Re: Best drive configuration?
From: P Gentry (rdgentry1_at_cablelynx.com)
Date: 05/21/04
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Date: 21 May 2004 13:43:51 -0700
"Noozer" <postmaster@127.0.0.1> wrote in message news:<NRorc.557879$Ig.379124@pd7tw2no>...
> I'm moving drives between my PC, my server and my spares. I'm hoping to hear
> a few opinions about what I'm trying to improve...
>
> What I want, from most important to least.
>
> - Increase the snappyness of my PC
Presume you mean user perceived responsiveness as opposed to measured
"snappiness".
> - Increase storage space on server
> - Add a Fedora Linux installation to my PC
>
> --- My current configuration: ---
> (all drives are 7200rpm, 2meg cache)
>
> My PC: Windows XP SP1, 2.6Ghz P4 @ 3.2ghz, 512meg of DDR533 memory (PC4300)
> - C:= 80gig - all files - NTFS
>
> Server: Windows 2003, AMD XP2000+ @ 1.67Ghz, 512meg DDR memory
> - C: = 40gig+40gig in RAID 0 - System, Programs, Shared documents, Windows
> swap - NTFS
> - D: = 120 gig - MP3, Archival, Windows swap - NTFS
>
> USB2 external: 40gig - Backup & Transfer - FAT
To be used as a "hot pluggable" disk?
>
> Spare: 60gig
>
>
> --- What I'm considering: ---
>
> My PC:
> - 40gig - 39gig as System files - NTFS
> - 1gig Linux swap
> - 40gig - 2 gig as Windows swap and Linux accessible - FAT
> - 38gig as Fedora Linux - Reiser FS (what partitions should be
> real partitions? usr? home? var?)
Presume you know that having swap on different hds only "gains" you
anything if the hds are eg., primary master and secondary master --
and if you really use/need swap that much. If you're using swap that
much, get more ram ;-)
Partitions will depend on how you use the PC -- less critical here
than server. I always like having /boot on a separate (primary)
partition. Same for FAT "sharing" partition. Gave up years ago
trying to "optimize" placement of swap -- just buy more ram ;-)
> Server:
> - 40gig - System files - NTFS
> - 80gig - Programs, Shared files, Documents, etc. + Windows swap files -
> NTFS
> - 120gig - MP3, Archival + Windows swap
>
> USB2 external: 60gig - Backup & Transfer - FAT
>
>
> So... does this sound OK? Any comments or suggestions?
Seems OK to me -- but only you can really determine appropriateness.
> Personally, I'd just like to pick up a 34gig Raptor SATA drive and use that
> for my system drive. I know I'd see a BIG improvement, but money isn't there
> and I've already got too many HDDs!!!
Since we don't know what sorts of apps you run that seem to have you
scurrying to "get the most out of swap" performance, it's really hard
to tell what -- if any -- snappiness increase you'll get. Any time
you're using swap much, it's an indication that the apps need more ram
or your usage pattern -- load every .exe on disk -- needs more ram to
feed the habit.
I like to keep my disk structures fairly simple since it makes
maintainence easier -- at least that's the aim ;-).
Partitioning with Linux also has security (improved) implications by
physically dividing where files (and file access) are used. For
servers, thoughtful consideration is mandatory, IMO. For desktop/end
user machines it may be more important to divy up the disk so that
backups and upgrades are easier.
/ [ that's root]
/boot (on a primary patition)
/usr
/home
/tmp
/var
/swap
would be my inclination to start with. Perhaps a separate /scratch or
/data if it makes life easier. This is habit from setting up servers
and some items (like /var and /tmp and even /usr) could be combined.
If you use much third party software -- or any that are sizable -- you
may find a separate /opt to be useful.
Besides usage the distro you're using can also influence these
decisions. The layout on RH and Fedora Core (?) can get in the way of
updating some software if you want to use the default layout.
Personally, I keep OOo, J2SDK, and Netbeans on /opt -- would keep KDE
there also, but I'm too lazy to compile my own KDE updates and I'm
willing to live with the RH compatible updates compiled by others.
The others offer binaries that will set comfortably in /opt and not
clutter the rest of the RH layout while offering more timely updates.
Consider with a grain of salt ...
hth,
prg
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