Hardware. SSD vs HHD vs WHAT ELSE

Discussion in 'Bukkit Help' started by Jesseg2, Mar 25, 2011.

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    Jesseg2

    Ok so for hosting a bukkit server what is the best ?
    a cheap SSD around 60 dollars from newegg that has around 75 MBs write and 230 MBs read,
    or a cheap HHD for around 60 dollars from newegg with 7200 RPM ?

    So basicly what is better ?
    HHD 7200 RPM or SSD 75 MBs write, 230 MBs read

    but then what about running the server in the RAM ?
    making a folder that you can put the server into and just backing up the server before you shut down the computer.
    i know that this makes chance of losing the server but that is not my question my question is what is FASTER ?
    so now what is faster ?
    HHD 7200 RPM
    or
    SSD 75 MBs write, 230 MBs read
    or
    DDR3 RAM

    oh and also.
    not JUST for running bukkit but same question for the what one to put the OS on and what one to boot the computer with and what one to run firefox with and what one for all that.
    just what one is faster/better/whatever ?

    oh oh oh and wait im sorry i forgot also RAID please someone explain to me what raid is if it is better and what not.
    i have no idea what RAID is please explain :D
    thanks.

    EDIT by Moderator: merged posts, please use the edit button instead of double posting.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: May 13, 2016
  2. Offline

    unusualbob

    There are many types of RAID, but for the most part it means storing data on multiple disks for both performance boosts and redundancy while sacrificing storage space.
     
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    Jesseg2

    so what one is the best then ?
     
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    xupwup

    I suggest the OS on an SSD, your data on a normal harddisk, and bukkit on a ramdisk. If you want to save some money, skip the SSD and just put the OS on a normal harddisk.
     
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    Kerpawr

    I would not recommend an SSD for a server. It's common knowledge that HDDs all go bad eventually because they spin very fast and have moving parts, so will definitely fail someday. But what many users don't know is that SSDs have a limited number of flash cycles they can do. Meaning an SSD has a limited number of times data can be read/written to it before it also fails. Unlike HDDs failing though, SSDs have a set limit. HDDs may last a month, may last 10 years. You never really know. If you're hoping to put up a server an leave it on all the time, I also would recommend RAID. Specifically RAID 1 or "Mirror" This will clone one drive to the next. If one fails, just replace it. The RAID will keep the data on all the drives in the array the same. On my server, I have 3 cheap 7200 HDDs (2 WD Blacks and 1 Seagate Barracuda) that are in a RAID. Luckily none of them have failed yet, but no big deal if one does. I'll just replace it for $60 or less and that's it! Hope this helps.
     
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    unusualbob

    If you're running linux and have the ram for it, skip out on the SSD and load it directly onto a RAM disk. You get better performance and less cost. Just requires a bit more technical knowhow and make sure you're taking some sort of a backup every hour or so to minimize data loss if the server crashes.
     
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    Jesseg2

    Alright.
    Ok one last thing.....
    The OS on a SSD any good ? Cuz like the other post said SSD has a set limit, so if I would leave the OS running always wouldn't it reach the limit pritty fast ???
    Also is it possible to load the OS (ubuntu) into the RAM ?
    And if the computer fails I can just switch to the backup OS on the normal harddrive...
    And I wouldn't need to backup the OS each hour because what is there to lose ? The OS Does not have anything important !
    But the server I would backup each hour.....
    Also
    Run the server in RAM or run it in RAID 0 or RAID 1 ? I'd probaly go with RAID 0 cuz it is faster then RAID 1 and just back it up each hour... Or should I go with RAM ???? What is faster.....
     
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    xupwup

    An ssd will not die THAT fast, just disable swap, and you can go many years before it breaks. Also, you do not want to load ubuntu into ram, because it already uses caching, which gives you better results than manually loading your os into ram. You do not need to backup your os every hour. You just want to back up everything in the ramdisk every hour.

    You should run the server from a ramdisk, it is a lot faster than raid. (it will require quite some ram though)
    If your map is 1 gb, you need a 2gb ramdisk (or something) and at least another 3gb ram free for minecraft.
    So... you need 5 gb or more to do this properly.
     
  9. Offline

    Jesseg2

    I've got 16 GB of ram so there is no problem there :D

    so what is faster then SSD or RAID ? GOOGLE TIME :D

    thanks for everyone helping me understand !

    also (not related to bukkit)
    does other programs such as firefox use ram as it should to speed it self up or do i need to put something into a ram disc ? should i trust all my programs to run what should be in ram in ram and stuff for could i speed up some programs by throughing them into a ramdisc ?
     
  10. Offline

    Kerpawr

    Not really a valid question because you can build a RAID out of SSDs. But the simple answer...RAID. If you stripe RAID (I think RAID 0), you will bet the best read/write performance possible. And as I understand it, the more drives you have, the faster it'll be. What stripe RAID does in effect, is divide the work load of reading/writing over multiple drives. But I think this doesn't really matter for a Minecraft server. There's not a ton of data being read or written for Minecraft. There's a lot going on the RAM while actually running it, but disk drive activity is low. But the thing is, just like any full-time server, there's a lot of wear and tear on the components, specifically the ones with moving parts. For servers, it's a good idea to look into commercial-grade parts, workstations parts, or just parts with long warranties!
     
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