cheap JBOD computer/server

Discussion in 'New Build / Upgrade Advice' started by jester45, Sep 19, 2006.

  1. jester45

    jester45 Big Geek wanna be

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    Im looking for how much it would cost and how hard is it to setup a computer that uses JBOD i would have linux runing on it and would only need it to have a cui becuase i have 2 other computers one for gameing and one for linuxing

    ok so i might beable to get a old win95 and i would like to turn that in to a sorage sever for my linux and window machines from what i could tell JBOD would be the best becuase i could add small drives(free from friends) and big ones (that i would buy) and maybe later just get big ones now for picking the kind of RAID, JBOD would be the best choice right? is there a way to combine JBOD and something like RAID1 so that as i have a 200gb drive and 4 50gbs could i make the one 200gb be a copy of the 4 50's

    also its a 95 so it old something like 4mb ram (i would upgrade later) could this run linux in cui and possibly do other things or would it be swaped with data transfers

    and how much is a JBOD device and how hard to get it running i decent in computers and can use a command line pretty good but i dont have the slighest idea of how to do things before the OS is running

    i would really like to make one from sratch but that would seem like alot of time hassle and give me lots of troble also would that cost that much i can spend like 150 to get it running and then save up more later i dont have a job becuase im to young :( i have a moniter and a little spare hd possibly a case and MAYBE an old mobo
     
  2. Big B

    Big B HWF Godfather

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    Problem is, Windows 95 probably won't recognize the full amounts, due to being limited to FAT16...that's a lot of 2GB partitions.

    JBOD (Just a Bunch Of Disks) is like RAID in that it combines the drives to form one big hard drive. However, unlike RAID, it is not defined based on the smallest sized hard drive in the array. It just tosses them together in the stew.

    A RAID card would work, as many do support JBOD, but Windows 95 is so old, finding a card that would support the sizes you want in IDE along with Windows 95 is going to be tough to do.

    Basically, what you want to do, if you're including Windows 95 in it, isn't going to work. If you can get it so that you can run Windows 2000, then you'd be alright along with getting 128MB on that thing (if possible...or you're going to hurt, especially with a slower CPU)
     
  3. megamaced

    megamaced Geek Geek Geek!

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    Windows 95 OSR2 supported FAT32
     
  4. Big B

    Big B HWF Godfather

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    That's true, but it still won't make use of anywhere near 4GB of RAM.
     
  5. jester45

    jester45 Big Geek wanna be

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    it just has win95 installed im going to put some kind of linux on it probly with only cui becuase i dont need the gui and a gui would be hard to work with on that slow of a machine

    i was thinking to use jobd becuase if i can get some free drives from my friends it would add alot of space becuase my friends have a alot of crap computers well they call them that, they never use then but think that the computers are just "untapped" say i could get like 8 10GBs well then i would have a 80 but later i could just plug in a brand new 80 like i have now and then get a nother and keep upgradeing as they get cheaper and i get more money

    also whats the max amount of drives

    and just so you know i though about cooling 8 drives make a bit of heat so im going to get a few fan i have 3 now that case is going to be a loud one but i will store it in my basement
     
  6. Big B

    Big B HWF Godfather

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    I don't think there's a maximum amount of drives. You'd be limited to how many connections the controller had. Since there's no redundancy, I'd highly suggest having some sort of backup for this unit. If even one drive goes, all your data will be missing a piece.
     
  7. jester45

    jester45 Big Geek wanna be

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    isnt Raid1 or 0 the only that combines the drives together and adds up the smallest one like a 2GB drive and a 4GB drive would ony equal 4gb becuase the 2nd drives extra 2gb cant be used

    i though jobd added the drive together like 2GB+4GB=6GB

    and is there a way to combine the abyity of jobd and raid together
     
  8. Big B

    Big B HWF Godfather

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    All RAID arrays (0-7) are based on the smallest disk in the array. I haven't looked into why this is necessary, but I'm sure there's a perfectly good reason for it. JBOD is a hodpodge hobo cousin of RAID.
     
  9. jester45

    jester45 Big Geek wanna be

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    from what i know RAID isbased on the smallest becuase it splits the file peices

    so a 10 mb file would get 5 mb on drive 1 and 5mb on drive 2

    but if i dont want to buy all new drive now i would use jobd so i can use all of it and just put the faster/bigger ones to be first then the smaller ones later
     
  10. Big B

    Big B HWF Godfather

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    You're right...sorta. For a 2-disk RAID 0 array, that's true, but the data division is highly dependent on how many disks you're using and what level of RAID you're using. Levels 2-7 incorporate parity, either as a separate disk, or divided up over the disks in the array.
     
  11. jester45

    jester45 Big Geek wanna be

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    man this stuff is going to be confuseing i might just talk to one of my friends and see if he can set it up for me
     

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