[plug] SATA & Debian

[Craig Ringer]

Scott Middleton wrote:
> Another consideration that i feel is important is the case. Depending on
> the environment the case is the next most important factor. A good case
> with good air-flow really does increase the life expectancy of the
> server. Lately we have been using Lian LI cases with 420W power supplies
> so far the heat results have been good. Simply put a HDD will last
> longer if they are kept cool.

I can't agree with that enough. I've had drive failures and short 
lifetimes from inadequate cooling; it _is_ a problem. (note: that was 
_not_ the problem with the series of dying WD1200JBs I encountered last 
year). As a result, our dual Xeon sounds like a jet engine and has a 
truly apalling air flow. It's a 5U railmount case with the drives 
arranged vertically across the front of the case in 5 1/4" mounting 
brackets. Air flows straight over them as it enters the machine, and as 
a result the drives are cool to the touch. I run them outside the system 
(as I did for testing) they get very toasty indeed. I can't read the 
temp sensors as the 3ware card doesn't support SMART passthrough or 
detailed SMART reporting :-(  but the difference is very significant.

If you stack two or more drives right beside each other in 3 1/2" bays 
with poor airflow, you will see shorter lifetimes and higher failure 
rates. I've had drives develop bad sectors and/or die due to heat - it 
is a real issue. I shudder to think what it must be like trying to keep 
an array of Seagate Cheetah X15s (15000rpm drives) cool.

Lian Li cases are pretty good - I use their fulltower for my home PC - 
but they definitely aren't cheap. As I work with a rack at work I don't 
really have any experience with other tower cases.

I think a good power supply is also important. As well as improving the 
stability and life of your board and drives, a good PSU is more likely 
to survive nasty power events. As it sounds like you won't be running 
off a UPS, this matters.

Again, though - I'd suggest getting a solid, basic system with quality 
parts above one that's fast but "cheap".

Craig Ringer