Re: md RAID with enterprise-class SATA or SAS drives

[David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no>]

On 10/05/12 23:15, Stan Hoeppner wrote:
> On 5/10/2012 8:51 AM, Phil Turmel wrote:
>
>> Hardware RAID cards usually offer battery-backed write cache, which is
>> very valuable in some applications.  I don't have a need for that kind
>> of performance, so I can't speak to the details.  (Is Stan H.
>> listening?)
>
> Yes, I'm here to drop the hammer, and start a flame war. ;)  I've been
> lurking and trying to stay out of the fray, but you "keep dragging me
> back in!" --Michael Corleone
>
> I find the mere existence of this thread a bit comical, as with all
> others that have preceded it.  I made the comment on this list quite
> some time ago that md raid is mostly used by hobbyists, and took a lot
> of heat for that.  The existence of this thread adds ammunition to that
> argument.
>

I think you've got that a bit backwards.  Most hobbyists (or low-budget 
users) who use raid other than motherboard fakeraid will choose Linux md 
raid.  It may well be that most users of md raid /are/ hobby or 
low-budget users.  But your implication - that professionals don't use 
md raid - is completely wrong.

It's more likely that it is hobby users that discuss these sorts of 
things - professionals just pay the money that the server manufacturer 
asks for its supported disks, since paying that is cheaper than spending 
time discussing things.  I know I mostly follow lists like this in my 
free time (as a hobbiest) rather than in work time (as a professional).