[NTLUG:Discuss] query on configuration for simple data backup storage...

[Steve Baker]

Fred James wrote:

> My question?
> (1) How large a drive can Linux support (IDE or SCSI)?

With partitioning, there probably isn't a practical limit.

I've used 60Gb drives without problems.

> (2) Can Linux support a large file system across drives (not sure I said
> that right - I mean one directory made up of more than one hard drive)?

I guess you'd have to use RAID to do that.

Although you could use symbolic links to make files on different drives
*look* as though they were all in one directory.
 
> I was thinking of a PC with a 4GB OS drive, a CD-ROM, and 3 36 GB drives
> for storage, but I would appreciate any idea of the issues involved the
> anybody would care to shine some light on.

That should be no problem...except that drives as small as 36Gb are getting
rare...there are sub-$100 drives up in the 60Gb range now.

If you can fit everything onto two 60Gb drives then you can get away with
a basic PC tower and use IDE.
 
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