Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Red Hat and HP Establish Linux Storage Lab

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the your-put-your-bits-in-there dept.

Rob writes "Linux distributor Red Hat has teamed up with Hewlett-Packard to create a new performance test lab to help customers deploy enterprise storage across Linux environments. The lab will focus on performance and integration testing in order to produce best practices and solutions guides, the companies said, and will also enable customers to preview new technological developments."

30 of 82 comments (clear)

  1. i wish ... by dominic.laporte · · Score: 4, Insightful

    they do performance tests on

    1) postgres with large data sets over SATA and IDE hard drives.
    2) mysql with large data sets over SATA and IDE hard drives.
    3) both of the above over www.coraid.com.

    p.s.
    coraid drivers are gpl and part of the kernel already.

    1. Re:i wish ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      then:
      mysql on 420MB second-hand IDE drives ,
      then:
      postgress on RAID-1 configured with two 5.25" fdd drives

      (I don't think storage performance lab is about stuffing IDE disks in low end server and measuring performance)

  2. It's all about the GFS by TripMaster+Monkey · · Score: 4, Informative


    Some information on the Global File System can be found here and here.

    --
    ____

    ~ |rip/\/\aster /\/\onkey

    1. Re:It's all about the GFS by AKAImBatman · · Score: 4, Informative

      Not to be confused with the Google File System. A lot of people confuse them (same TLA), so it's important that sysadmins are clear that they are very different. If you install G[lobal]FS, you're getting something that has different goals in distributing the data than those of the Google servers. Google's FS has only a modicum of documentation, and no public implementation available. If you want to replicate GoogleFS, you'll have to guess as to the parts that their documentation doesn't cover.

      Now back to your regularly scheduled program. :-)

      --
      Javascript + Nintendo DSi = DSiCade
    2. Re:It's all about the GFS by drdink · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I don't see how GFS can scale as well as something like OpenAFS. With AFS, you get an entire infrastructure. I wish more people would be investing time and effort into improving filesystems like AFS, where all systems can share a common namespace without requiring the availability of a SAN. The two have slightly different uses, but it'd still be nice to see more force behind AFS now that it is opensourced.

      --
      Beware, Nugget is watching... See?
    3. Re:It's all about the GFS by spacey · · Score: 3, Informative

      IIRC AFS only provides for a single system to be the writer to the whole distributed filesystem (though it does allow replicants so even if the main server dies the files are still available for read).

      GFS allows every node to read and write simultaneously so each system can get full bandwidth out of the storage unit.

      They're rather different beasts, solving different problems.

      -Peter

      --
      == Just my opinion(s)
  3. Re:Consolidation -even better... by bogaboga · · Score: 4, Interesting
    ...would be an option from HP, to buy the ability to buy a Linux desktop as easily as one can buy a Windows one from HP's website. I know HP does not want any kind of liability but Linux desktops could be sold without as much support as the Windows desktops...

    ...Or the ability to download Linux drivers for HP's printers, and other equipment from HP's website. I know there is http://linuxprinting.org/ for printers but I would like it from the horse's mouth - i.e. from http://www.hp.com/

    Is that too much to ask from a major computer vendor that claims to support Linux? I do not think so.

  4. Red Hat Global File System by anandpur · · Score: 2, Informative

    Red Hat Global File System now supported by Oracle, EMC and NetApp

    http://www.oracle.com/technology/products/database /clustering/certify/tech_generic_linux.html
    http://www.redhat.com/en_us/USA/home/company/news/ prarchive/2005/press_rh-gfs_support.html

  5. Re:Consolidation -even better... by TripMaster+Monkey · · Score: 4, Interesting


    Another option for HP could be selling a blank system, and let the end user worry about the OS. With this approach, HP neatly avoids any liability, and still can be seen to be tacitly suppporting Linux.

    --
    ____

    ~ |rip/\/\aster /\/\onkey

  6. It's about time that... by TarrySingh · · Score: 4, Interesting

    People start shedding fears of the penguin. It's an alternative and it's very much user friendly. I predict that soon the users community will shift/accept it even at home. Although I see Novell(suse) making more progress there. Red Hat recently announced that GFS is now supported by Oracle for use with Real Application Cluster database configurations, and has been certified for use with EMC's Clariion networked storage systems, and Celerra iSCSI network attached storage systems, as well as Network Appliance's SAN interfaces BTW HP has been offering RAC on RHEL already for a long time now. Althoug hte GFS will certainly avoid the need of running the HP clsuterware(I hope) tool.

    --
    Scott McNealy to Michael: "Suck my Sun!" Michael Dell to Scott : "Lick my Dell!"
    1. Re:It's about time that... by fourbeer · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I believe M$oft does not allow the sale of blank systems. They really control what goes on a system. I think Wal-mart tried this and was strong-armed by M$soft.

    2. Re:It's about time that... by FuckTheModerators · · Score: 2, Informative

      I think Wal-mart tried this and was strong-armed by M$soft.

      Evil though the Walton empire may be, they are still selling systems with no os.

    3. Re:It's about time that... by whytakemine · · Score: 2

      It's not that they don't allow it, it's that they offer much lower prices if a company will sign a contract that guarantees they won't sell a computer without an operating system. As far as I know, they don't specify which OS you have to load though, which is why you can buy pc's with freeDos preloaded. It fullfills the terms of the contract, even if everyone knows the first thing the buyer is going to do is blow it away and install the OS of their choice. I don't work for a major computer manufacturer though, so all of this is just hearsay.

    4. Re:It's about time that... by dmaxwell · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Wal-Mart is just about the only retailer big enough to NOT be pushed by MS. I think of that old koan that asks what happens if an irrestible force encounters an immovable object. Wal-Mart thinks they are the only ones who have the right to be pushy and obnoxious. If push came to shove, they'd probably give MS a taste of no access to their stores for a few months just to make the point. Not because of any love for the penguin mind but just to school them.

      That could be awfully fun to watch.

  7. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 2

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  8. Not quite by earnest+murderer · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This is mostly a webvertisment/reference for deploying GFS on HP Proliant server hardware.

    --
    Platform advocacy is like choosing a favorite severely developmentally disabled child.
  9. Who will be the next OEM... by Torinir · · Score: 5, Interesting

    to announce a Linux partnership?

    It was almost a given that HP would team up with some major Linux distro, given that they have a fair sized share of the corporate market. I'd open my eyes a little more if Dell or another primarily HSB (Home and Small Business) OEM were to start to offer Linux systems.

    Of course, it'd also be nice if some of those manufacturers would also add Linux support for their peripheral products. There's so few good drivers for printers/scanners/all-in-ones, especially from HP (which I do tech support for), and tbh I don't have the coding skills to build my own. It's probably a big reason that Linux use is still relatively light on the HSB side.

    1. Re:Who will be the next OEM... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      Here you go

      http://www.mandriva.com/company/press/pr?n=/pr/cor porate/2564

    2. Re:Who will be the next OEM... by WillerZ · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Fuck off.

      Once you know what you're doing in console-land you can do everything you need to do quicker than using a GUI. And, having done it once, you can copy your shell history into a script and do the same thing to the other 800 linux machines you're responsible for adminning.

      Remote admin is a billion times easier if you can get all the crappy GUI shit out of the equation. Of course, Linux started with no crappy GUI shit to remove so the hard work doesn't need doing.

      If you can't use the console you shouldn't have root, and will therefore have no need to use the console.

      --
      I guess today is a passable day to die.
  10. SATA disks possibly by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    SATA disks is possibly true. To those of you who say "What??! Ordinary SATA disks on mission critical servers??!" - even high end enterprise storage systems (like EMC Symmetrix) use ordinary disks.

  11. Re:Satan. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I work with HP OpenVMS and HP NonStop platforms and they are one of the best systems out there. HP do make very good things, although they don't advertise it much. HP is and has been a strong supporter of Linux in many years by supporting and selling lots of Proliant systems with Linux.

  12. Not exactly "linux" storage but... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting
    Since there will be some storage research going on...

    Imagine you have several remote sites accessing files on a centralised storage server. Just as an example, say it is a samba server which remote computers accessing it over SSH (like this).

    If you have a slow upload link (who doesn't), working with such a remote storage solution quickly becomes a problem.

    Is there anything in the way of:

    • All the offices have a server and the same data is mirrored on all the servers
    • When you access a file on the server (locally), the files becomes locked on ALL the servers
    • When you are done with the file, data is updated on all the servers using something like bittorrent (only secure+encrypted)

    If I'm thinking this one right, that would give you instantaneous read/write access to unlocked files on the server (since access is local), the only slow down being how long it takes to get a file updated/unlocked on all the servers.

  13. Re:Consolidation -even better... by bogaboga · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I have a fear for a blank system because HP could, on dancing to M$'s whims, load this blank desktop with very obscure hardware not fully unusable by the Linux kernel.

  14. HP Storage Appliances by dido · · Score: 4, Informative

    Being seasoned in Linux enterprise deployments, I've had more than my share of frustration with some of HP's own storage appliances. Their entry-level storage appliances, the MSA series (which IIRC, they inherited from Compaq), seem to be pretty ok, but they're no good when you start growing to the point when more than several machines need to attach to the SAN. The VA series of high-end storage appliances are in contrast the very devil to deal with. I remember the problems a client of ours was having with these monsters when they were using it for Oracle 9i RAC. Their RAID management started having problems once the disks started filling up to more than 75% capacity, and HP never was able to give us a satisfactory solution, except to replace the damn storage array with something bigger and much more expensive. And so overtures from the likes of EMC began to reach much more receptive ears...

    I certainly hope this helps with the engineering of HP's storage appliance line, and they can fix some of the brain damage that some of them have.

    --
    Qu'on me donne six lignes écrites de la main du plus honnête homme, j'y trouverai de quoi le faire pendre.
  15. Barely supported.. by cybrthng · · Score: 2, Interesting

    You have to run 9.2 and use specific version. GFS 6.1 looks like a life saver, but it could be years before that is certified against Oracle.

    Infact the entire Redhat/Oracle certificaition process is a nightmare.

  16. Use? by mayhemt · · Score: 2, Funny

    Can we use this to deploy MS' patches? that would be its regression testing...(Just a thought!!)

  17. Re:Consolidation -even better... by F_Scentura · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I've heard of some shady tactics in my time working for a larger PC OEM, but *never* a mention of this. The shipping out of winmodems (and similar components) was done for reasons of cost, not to reduce interoperability.

  18. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  19. can't do it. microsoft tax. by jasonhamilton · · Score: 3, Funny

    MS would throw a fit. Anyone who doesn't want windows on their box is clearly going to pirate windows. Therefor the logic is to charge you even more when you don't get windows preinstalled as you're going to be pirating it anyway.

    --
    SearchIRC - Now with live chat directory!
  20. Re:Consolidation -even better... by nkrgovic · · Score: 2, Insightful
    ...would be an option from HP, to buy the ability to buy a Linux desktop as easily as one can buy a Windows one from HP's website. I know HP does not want any kind of liability but Linux desktops could be sold without as much support as the Windows desktops...

    This has NOTHING to do with Linux. It's a deal between HP and RedHat - just two croporations making bussines. And Yes, for the record, you can buy Red Hat on HP Workstations and Servers, and, also, on some corporate desktops you can go for SuSE or FreeDos.

    The point of this deal is for the HP to have at least an Unix-like (Please no flame here - Linux is GNU, and GNU is Not Unix) OS with full storage support in it's control. IBM allready has a full Unix with Storage access (AIX), Sun too. Even Apple has an offer. This is just something that HP needs, and Red Hat gets a nice deal too. It has nothing to do with Linux, or something an enthusiast can use - it's just bussines.