raided dir uploads

[|ZOK|]

Quote from documentation:
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Raiding dirs for archiving purposes

The contents of two or more dirs can be merged as shown below.
Note: For read-only purposes! Writing is however possible, uploaded files (in a raided VFS dir) will be stored on last device specified.
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Would it be possible, regarding uploads, to make it choose the drive/dir with most space left?
With the new dvdr frenzy and increased bandwidth, 2 drives with identical content isn't really that uncommon.
Perhaps too resource demanding and unimportant for most but, just a thought

[ADDiCT]

your files would get spread all over the disks... u might as well make a spanned volume / raid0 of the drives then

[|ZOK|]

it wouldn't get spread all over the discs cuz u have still specified in the vfs file just what dirs make up the same virtual dir.

I can use my ftp as an example:
I have /movies2/ on K: and /movies1/ on L:
They contain the exact same thing: movies.
Now I'm forced to have 2 virtual movie dirs instead of just one cuz they are on separate drives.
They are on separate drives not by choice but cuz one drive simply isn't enuff.
So this would be my vfs file:

"L:\_Movies1"	/Movies
"k:\_Movies2"	/Movies

with io putting it on K: or L: depending on which has more space left, but STILL choosing only /movies1/ or /movies2/ since these dirs are the only ones that make up the virtual dir /Movies

However, if there's a way of combining drives in Winblows, thats of course an option too.
U don't happen to know how to do that by the way ?
I don't have raid just an extra ide card

[Mouton]

Right-click My Computer, Manage, Disk Management.
Right-click each disk, Convert to Dynamic disk (this is not reversible btw).
Delete two partitions on 2 drives, re-create one partition normally. When done, right-click it and select Extend Volume... You'll then be able to choose the free space on the 2nd HD to extend the partition.
There's load more info on dynamic disks / partition spanning / stripping on msdn / google...

[|ZOK|]

Thx for the info, man
edit: hold yer horses...delete the partitions first ?!?
sure, 500 gigs of primo shit out the window...think i'll rather stick with 2 lame identical dirs :P

[darkone]

Afak you only need to clean one of the drives. With 5 disk system:

1) Convert disk1 to dynamic
2) Clean disk 5
3) Extend disk1 to disk5
4) Move disk4 contents to disk1+5
5) Clean disk 4
6) Extend disk1+5 to disk4
5) Move disk3 contents to disk1+4+5
6) ...

[Mouton]

12) ...
13) One of the HD fails.
14) Enjoy loosing content of all 5 disks.


Happened to me with a 2 disks volume... Was sad enough.

[thewarden]

ZOK:

Do not use the MS software for spanning drives, that is about the
worst thing you can do with a site as the drives if used as an
upload drive will SOONER than later fail. I have as yet to see
it recover from a critial error.


If you wish to go this way:

4 device promise raid cards will do the job for you and it's
recovery system is far greater than most other addon cards.

6 device promise raid 5 style even better as you will almost
"NEVER" lose your system as there is a un-doc'ed fact that once
you use a raid 5 style, if any drive goes, replace it, kill the raid
setup, reset it - it is back...

I had 3 maxtor drives go on me and the sx6000 and supertrak
100 cards rebuilt the raid 5 each and every time...costly cards,
but you get what you pay for.

NOTE - never ever use a 160 or 180 gig drive for raided systems,
remain with 80, 120 and then to 200 + units as anything from
121 to 199 are all having issues.

TW

[darkone]

Originally posted by Mouton
12) ...
13) One of the HD fails.
14) Enjoy loosing content of all 5 disks.


Happened to me with a 2 disks volume... Was sad enough.

That's why I choose raid5 (or raid1) over it ;p