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From: "Grant Peel" <gpeel@thenetnow.com>
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Date: Sat, 18 Jul 2009 10:35:47 -0400
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Subject: NFS- SAN - FreeBSD
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Hi all,

Up to this point, all of our servers are standalone, i.e. all services and 
software required are installed on each local server.

Apache, Exim, vm-pop3d, Mysql, etc etc.

Each local server is connected to the Inet via a VLAN (WAN), to our colo's 
switch.

Each server contains about 300 domains, each domain has its own IP.

Each sever is also connected to a VLAN (LAN) via the same (Dell 48 Port 
managed switch).

We have been considering consolidating all users data from each server to a 
central (local), storage unit.

While I do have active nfs's running (for backups etc), on the LAN only, I 
have never attempted to create 1 mass storage unit.

So I suppose the questions are:

1) Is there any specific hardware that anyone might reccommend? I want to 
stick with FreeBSD as the OS as I am quite comfortable admining it,

2) Would anyone reccomend NOT using FreeBSD? Why?

3) Assuming I am using FreeBSD as the storage systems OS, could NFS simply 
be used?

4) Considering out whole Inet traffic runs about 2 Mb/s, is there any reason 
the port to the Storage unit should be more than 100 M/b (would it be 
imparative to use 1 G/b transfer)?

TIA,

-Grant