On 12/02/15 12:38, Mathieu Basille wrote:
> Thanks to everyone who contributed to this thread, either on the
> PostGIS [1] or the PostgreSQL [2] mailing lists. I will try to
> summarize everything in this message, which I will actually post on
> both lists to give an update to everyone. I hope it can be useful for
> other people interested. Please feel free to add more advice and other
> experiences, this is always useful!
[...]
> * Memory
> Examples go from 8 to >32 GB RAM.
>
Because RAM is relatively cheap, sometimes money spent on lots of RAM is
better than buying fast disks - especially if the vast majority of SQL
executed is read only and most of the database likely to be accessed can
reside in RAM along with relevant indexes and working memory.
Good SSD's are quite reliably fine for database use, unless you have an
enormous number of UPDATE/CREATE/DELETE stuff going on - even then, you
might find that appropriate SSD's will still be okay. Note that SSD
offerings are constantly changing, and tend to be improving in many
areas such as reliability, performance, and cost per GB (obviously, be
wary of market speak!). Though you should still have regular backups.
>
>
> Platform
> ========
>
> Linux is the platform of choice:
> * Easier administration (install/configuration/upgrade), which is also
> true for addons/dependencies (starting with PostGIS, but also GEOS,
> GDAL, PL/R);
> * Better performance [4];
> * More tuning options (limited with MS systems);
>
> There is still the possibility of a virtualbox on a MS server.
>
Performance of a database is usually (always?) better on an O/S running
on bare metal.
[...]
> * Integration with R: a dedicated R server brings more flexibility /
> extensions (e.g. Shiny) / performance (more cores and memory available
> for PostGIS) except if data transfer is the bottleneck. Use Pl/R for
> small functions (also if it fits naturally into PostgreSQL workflow) /
> otherwise in R with PostgreSQL connector.
>
You might want to look at SageMath (think Mathematica & MatLab), as it
incorporates R and provides much more functionality in some areas:
http://sagemath.org
http://www.sagemath.org/doc/reference/interfaces/sage/interfaces/r.html
[...]
>>
>> [1] Start of the thread here:
>> http://lists.osgeo.org/pipermail/postgis-users/2015-February/040120.html
>>
>
All the best!
You have certainly been very thorough in your homework, and I'm sure
there are many people here who would love to hear how things turn out.
Cheers,
Gavin