at the time of > >>>> > >> the power > >> > >>>> failure. > >>>> > >>>> Any journaling file system (ext3, resierfs, xfs, etc) > will easily > >>>> handle any power failure event. Your files will not be > corrupt but > >>>> could miss some of the data. > >>>> > >>>> At the most you will loose 10-50 cdr entries written to > >>>> > >> you log files. > >> > >>>> If you post CDR to a remote SQL database then you > asterisk install > >>>> and linux is more or less static and will not be affected by the > >>>> power failure. > >>>> > >>>> What you need to do is minimise the writes to hard disk's: > >>>> > >>>> 1 - Send syslog to remote server and do not do ANY syslogs > >>>> Or keep the circular buffer in memory if you have > >>>> > >> plenty of it. > >> > >>>> 2 - Send CDR's to SQL server (or log to ramdisk and send > to remote > >>>> server every few minutes via SSH) > >>>> 3 - Do not record any calls (or do that somewhere else) > >>>> 4 - Stop any services that write/read data on regular intervals. > >>>> > >>>> If you have no writes you have nothing to worry about > during power > >>>> failure and journaling file system will take care of the rest. > >>>> > >>>> Keep your partition size really small so that fsck will > >>>> > >> not take much > >> > >>>> time. > >>>> > >>>> You have to be realistic, you cannot achieve 99.999% uptime. > >>>> That's 5 minutes per year downtime. > >>>> You will have more or less 100% until your first > hardware failure. > >>>> > >>>> Even if you have all the hardware components > pre-purchased it will > >>>> still take you 2-12 hours to detect, diagnose and fix > the fault if > >>>> you lucky. > >>>> So your 5 minuets > >>>> > >>>> If the business is demanding 99.999% then it should be > prepared to > >>>> invest into the hardware. > >>>> I would recommend a cluster or even better a fault > tolerant server. > >>>> Those are expensive but you can pretty much rule out the > hardware > >>>> failure and swap all of the failed components while the > system is > >>>> running (cpu, memory, hdd, etc). > >>>> > >>>> Look at Stratus or NEC FT servers if you need hardware > redundancy. > >>>> They're expensive but will give you the hardware > >>>> > >> reliability you need. > >> > >>>> Or get a traditional PABX :) > >>>> > >>>> > >>>> > >>>> > >>>> > >>>>> -----Original Message----- > >>>>> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >>>>> > >>>>> > >>>> [mailto:asterisk-users- > >>>> > >>>> > >>>>> [EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of shadowym > >>>>> Sent: Tuesday, 13 June 2006 10:34 > >>>>> To: asterisk-users@lists.digium.com > >>>>> Subject: [Asterisk-Users] Hard drive write cache > >>>>> > >>>>> > >>>>> I am looking at ways to harden my asterisk install to > >>>>> > >>>>> > >>>> prevent computer > >>>> > >>>> > >>>>> related issues from happening. I am concerned about about > >>>>> > >>>>> > >>>> disk write > >>>> > >>>> > >>>>> cache. > >>>>> That seems to be a major source of hard drive > corruption on power > >>>>> > >>>>> > >>>> failure. > >>>> > >>>> > >>>>> Hard Drive corruption is simply unacceptable for the > >>>>> > >> 99.999% uptime > >> > >>>>> requirements of my Asterisk install that needs to be as > >>>>> > >>>>> > >>>> reliable as a > >>>> > >>>> > >>>>> proprietary PBX. > >>>>> > >>>>> Of course I will be using redundant power supplies, raid > >>>>> > >> 1 and use a > >> > >>>>> > >>>>> > >>>> UPS. > >>>> > >>>> > >>>>> None of those things mean much if the power cords > accidentally get > >>>>> > >>>>> > >>>> pulled > >>>> > >>>> > >>>>> from the back of the server. Unlikely as it may be I have > >>>>> > >>>>> > >>>> to consider > >>>> ALL > >>>> > >>>> > >>>>> possibilities. > >>>>> > >>>>> So is disabling the write cache a good way to reduce the > >>>>> > >>>>> > >>>> risk of hard > >>>> > >>>> > >>>>> drive corruption for an Asterisk server? I am not too > >>>>> > >>>>> > >>>> concerned about > >>>> > >>>> > >>>>> the reduced performance/lifetime of hardrives with write cache > >>>>> disabled since > >>>>> > >>>>> > >>>> Asterisk > >>>> > >>>> > >>>>> is not a very write intensive environment. Even with lot's of > >>>>> > >>>>> > >>>> voicemail > >>>> > >>>> > >>>>> going on. > >>>>> > >>>>> Any other recommendations/links for increasing the > reliability of > >>>>> > >>>>> > >>>> Asterisk > >>>> > >>>> > > _______________________________________________ --Bandwidth and Colocation provided by Easynews.com -- Asterisk-Users mailing list To UNSUBSCRIBE or update options visit: http://lists.digium.com/mailman/listinfo/asterisk-users
