Date: Thu, 11 May 2006 18:41:25 -0500
From: "Jim C. Nasby" <jnasby@pervasive.com>
To: Bruce Momjian <pgman@candle.pha.pa.us>
Cc: "Joshua D. Drake" <jd@commandprompt.com>, Vivek Khera <vivek@khera.org>,
	"Pgsql-Performance ((E-mail))" <pgsql-performance@postgresql.org>,
	PostgreSQL General <pgsql-general@postgresql.org>
Subject: Re: [PERFORM] Arguments Pro/Contra Software Raid
Message-ID: <20060511234124.GC4268@pervasive.com>
References: <4463BCE7.6090202@commandprompt.com>
	<200605112320.k4BNKR221040@candle.pha.pa.us>
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On Thu, May 11, 2006 at 07:20:27PM -0400, Bruce Momjian wrote:
> Joshua D. Drake wrote:
> > 
> > >> You want an in-depth comparison of how a server disk drive is internally
> > >> better than a desktop drive:
> > >>
> > >> 	http://www.seagate.com/content/docs/pdf/whitepaper/D2c_More_than_Interface_ATA_vs_SCSI_042003.pdf
> > > 
> > > BTW, someone (Western Digital?) is now offering SATA drives that carry
> > > the same MTBF/warranty/what-not as their SCSI drives. I can't remember
> > > if they actually claim that it's the same mechanisms just with a
> > > different controller on the drive...
> > 
> > Well western digital and Seagate both carry 5 year warranties. Seagate I 
> > believe does on almost all of there products. WD you have to pick the 
> > right drive.
> 
> That's nice, but it seems similar to my Toshiba laptop drive experience
> --- it breaks, we replace it.  I would rather not have to replace it.  :-)
> 
> Let me mention the only drive that has ever failed without warning was a
> SCSI Deskstar (deathstar) drive, which was a hybrid because it was a
> SCSI drive, but made for consumer use.

My damn powerbook drive recently failed with very little warning, other
than I did notice that disk activity seemed to be getting a bit slower.
IIRC it didn't log any errors or anything. Even if it did, if the OS was
catching them I'd hope it would pop up a warning or something. But from
what I've heard, some drives now-a-days will silently remap dead sectors
without telling the OS anything, which is great until you've used up all
of the spare sectors and there's nowhere to remap to. :(

Hmm... I should figure out how to have OS X email me daily log updates
like FreeBSD does...
-- 
Jim C. Nasby, Sr. Engineering Consultant      jnasby@pervasive.com
Pervasive Software      http://pervasive.com    work: 512-231-6117
vcard: http://jim.nasby.net/pervasive.vcf       cell: 512-569-9461