Storage
Much like the Graphics Cards section, this is a place for me to store information I uncover about storage solutions. Currently I am running very low on disk space on my webserver (a bit less than 2GB free), so this is a more urgent concern. Hopfully I will be able to save up the money, and make this go soon.
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RAID:
I've already decided on RAID5, as it seems to offer the best combination of redundancy and performance. RAID1 (mirroring) is good for protecting your data, but you end up doubling the cost, and RAID0 (striping) is just dumb.
I could also grab a promise hardware raid controller, and ditch the software RAID. This may be a bit faster, and use fewer CPU resources, but I've had good success with software raid. I'm also a cheap bastard, so why should I pay $100 more for not much gain?
SCSI vs IDE:
As I said before, I am cheap, so that cuts out SCSI right away. SCSI does have it's advantages over IDE, but I just can't justify the costs.
Parallel ATA vs Serial ATA:
The Parallel solution:
I already have one segate 80GB drive in the web server, so in order to work with what I already have, I can get a Western Digital 80GB drive, and even a Linux compatible IDE controller card for $58 in a bundle. Add another drive at $49, and that brings the total to $107, using software RAID, this will give me 160GB of RAID 5 storage, for just over $100.
The Serial solution:
I'm already buying a controller card, so why not go for SATA. It's newer, faster, and the geek factor is much higher. It all comes down to cost. But after investigating a bit further, the cost difference may not be that much. A 4 channel SATA controller is only $54, and the drives are just $69 which brings the total to $261 but I'm still warry about the Linux support. I will have to look into this more.
Another note, using the 4 channel card would keep me from having to put one of the RAID drives on the on-board controller. As well as providing the option of added another drive in the future.
Conclusion:
Money talks, and at $107 (about $160 cheaper than the serial solution), the parallel solution wins for now. I will be keeping an eye on this, as prices and new technologies change.
