Linux or Windows for a File/Web Server?

[GTaudiophile]

Right now I use Gentoo with a PII-450/440BX system with a 40B harddrive to store stuff like my digital photos and Top Gear Episodes.

I will be replacing this system shortly with my dad's current system, a PIII-866/ASUS CUSL2. I will either install one 350/400GB harddrive or two 250GB drives in RAID.

First, which RAID level is best to use when you have two identical drives and you want one to mirror the other? RAID Level 1?

In addition to running SAMBA, I also have my Gentoo box configured such that I can SSH into it with WinSCP. (FTP is disabled).

Should I install Win2K3 or a Linux Distro (Debian?) when I configure this system? While Linux is FREE and more secure, I have the feeling Win2K3 is far easier to install, be compatible, and keep updated. Both systems would be equally easy/hard to configure.

 

[n0cmonkey]

raid 1 is mirroring.

Debian is easy to keep updated.

 

[nweaver]

it's hard to beat gentoo/debian/any linux distro with decent package management for updateability. Windows has windows update, but if it'a s/w package, then it doesn't get updated, where as an update sync gets you the latest packages for your entire system. The big advantage of linux for samba/web is the lack of gui (i.e. extra resources)

also, if you do not have a hardware raid card, then linux S/W raid is superior (imho) to windows software raid. Take note, most mobo's "raid" controllers for PATA is windows driver s/w raid.

Raid 1 is for mirroring drives, raid 5 is also very nice, but requires 3 drives. With linux software raid, you can raid5 3 partitions that are the same size.

 

[doornail]

That would only be a question if you lacked the skill to do Linux, but since you're already familiar with Gentoo so it's really a no-brainer. You should see better performance with Linux on the same hardware and, as you mentioned, it's completely free.

Portage is a nice package management system and you can keep your system up to date with automatic scripts (and no rebooting).

 

[drag]

ya, don't bother with motherboard onboard SATA 'bios' raid. It's worthless. If you want raid with linux setup software raid.

 

[oog]

you can go with software raid, but if you're looking for redundancy (so that you can pull out a failing hard drive and then use the remaining system without it), don't do the software raid across partitions on the same drive.

 

[GTaudiophile]

Originally posted by: oog
you can go with software raid, but if you're looking for redundancy (so that you can pull out a failing hard drive and then use the remaining system without it), don't do the software raid across partitions on the same drive.

So, just buy two identical drives (PATA) and make one the PM and the other the PS?

 

[nweaver]

it would be better to run to PATA on different channels. Master/Slave in raid 1 would be slow.

Also, IDE is not hot swappable, if you truly need hot swappable, you need enterprise class SCSI controller and drives and enclosers capable of this, and you would not be running S/W raid (most likely)

 

[GTaudiophile]

Originally posted by: nweaver
it would be better to run to PATA on different channels. Master/Slave in raid 1 would be slow.

Also, IDE is not hot swappable, if you truly need hot swappable, you need enterprise class SCSI controller and drives and enclosers capable of this, and you would not be running S/W raid (most likely)

Would not need hot swap. So one would run PM and the other would be SM.

 

[oog]

Originally posted by: GTaudiophile

Originally posted by: nweaver
it would be better to run to PATA on different channels. Master/Slave in raid 1 would be slow.

Also, IDE is not hot swappable, if you truly need hot swappable, you need enterprise class SCSI controller and drives and enclosers capable of this, and you would not be running S/W raid (most likely)

Would not need hot swap. So one would run PM and the other would be SM.

Yeah, I wasn't suggesting anything to do with hotswapping. Get two identical drives and make them each master on their own IDE channel.

 

[GTaudiophile]

How does one install software RAID? For example, if installing Debian, would the necessary RAID software be included and would install istself during the OS installation, or is it something added on afterwards?

 

[nweaver]

it's during the install. Not sure on debian (only done it once, on gentoo, and it hurt!) but on gentoo you had to create the partitions, mark them fd (linux raid), create a raidtab file, build the array and then install to the array (arrey is /dev/mdX device, instead of /dev/sdX or /dev/hdX device). One thing to note, make sure you have raid compiled into the kernel, not as a module. Again, my limited experience w/mostly gentoo warps my brain, not sure if you can kernel hack during install on other distros.

 

[GTaudiophile]

Originally posted by: nweaver
it's during the install. Not sure on debian (only done it once, on gentoo, and it hurt!) but on gentoo you had to create the partitions, mark them fd (linux raid), create a raidtab file, build the array and then install to the array (arrey is /dev/mdX device, instead of /dev/sdX or /dev/hdX device). One thing to note, make sure you have raid compiled into the kernel, not as a module. Again, my limited experience w/mostly gentoo warps my brain, not sure if you can kernel hack during install on other distros.

I think I found the (Debian) answer here.