Topic: Highend server

[Steve]

I am considering using e-smith for a high-end internet/file server with SCSI HD's.  Will I have problems with the 2GB file limit?  Does it still exist in 5.6?  If you do a tape backup, can it be larger than 2GB?

Are there any other limitations that I might run in to?  This isn't going to be an extreme server but more than what I've used so far.

Anyone have any experiences with a semi-high performance server?  (i.e. 40-80GB 15000rpm SCSI)

What are the best tape drives that are compatible with e-smith?

Has anyone had any luck with Dell servers?  Any specific model or configuration?


Thanks!

[Cyrus Bharda]

Steve,

My understanding is that there is no 2GB file limitation for a file residing on SME 5.6 hard drive. Also if you are backing up to a tape, the file size is not an issue. With the file size and the backups to conflict is when you use flexbackup to backup to a disk not physically installed in the SME box (ie network share).

Since SME is basically RedHat you might want to check out thier hardware compatibility list to sus out which tape drives are compatible with 5.6.

I dont have any clue on high performance hardware nor dell servers, but good luck!

Cyrus Bharda

[Mark Chapman]

Hi,

We currently have a dell 2600 running SME 5.6, and until this morning it was great, but now theres something seriously wrong with tar!?! But thats not a huge problem. I'm currently copying last nights backup file from the server to a set of dvd's (it's a 9GB file so no 2GB limit there).

Any version earlier then 5.6 won't run on the 2600 series due to lack of support for the scsi card. Also you'll need to get the drivers for the network cards as they're not included.

Hope this helps

Mark Chapman

[Paul]

Hi Steve
We installed E-Smith V5.5 with update 2 on a Compaq ML350 with 18 and 36Gb SCSI drives and it worked perfectly.

Paul

[Steve]

Sounds great!  I'll start looking for hardware.

Are any of you using antivirus?  I want to try ClamAV on 5.6 but haven't yet.

Is there anyway to add fsck so that it will automatically run?  That's the only problem that I've seen.  I've only had to run fsck with software raid one time, but the people using the server have NO linux knowledge, so I had to go to the server just to type in 'fsck' !  I use to have to run it a lot when I had power outages.

Would any of you recommend a UPS that works good or are they all about the same (I want one to use with serial so that it will auto-shutdown if it loses power?

[Huw]

2gb is a widows limit! (fat32 I think)

Huw

[Peter Garbaek]

That´s correct =)
unless you copied the file from a NTFS filesystem.

But dont hold that agains me

[fozyberto]

heres my little contribution for sme server 5.6 the sshfs loadable module...
with this ..if u manage several servers...this can help u a lot..cuz u can read the others servers as remote filesystem...with the benefit of encryption.
www.ariesware.com/e-smith-contrib

[Hugo]

Maybe a silly question:

What does flebackup store to the tape?
I mean , is it incremental?
What happens if you have more data on your diask than tapespace? Will the rest be placed on a next tape when the first is full and you have changed tapes?
regards,
Hugo