Handling the move from Linux to Mac OS X

I have recently acquired myself a Apple Mac mini, while being in Apple county (That is California). As one might suspect, as it is the only Mac to fit in the hand luggage (Laptops apart). Fortunately I got the secretly upgraded version with a 1.5 GHz G4. It also got fitted with 1GB RAM, now I was at it…

My computing history only include a single experience with a Macintosh sometime back in the 80’s where I attended a one day course using PhotoShop. Being a UNIX/Linux geek from 1994 and onwards does thing to you, so 1st priority was to get some of the tools that I’ve got used to depend on. Mac OS X is (which was also the only reason for me to get a Mac) based on the Mach kernel and FreeBSD - So far so good.

About AoE

ATA over Ethernet or AoE is relatively new protocol, witch is descriped as “puts ATA disk commands directly into Ethernet frames”. Ethernet frames are non-routable, which provides inherent security (According to Coraid Inc.).

What it basically does is putting block devices directly on the network, without the TCP overhead, making the remote devices accesable as local devices. Coraid Inc. makes hardware devices called “Coraid EtherDrive Storage Blades” but they have been kind enough to release their software under the GPL, including drivers for Linux (included in the standard kernel tree from version 2.6.11) and FreeBSD, userspace tools and not least a software only server, enabling you to export whatever block devices you have via AoE.

This document will consentrate on setting up and managing software RAID and Logical Volume Management

Why use this combination?

Because IDE disks are cheap and because certain IDE “RAID” controllers is not real controllers, but just controllers with a windows driver, there makes it look like a real RAID controller.

Software RAID

Install mdadm if it is not allready installed. In Gentoo Linux you can do it with a emerge mdadm.

Hvorfor bruge denne kombination?

Bitlbee er en IRC til IM klient. irssi er nok den bedste terminal baserede IRC klient. Tilsamme løser de adskillige problemer:

• IM klienter har for mange “fysiske” vinduer

• Man kan ikke være online 24/7

• Historikken går fløjten, når man skifter arbejdsstation

• Man skal have en klient til både IM (Minimum en) og IRC

Bitlbee kan selvfølgelig også benyttes med andre IRC klienter, skulle man have den slags lyster.

Hvorfor bruge denne kombination?

Fordi IDE diske er billige og fordi visse IDE “RAID” controllere ikke er rigtige controllere, men blot controllere med en windows driver, der får det til at ligne en rigtig RAID controller.

Software RAID

Installer mdadm hvis programmet ikke allerede er installeret. I Gentoo Linux gøres det med emerge mdadm.

Lav RAIDet - Sørg først for at mdadm kigger på alle dine diske:

# echo 'DEVICE /dev/hd*[0-9] /dev/sd*[0-9]' >> /etc/mdadm.conf

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