>>>>> "Andy" == Andy R <quadreverb@yahoo.com> writes:
    >> 
    >> I need to build a new file server.
    >> (istari.sandelman.ca is 5 years old, has an amazing
    >> 12Gb on 5 spindles, and a
    >> whole 100Mhz... yet it works just fine. just no disk
    >> space)
    >> 
    >> Any recommendations on file servers that people have
    >> put together? 
    >> my local clone store seems to have lost their clue.
    >> 
    >> I'm thinking about an Athlon ~800Mhz, 256Mb ram,
    >> 3c905 or Intel (on
    >> motherboard ideally). Then either a 3Ware card, or a
    >> pair of Promise IDE
    >> controllers. I don't know much about the 3ware
    >> cards.
    >> 
    >> If I use promise IDE controllers, I get a total of 6
    >> drives. (CDrom won't
    >> be connected once I have 6 drives). 

    Andy> A few questions:

    Andy> Are you replacing your current box? You say it works
    Andy> good, why replace it? If you are making a new one then
    Andy> I understand...

  No, not replacing it, adding to it.
  Current box is 2940 UW SCSI. The price increment on SCSI disks,
alas, is rediculous. I have four UW spindles (2x 2Gb, 2x4Gb) and a
tape drive. 
  There are no more drive slots, no more cable spots, no more power :-)
  
    Andy> Why use IDE? Depending on the bandwidth you are
   
  yeah. Let's not go there.

    Andy> do you really need? And if it's important data, do you
    Andy> really want it on a home computer hard drive? I've had
    Andy> many IDE drives crash, I've yet to have a single scsi
    Andy> drive crash.

  I have had as more SCSI drives crash than IDE. But, I ran a completely 
SCSI shop until a couple of years ago... Recently, it is equal.

    Andy> Use an Intel NIC. I don't normally wave the flag of
    Andy> Intel, but I noticed probably a 30% improvement in
    Andy> bandwidth when using the following card in place of a
    Andy> 3c905B:

  Yes, I'm generally happy with them as well, but I find them hard
to find as PCI cards - they show up on motherboards a lot.

]       ON HUMILITY: to err is human. To moo, bovine.           |  firewalls  [
]   Michael Richardson, Sandelman Software Works, Ottawa, ON    |net architect[
] mcr@sandelman.ottawa.on.ca http://www.sandelman.ottawa.on.ca/ |device driver[
] panic("Just another NetBSD/notebook using, kernel hacking, security guy");  [