Re: [gentoo-user] Intel SRT + SSD + SATA

[Mick]

On Wednesday 26 Jun 2013 01:17:05 Stroller wrote:
> On 25 June 2013, at 20:10, Mick wrote:
> > ...
> > I am considering my options for a new rig destined to last a few years
> > and one of the Dell machines on offer has this Intel SRT fake-raid
> > feature, which after some cursory googling, I am not entirely sure will
> > work with Linux.
>
> Is it possible you could be thinking of a "hybrid" drive?
>
> These combine a conventional spinning-platter hard-drive with a smaller
> SSD, and the windows drivers cache most frequently used files from the
> hard-drive on the SSD.

No, as I understand it Intel's SRT is not a hybrid drive - but functions 
similarly when using two seperate drives:  1 SSD for caching and any combo of 
conventional spinning drives.


> I *think* that these hybrid drives connect to the PC with a single SATA
> cable, and I believe that they appear to Linux as two separate drives -
> /dev/sda and /dev/sdb. You should be able to check this with the google.
>
> Assuming my understanding is correct, you should be able to use these
> drives with Linux's SSD caching features - dm-cache or Bcache.
>
> http://www.h-online.com/open/features/What-s-new-in-Linux-3-9-1845705.html
>
> http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=MTM2ODM


Thanks Stroller!  Good pointers.

Yes, it's made it in the kernel and indeed bcache is the linux equivalent to 
SRT.  Now, I'm not sure how it'll co-work with Intel's SRT, or if I should 
just switch it off and use bcache independently of the MoBo's SRT feature.

In which case, I might as well buy a machine that does not have all this 
unnecessary for me technology.  Hmmm ... some more thinking required.

-- 
Regards,
Mick