Re: server install recommendations?

Roberto Scattini wrote:

> in a couple of days i will reinstall an offline database server. It's
> a old HP Proliant DL580 G3 with three disks (147 GB each). Currently
> it has a debian Sarge in a RAID5 hardware array ( with HP Smart Array
> 6i, [RAID bus controller: Compaq Computer Corporation Smart Array 64xx
> (rev 01)] ).

Make sure you do a test installation first. I'm currently tinkering with
a slightly older ProLiant and find that when I move from Debian "Sarge"
to "Lenny" it won't recognise SMP. This is almost certainly a kernel
issue and is probably something that won't get fixed, I suspect that 2.6
quite simply doesn't like the machine's SMBIOS structure.

> -should i ask my boss to buy another disk? (it will be difficult, but
> if i can demonstrate It worth it...)

With this type of hardware you should have a good stock of identical
disc drives before you start. You are very likely to find that the array
firmware will reject any disc which isn't within 5 or 10% of the size of
the existing ones, when hardware vendors rebadge (e.g. Seagate) disc
drives they knock the apparent size down to a standard value.

> our application (running on separate webserver) is of the type "OLTP",
> the server will be entirely dedicated to postgresql. i will configure
> a warm-standby server, so the WAL files will be forwarded to another
> server.

Again, make sure that you have spare compatible hardware- not ncessarily
the same model but certainly using the same drive hardware, PSUs etc. If
your boss won't spend the sort of money that these machines go for on
eBay then your company isn't serious about running a service for its
customers.

--
Mark Morgan Lloyd
markMLl .AT. telemetry.co .DOT. uk

[Opinions above are the author's, not those of his employers or colleagues]