Re: Running FreeBSD/PostgreSQL on high-end dual Xeon box
Kenji M wrote: I had been considering the same setup, but it might make sense just to use 3 disk RAID5 with hot spare ready. The new RAID controller implementation might not buy us much by using 0+1 vs. 5. Any thoughts? I doubt many databases recommend RAID-5; using RAID 0+1 is likely to be a better choice. -- -Chuck ___ [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to "[EMAIL PROTECTED]"
Re: Running FreeBSD/PostgreSQL on high-end dual Xeon box
Thanks guys! After doing some additional reading and your comments I think staying with FreeBSD coupled with a good RAID controller would probably be the least hassle, reliable, and good performing setup. I am looking at a dual Xeon box using an Adpatec 2200S RAID controller with the write buffer backup battery module. We will also probably install 4GB of ram. Now the new question is which RAID level would provide the best balance of performance and reliability... I currently have a similar setup that has RAID 0+1 with one hot spare ready in case of mirror disk failure. I had been considering the same setup, but it might make sense just to use 3 disk RAID5 with hot spare ready. The new RAID controller implementation might not buy us much by using 0+1 vs. 5. Any thoughts? -Kenji On Thu, Jun 03, 2004 at 06:40:07PM -0400, Charles Swiger wrote: > On Jun 3, 2004, at 5:42 PM, Kenji M wrote: > >I am currently specing a 2U dual Xeon server and hope to use > >RAID 0+1 capability. The question is for PostgreSQL admins... > > > >1) Which RAID controller should we use? > > You haven't mentioned whether you plan to use SCSI or IDE drives. The > PERC RAID controller in Dell's PowerEdge's works quite well for the > former, but you might consider the 3ware twe if you're doing IDE. > > >2) Considering Q1, does it not even make sense to use > >FreeBSD+PostgreSQL > >and bite the bullet and go with Linux (assuming it has better hw RAID > >support) and run PostgreSQL on that using a fancier journaling > >filesystem. > > Hmm. What makes you think that a journalling filesystem gains you much > when you are running a database? > > Databases do their own transaction management using two-phase commit > and logfiles for rollback in case of a crash using a few very large > files, which they'll write to directly using async/directIO (whatever > the term you wish to use is), rather than using OS/filesystem > buffering > > -- > -Chuck -- + kenji morishige [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.kenjim.com + ___ [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to "[EMAIL PROTECTED]"
Re: Running FreeBSD/PostgreSQL on high-end dual Xeon box
On Jun 3, 2004, at 5:42 PM, Kenji M wrote: I am currently specing a 2U dual Xeon server and hope to use RAID 0+1 capability. The question is for PostgreSQL admins... 1) Which RAID controller should we use? You haven't mentioned whether you plan to use SCSI or IDE drives. The PERC RAID controller in Dell's PowerEdge's works quite well for the former, but you might consider the 3ware twe if you're doing IDE. 2) Considering Q1, does it not even make sense to use FreeBSD+PostgreSQL and bite the bullet and go with Linux (assuming it has better hw RAID support) and run PostgreSQL on that using a fancier journaling filesystem. Hmm. What makes you think that a journalling filesystem gains you much when you are running a database? Databases do their own transaction management using two-phase commit and logfiles for rollback in case of a crash using a few very large files, which they'll write to directly using async/directIO (whatever the term you wish to use is), rather than using OS/filesystem buffering -- -Chuck ___ [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to "[EMAIL PROTECTED]"
Re: Running FreeBSD/PostgreSQL on high-end dual Xeon box
Kenji M <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Hello everyone, first time list leech. > > I am in the process of speccing out a high end PC to be used > as a database server for PostgreSQL. We are currently running > MySQL on Linux, but want to migrate our code to PostgreSQL and > we are primarily a FreeBSD shop. > > I am currently specing a 2U dual Xeon server and hope to use > RAID 0+1 capability. The question is for PostgreSQL admins... > > 1) Which RAID controller should we use? Depends on your need. If you don't have outrageous requirements, vinum would work fine as software raid. If you have very high performance requirements, the general consensus on the Postgres lists is that a SCSI raid controller with a large battery-backed cache produces the best performing, most reliable systems. I don't have any specific model numbers, though. > 2) Considering Q1, does it not even make sense to use FreeBSD+PostgreSQL > and bite the bullet and go with Linux (assuming it has better hw RAID > support) and run PostgreSQL on that using a fancier journaling filesystem. I doubt it. If you use battery-backed cache, you have no need of journalling. Even still, you get comparible performance with ufs+softupdates (although it's just a _little_ slower). Now, I've never done "plug tests" on UFS, but I haven't heard of any UFS filesystems getting beyond the point that PostgreSQL couldn't recover the database. -- Bill Moran Potential Technologies http://www.potentialtech.com ___ [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to "[EMAIL PROTECTED]"
Running FreeBSD/PostgreSQL on high-end dual Xeon box
Hello everyone, first time list leech. I am in the process of speccing out a high end PC to be used as a database server for PostgreSQL. We are currently running MySQL on Linux, but want to migrate our code to PostgreSQL and we are primarily a FreeBSD shop. I am currently specing a 2U dual Xeon server and hope to use RAID 0+1 capability. The question is for PostgreSQL admins... 1) Which RAID controller should we use? 2) Considering Q1, does it not even make sense to use FreeBSD+PostgreSQL and bite the bullet and go with Linux (assuming it has better hw RAID support) and run PostgreSQL on that using a fancier journaling filesystem. Any comments greatly appreciated. -Kenji -- + kenji morishige [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.kenjim.com + ___ [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailing list http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions To unsubscribe, send any mail to "[EMAIL PROTECTED]"
