Re: RAM disk options for perl cron job

2006-05-13 Thread Joel Rees


On 2006.5.13, at 01:20 PM, Joseph Alotta wrote:




I have my personal web site on my old clamshell iBook, and it runs a
dynamic DNS client every ten minutes via cron. That basically keeps
the disk spinning constantly. Burned out a drive last year, and I'm
worried it will burn out a drive this year. So I'm thinking of
putting the client on a RAM disk, although, since I wrote the client
in perl, I suspect that I'd then have to copy perl itself to the RAM
disk as well.


RAM disks are so cheap now.  I saw a 64MB USB on google for $8.97.


Tht's a flash RAM devive, not a RAM disk. Different thing.


Hi Chris,

Why wouldn't it work to put the client code and perl on the USB 
keydrive and then every ten minutes, your system will get it from 
there instead of from your hard drive?  I realize the USB keydrive is 
slower to load, but does that matter here?


Definitely a thought. I only write the log and the file that keeps the 
actual when the IP actually gets updated, so that wouldn't mess with 
anything. Unfortunately, this is one of the models that only has one 
USB port and no firewire, so the USB port is also where I hang the 
drive I back up to. If I'm going to buy a USB hub for this rig, I think 
I'd rather splurge and pick up a full complement of RAM. Powering the 
USB hub would add another wall wart, three more physical points of 
favor. Japanese apartments at rent I can afford do not offer much space 
that is protected, so I'm not just being paranoid.


On the other hand, personal web servers can go off line for long enough 
to slip a hub in and then off line again to slip the hub out when the 
backup is done, without the world coming to a stop,


Definitely a thought.



Re: RAM disk options for perl cron job

2006-05-13 Thread Joseph Alotta

Hi Chris,

Why wouldn't it work to put the client code and perl on the USB  
keydrive and then every ten minutes, your system will get it from  
there instead of from your hard drive?  I realize the USB keydrive  
is slower to load, but does that matter here?


Definitely a thought. I only write the log and the file that keeps  
the actual when the IP actually gets updated, so that wouldn't mess  
with anything. Unfortunately, this is one of the models that only  
has one USB port and no firewire, so the USB port is also where I  
hang the drive I back up to. If I'm going to buy a USB hub for this  
rig, I think I'd rather splurge and pick up a full complement of  
RAM. Powering the USB hub would add another wall wart, three more  
physical points of favor. Japanese apartments at rent I can afford  
do not offer much space that is protected, so I'm not just being  
paranoid.


I have an old USB 1.1 1 to 4 hub that doesn't need power.  I bought  
it for $4 about 2 years ago and never used it.  It's yours if you  
want it, though I'm not going to ship it to Japan.




On the other hand, personal web servers can go off line for long  
enough to slip a hub in and then off line again to slip the hub out  
when the backup is done, without the world coming to a stop,


Definitely a thought.