[PLUG] Backing up to DVD?

[Chris Jantzen]

On Wed, Dec 03, 2003 at 12:04:27AM -0800, Elliott Mitchell wrote:
> > On Tue, Dec 02, 2003 at 11:04:59PM -0800, Chris Jantzen wrote:
> > > BTW-One way to get around the mentioned 'live fs' issue very, very
> > > nicely is to use LVM and snapshot volumes. (Though be careful with md
> > > devices as this can slow your system down a *lot*.)
> > 
> > =2E..which as I read further is mentioned...
> > 
> > But it bears mentioning: If you're running a "Linux server" you have
> > almost no excuse not to be running LVM right now.
> 
> Disk space is not free, particularly if you're running on no budget (not
> too much load, it is reliable, no need to upgrade). Also adds more
> complexity, and more potencial for bugs...

Huh? Snapshots are copy-on-write. Perfect snapshot of filesystem state
at the given time without any additional disk usage. (Disk usage only
occurs as the filesystem is used.) No need to worry about "too much
load" *at all* on a live system. 

Plus LVM lets you expand and rearrange volumes live (of course, your
*filesystem*, not volume, will need to support expansion as well for it
to be actually useful--another reason I like reiserfs, it does this
instantly and without preperation, in a logged filesystem) and at will--
no reboot after fdisk. No need to tar-pipe or dump/restore your files
around new drive layouts: I just move the PE's for volumes I want on
new arrays or drives from the old drive to the new drive--it's live
and transparent.

Also, if your bootloader can load the initrd, then you never, ever need
to worry about what physical disk contains your system. LVM will
autodetect the devices that form the volume groups and let the system
boot from there. I've gone back and forth between md, ide, scsi, and
scsi raid without ever *touching* my /etc/fstab or kernel root
parameter.

Like I said, there is almost no reason "you" (i.e., in the general sense)
shouldn't be running LVM right now. Like backups are insurance against
failure, LVM is "insurance" against future configuration changes
("failure to think"? :).

-- 
chris kb7rnl =->
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