I am going to replace the HD on the netware 3.12 server. In the volume setup screen, I can pick 4K, 8K or 16K block. The default is 4K. Should I go with the 4K or pick other values? Why and why not?
Thank you in advance.
Gary
4K blocksize makes most efficient use of disk space. If you have a lot of small files that might be a consideration. If you have relatively large files then it won't make much difference.
4K blocksize means twice as many blocks as 8K for the same volume size, which means twice as many FAT entries which means caching the FAT will take more memory. If you are tight on memory or have to support large or many volumes then go with a larger blocksize.
In theory having a block size in accord with typical disk data request size should improve disk performance and optimize cache usage. However nowadays with memory cheap and disk drives with built in chaching that is much less of a consideration, unless you are mirroring slow IDE drives or have a very high rate of disk start i/o's.
Interesting...I inherited a NW 3.12 server w/ 3 volumes. The first volume (sys - 469MB) is configured with a 4K block size. The second volume (2 gigs) is configured with 32K blocks and the third (4 gigs) is configured as 64K blocks. The server has 128 MB of ram. I never understood why the previous IT guy did this.
I am in the process of upgrading to a new server with two 37 gig SCSI drives. The partitions will be 469 MB, 18.5 Gigs, and 12 Gigs respectively. The new server has 512 MB of ECC memory. Should the block size on the two larger partitions be configured as 64K? Right now I set them up the same as the old server.
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.