Re: [cobalt-users] Re: Need to buy a new Raq

["Robert G. Fisher" <rfisher@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Wed, Jul 19, 2000 at 03:50:43PM -0700, Will DeHaan wrote:
> The hardware for "server" SCSI and "workstation" IDE drives of the same
> spindle speeds, capacities and manufacturer are identical besides the
> circuit board controllers which rarely fail.  This is a common
> reliability misconception of IDE vs. SCSI.  I sure appreciate replacing
> $140 ATA drives over $500 SCSI's.

Traditionally I've been told that SCSI are more reliable -- any
links or pointers to books that could show where they are more 
on par with reliability to help me catch up a little?

> Hot swap is nice, and Cobalt understands the value of that feature even
> though it's not present on the RaQ 4.  The RaQ 4r will allow operation
> _with_ a failed drive allowing you to replace a disk during off-hours,
> at your leisure, off-line.  You'll get email notification of a drive
> failure and detailed RAID web status reporting. 

Any plans for implementing RAID5 hot swap plans in future RaQ 
systems?  Or simply distributing the RaQ distribution for whatever 
hardware a customer chooses?  I realize that's a support nightmare
but honestly, I've never been fond of the RaQ and RaQ2s purchased
by management -- there's something very reassuring about understanding 
that worst comes to worst I can boot from a floppy instead of having
to literally dissassemble two machines to go mount the drive onto
another system.

-- 
Robert G. Fisher		     NEOCOM Microspecialists Inc. 
System Administrator/Programmer      (540) 666-9533 x 116