[Samba] Re: RAID Drives and Samba

[John H Terpstra]

Ok, I'll chime in on this also.

For over 2 years I have run at least one server full-time with a 3Ware IDE 
RAID controller with 4 IDE drives in a RAID level 5 configuration. I have run 
this with:

	Caldera OpenLinux Server 3.11
	SuSE Linux Professional 8, 8.1, 8.2, 9.0, 9.1
	SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 8, 9
	Red Hat Enterprise Linux Advanced Server 3
	Red Hat Linux 9
	Red Hat Fedora Core

All without any problems. The controllers are used in a PCI-X slot and operate 
in 64-bit mode. Performance is just simply great - even under extreme load 
conditions. I have reported my performance metrics on this configuration at 
several venues.

Please understand the following:

	1. Samba has no direct involvement with hardware devices (eg: Drives)
	2. Every RAID stability issue I have dealt with has been caused by 
		hardware and kernel driver problems
	3. Software RAID in particular is an OS driver issue and NOT a Samba one
	4. Samba is NOT bug free - that's a fact!
	5. The Linux OS and its drivers are not bug free either
	6. Bad hardware is bad hardware - this is pure and simple
	7. No matter how hard anyone tries, Samba can not cure a bad hardware problem

Apart from all the above Samba still has a long way to go. Maybe, some fine 
day we will all wake up to a new version of Samba that can cure coughs, colds 
and global poverty. Until then, let's focus on fixing real problems and not 
imagined ones. :)

- John T.
-- 
John H Terpstra
Samba-Team Member
Phone: +1 (650) 580-8668

Author:
The Official Samba-3 HOWTO & Reference Guide, ISBN: 0131453556
Samba-3 by Example, ISBN: 0131472216
Hardening Linux, ISBN: 0072254971
OpenLDAP by Example, ISBN: 0131488732
Other books in production.