Hi, To Nate and John Slivko who both responded, Thanks! I've used RAID before but I just didn't think about it this way. I guess I was thinking inside the RAID box since I'm used to RAID as a hardware only thing. This is a very neat way to use software RAID.
Are there any special implications or cosideration when using a large ( > 100's GB's) database on a software RAID filesystem? On Sat, Nov 23, 2002 at 01:20:56PM -0800, nate wrote: > > Hi, I'm looking for information about whether it is possible to > > span multiple partitions with a root filesystem. > > > > I found this item in some coursework I am looking at and (No its not an > > assignment.) As far as my experiences with Unix/Linux have gone it isn't > > possible to have a single file system span multiple partitions. > > Sort of.. depends what you mean by span. If your using software > raid, you can span the root filesystem accross multiple physical > devices/partitions. I have several systems which have software raid > for their root filesystems. On debian the only software raid which > is supported for root is raid1. Under SuSE it can even do raid 5 somehow. > (apparently this is a LILO/GRUB limitation). Not sure about redhat(haven't > tried it). By using Raid0(even if you can't boot directly from it, you > could boot from CD or floppy or even network), you could have a root > filesystem that is spread accross drives, or raid5 if the system > supports it. > > > I have always believed it could be done, but that no one had ever > > implemented the necessary code to make it doable. > > another potential is LVM. I haven't tried it yet, SuSE has it nicely > integrated into the system, but last I checked it wouldn't allow the > root filesystem to be part of a LVM. Technically I think it is > possible but it would take some work(stuffing stuff into the initrd > image to support it, far from transparent to setup, may require booting > from another media such as floppy/cdrom as well). Setting up software > raid 1 on a debian system for the root filesystem isn't for the faint > of heart either, but once its going it works good :) > > > > Has this now changed? Is it now possible to have a single filesystem > > spanning multiple partitions? I looked in Google for Linux and didn't > > find anything so I'm skeptical, but I would like to be enlightened (bows > > eastward 3 times). > > I belive what your asking for is LVM, though as above, you can accomplish > the same result(root on multiple partitons) with software raid. One of > the newer LVMs that should be more commonly available during the 2.6.x > timeframe may offer more flexibility in this regaurd (ELVMS I think and > LVM2). > > yet another option is use hardware raid. that way its spread accross > multiple drives transparently. > > nate > (debian user, though trying to get his feet wet with suse and redhat) > > > > > -- > redhat-list mailing list > unsubscribe mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?subject=unsubscribe > https://listman.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/redhat-list > -- Jeff Kinz, Emergent Research, Hudson, MA. "[EMAIL PROTECTED]" "[EMAIL PROTECTED]" copyright 2002. Use is restricted. Any use is an acceptance of the offer at http://users.rcn.com/jkinz/policy.html. (o- -o) //\ eLviintuaxbilse /\\ V_/_ _\_V -- redhat-list mailing list unsubscribe mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?subject=unsubscribe https://listman.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/redhat-list
