[geeks] Nifty NAS board (Atom-based FlexATX from Supermicro)

[Lionel Peterson]

On May 25, 2009, at 6:29 PM, Nadine Miller <velociraptor at gmail.com>  
wrote:

> On May 21, 2009, at 11:09 AM, Mark Benson wrote:
>
>> On 21 May 2009, at 15:13, Lionel Peterson wrote:
>>
>>> What about using a USB flash key for cache? The MB has a USB socket.
>>
>> No idea, I guess if it'll treat it as a disk device in Solaris then  
>> it'll work. Would be an interesting experiment. Actually I know you  
>> can use USB sticks with ZFS and Sol10 because I saw some guy on a  
>> ZFS promo video in German do a stunt where he used 12 USB sticks as  
>> a storage array using ZFS.
>>
>> I'd never considered that. I think you'd have to change the USB  
>> stick annually mind you to avoid any issues. I think SSD drives are  
>> probably a bit more tolerant and have longer lifespan than your  
>> average 14.99 USB stick :)
>
> I'd think a fast, small USB key would work.  Something in the <=1GB  
> range, because those are super cheap.  Or perhaps SD or CF, since  
> faster, photography oriented flash has been around for a long time,  
> whereas faster rated USB keys are just now getting any marketing due  
> to the increasing size of USB flash drives.
>
> That said, you can't buy a new SSD less than 8GB in size from any of  
> the "usual" places I would buy on-line.  So, looking for a new pull  
> or closeouts on E-Bay of <8GB SSD would probably be a pretty cheap  
> option these days.  I saw Dell (proprietary connector, I believe)  
> 4GB SSDs going for about $40.

USB flash keys are about $2-4/gig, 2 gig are $8 and 32 gig are under  
$70...

This is at microcenter.com, I've had good luck with these devices  
(fast enough for Vista ReadyBoost)...

Lionel