[luau] No hard drive, only compact flash card

[Casey Roberts]

--- Matthew John Darnell <mdarnell at servpac.com> wrote:
> Aloha,
> 
> Does anyone have any experience with booting and
> running an full Linux
> server install from a 1.0GB CompactFlash Cardor
> similar.
> 
> By full server install I mean, apache, sendmail,
> mysql, gc++, etc.  No X
> needed, only command line.
> 
> Seems like it would be possible, 500MB for the OS
> and 50MB for the apps.
> 
> I wonder how fast/slow they are for access compared
> to a hard drive.
> 
> I see 1.0GB card for $299 retail, they will only be
> getting
> cheaper/faster/higher density.

Seeing as you are taking out what would be the largest
and most memory intensive packages in a Linux install
(XWin is great, but at a cost), you should be able to
do this like any other install.  CompactFlash cards
are faster on read/write, but the lifespan is only
between 100,000-300,000 cycles. If you were to do a
system using only flash cards, I would recommend that
you place heavy read/write directories, such as /tmp,
on a separate card, so that you don't have to reload
the server every time that you need to replace the
card.

Also, from looking around on the 'Net, CF card speeds
are slower than ATA/100.  Lexar 32X 1GB CR car has a
speed of just 4.7MB/s, versus 62 MB/s with ATA/100
drives, after you get through the board.

Just my 2 cents,

Casey Roberts

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