[Bio-linux-dev] Bio-Linux 6 Beta 1 release

[Tony Travis]

On 06/05/10 09:42, Tim Booth wrote:
> [...]
>> Hmm... you're not using my improved 'ETOH' backup script, and your
>> "Setup Backup Disk" on the Desktop is only using and ext2 filesystem:
>
> See known issue 6.  The backup system does need reviewing.  I don't
> think ext3 journalling is necessary or appropriate for a drive that only
> holds dump files, though I may be mistaken.

If the system crashes during a dump, I believe it is just as important 
to be able to redo any pending disk transactions on a backup drive as it 
is on a working disk. Not only that, ext4 allows for a much faster 
'fsck' check. I've created two backup drives on our system as ext4:

   /backup1 # 500GB RAID1  OS
   /backup2 # 2.0TB RAID10 /export

I'm using two backup drives to minimise how long the databases are shut 
down for during dumps, and to decouple disk accesses. I'm dividing the 
available disk space 50:50 between active filesystems and ETOH backups.

>> I still have to work out how to share one instance of Bio-Linux with
>> everything in /usr/local via NFS to a cluster of computers. Previously,
>> I only installed Bio-Linux on "bobcat", and then shared /usr/local.
>
> I'd hoped to be further down the line towards using more standard
> packages - ie. nothing put in /usr/local - by now but unfortunately this
> has not worked out.  Hopefully you'll find a workaround.

I don't want to break compatibility with Bio-Linux, so I'll merge our 
old /usr/local with Bio-Linux 6 manually. I'm now looking forward to 
getting our system back in production with Bio-Linux 6, which I think 
this is a major milestone in the development of Bio-Linux.

Thanks for all your hard work at NEBC!

Bye,

   Tony.
-- 
Dr. A.J.Travis, University of Aberdeen, Rowett Institute of Nutrition
and Health, Greenburn Road, Bucksburn, Aberdeen AB21 9SB, Scotland, UK
tel +44(0)1224 712751, fax +44(0)1224 716687, http://www.rowett.ac.uk
mailto:a.travis at abdn.ac.uk, http://bioinformatics.rri.sari.ac.uk/~ajt