University Chooses Apple RAID for Linux Cluster

An anonymous reader writes "A Linux World article describes how Swinburne University chose Apple's Xserve RAID to add storage to it's Dell linux cluster, as it was the cheapest solution. Apple was sceptical about its RAID system working with Linux, but the system was up and running in 15 minutes."

Comments

Compression - WOW! wait, I mean HOW?

[seigniory]

"According to Bailes, the centre records 13TB of data per day, which gets processed in real time down to 30GB and then compressed further to 3KB."

OK, can someone to explain to me that either yes, there is a lot of redundant data that can have crazy-good compression rates, or that no, this quote is wrong...

Re:Compression - WOW! wait, I mean HOW?

[MindStalker]

I'm sure they meant 3GB as I know most non-normalized data generally can be compressed 10:1.

Re:Compression - WOW! wait, I mean HOW?

[GoRK]

I'm sure that they are not processing web traffic statistics, but that is an application that mirrors the data needs in a similar situation. I imagine many other applications have similar data needs. No doubt, the 3K is not re-expandable to 13TB, and probably neither is the 30GB.

For instance, I might be generating 10GB of logs per day. To save disk space, the streams might be written out with gzip compression (it's write-only, after all), or I might rewrite the formats to conserve space - write the IP addresses in 4 bytes rather than writing out the full ASCII dotted quad, etc. Since it's text and the format is highly redundant, it compresses very well.. I might end up with a 50-500MB log file depending on how things are done. At the end of the day, I could process the statistics and generate report/archive data of several KB that retains all the important data I want to keep from the logs.

~GoRK

mmmm....Xserve

[GreatTeacherMusashi]

Those things are soooo yummy, if I had a million dollars, some of it would go to an xserve array, just for fun, it'd be like the equivalent of some movie star buying like, some diamond coffee table or something "oh haha, and yeah that's my Xserve over there, oh no I don't really use it much, it's just to brighten the room up"

Xserve is cheap

[joshsnow]

This topic reminded me of an article in the print version of UK mag PC Pro by Jon Honeyball. He tells of one of his (consultancy) "clients" looking for a SAN/RAID solution from Dell and EMC, which would cost 120,000.

Aparently, Apples offering was 2TB storage for 9000 - vs 80,000 for 2TB from Dell/EMC.

In the article he says;The obvious question is whether you can put fibre channel cards into your Windows servers and connect them up too. Apple tells me this is possible The idea being to use the storage for SQL*Server databases and the like.

I'm not surprised this is such a good solution for use with Linux.

Xserve RAID in non-Apple environments

[daveschroeder]

There's a new community site called alienRAID.org that focuses on supporting Xserve RAID in non-Apple and mixed environments. It's likely to be helpful to people interested in deploying Xserve RAID in conjunction with other platforms.

Cheapest redundant solution

[goombah99]

Before a bunch of silly gooses shout they can get the same storagein their generic Linux boxes please lets note that were comparing reliable redundant systems.

the X raid has dual redundant power supplies, redundant fans, dual redundant raid controllers, dual redundant and DEDICATED processors, dual redundant ethernet connection, dual redundant fiber channel outputs. it has separate busses and controllers for each ATI hard disk, and the busses to the disks are high speed. all of the disks are hot swapable self contained pluggin units. and it all sits in 3U. (plus another U for whatever server is receiving the fiber channel). All the software on board is tuned to the task and other than the web admin, the box has no extraneous services.

also the raid is Hardware raid 5,1,0 not software. other than a netapp at 25x the price, there's nothing that comes close.

Re:Cheapest redundant solution

[Creepy Crawler]

I'd rather have a bulk of HD's at 7200RPM than at higher speeds. More RPM equates to more heat and easier failure.

Kewl. Everything to make a slashdot article.

[kabocox]

It runs linux check.
It has Apple. Check.
It has a low price for server hardware. check.

This article is hearby Slashdot approved.

Um, well "Duh!".

[DAQ42]

I've been booting my Linux boxes from my XServe RAID for months now. It's just a fibre array. And the XRAID Admin program is a straight Java applications so you can run it on any platform that supports Sun Java 1.4.1.

Go figure.

It's not rocket science. These devices have been engineered using standards of the industry.

Doh!

Apple's Trojan Horse for I.T. Depts.?

[Johnny Mozzarella]

iTunes has been called a Trojan Horse that will slip into consumer PCs and perhaps persude them to buy an iPod or a Mac.

Will the XServe RAID become the equivalent Trojan Horse that will slip into corporate data centers and lead to future purchases of XServes?

I hope Apple doesn't ignore this opportunity but instead promotes the fact that the XServe RAID plays well with other systems.

Re:Fiberchannel

[Anonymous Coward]

You ever plugged a Fibre Channel RAID into a random Linux box? Your chances of getting it to work correctly without a lot of pain-in-the-assedness are about one in five.

I doubt Apple was surprised this worked

[Ffakr]

Apple went out of its way to describe how splendedly xServe RAID ran on Solaris, Linux, and even 2K/XP boxes at WWDC this year.
This is the same story they've been telling since xServe RAID was shipping (and probably before that since it was pre-announced very early).

I'm pretty sure that any doubts were from the customers or the Lunuxworld writer and not Apple. They've been trying to sell this for linux boxes. If it was 'Apple' that had doubts, then those engineers need to return to the mothership for some more training.