Re: [gentoo-user] Fun with mdadm (Software RAID)

[Wols Lists <antlists@youngman.org.uk>]

On 22/12/2024 15:29, Peter Humphrey wrote:
> On Sunday 22 December 2024 13:43:08 GMT Alan Mackenzie wrote:
> 
>> The trouble [is] that a kernel command line, or /etc/fstab, using lots
>> of these is not human readable, and hence is at the edge of
>> unmaintainability.  This maintenance difficulty surely outweighs the
>> rare situation where the physical->logical assignment changes due to a
>> broken drive.  That's what we've got rescue disks for.
> 
> Hear, hear! I never could understand why everyone seems to want to jump onto
> that band-wagon.
> 
I have no problem with you saying all this long guid crap makes stuff 
unreadable (and yes, I agree, unreadable and unmaintainable aren't that 
far different) BUT

 > surely outweighs the rare situation where the physical->logical 
assignment changes

THAT DEPENDS ON YOUR HARDWARE!

For normal consumer grade hardware, I agree. I've never known it change 
unless I've been mucking about with add-in SATA, PATA, whatever cards.

BUT. Especially on big server-grade hardware, where there's lots of trip 
switches so stuff doesn't all power up in one huge spike (and I've 
worked with such), different parts of the system come up in a completely 
random order, and drives re-order themselves pretty much every single boot!

So yes, with our consumer hardware I'd agree with you. But the people 
paying big bills for reliable top-range hardware would wonder what 
you're smoking!

Cheers,
Wol