Re: [gentoo-user] SDD strategies...

[Dale]

tuxic@××××××.de wrote:
> Hi,
>
> currentlu I am setting up a new PC for my 12-years old one,
> which has reached the limits of its "computational power" :)
>
> SSDs are a common replacement for HDs nowaday -- but I still trust my
> HDs more than this "flashy" things...call me retro or oldschool, but
> it my current "Bauchgefühl" (gut feeling).
>
> To reduce write cycles to the SSD, which are quite a lot when using
> UNIX/Limux (logging etc) and especially GENTOO (compiling sources
> instead of using binary packages -- which is GOOD!), I am planning
> the following setup:
>
> The sustem will boot from SSD.
>
> The HD will contain the whole system including the complete root
> filesustem. Updateing, installing via Gentoo tools will run using
> the HD. If that process has ended, I will rsync the HD based root
> fileystem to the SSD.
>
> Folders, which will be written to by the sustem while running will
> be symlinked to the HD.
>
> This should work...?
>
> Or is there another idea to setup a system which will benefit from
> the advantages of a SSD by avoiding its disadvantages?
>
> Background: I am normally using a PC a long time and try to avoid
> buying things for reasons like being more modern or being newer.
>
> Any idea to setup such a sustem is heardly welcone -- thank you
> very much in advance!
>
> Cheers!
> Meino
>

I don't have a SDD here but may one day.  Here's my thinking.  Set up a
chroot or a virtual machine thingy on a regular hard drive.  Copy your
OS to that, do the updates and then copy packages over to your running
system.  Then you just emerge -k <whatever options you use> world and
all it does is install binaries on the running system using the SSD. 
The other benefit of this is a much faster update on the running
system.  Also, if you get part way through a update, qt or KDE for
example, you don't end up with a running system with mismatched versions
and possibly a system that doesn't function correctly or won't let you
do anything at all, or login even.  You can fix the build problems in
the chroot/VM and use the running system in the meantime.

I started doing this recently because I ran into issues where
KDE/qt/something else was not completely updated due to failed compiles
that stopped the updates.  Some programs I needed wouldn't start or no
longer would work correctly if already started.  It saves me some grief
but would keep the larger writes off your SSD and on a HDD.  Oh, if the
HDD were to fail, no loss there either.  Replace it and start over. 

I have some scripts, that's a VERY generous use of the word, that I use
to mount the chroot, copy the updates over and copy the packages over
when compiling is done.  I'm still perfecting this but so far, it is
working nicely and should work for you as well.  Someone else may have a
even better idea tho.

Dale

:-)  :-)