> > > I think we should offer the reliable option by default,
> and mention
> > > the fast option for those who have battery-backed cache
> in the manual.
> >
> > But only on Win32?
>
> We should do what's possible with what's given to us.
>
> On Win32:
>
> 1. We can write through cache.
Yes.
> 2. We have unreliable OS with unreliable filesystem.
That can definitly be debated. Properly maintaned on proper hardware,
it's quite reliable these days.
Most filesystem corruptions that happen on windows are because people
enable write caching on drives without battery backup. The same issue
we're facing here, it's *not* a problem in the fs, it's a problem in the
admin. Sure, there are lots of things that could be better with ntfs,
but I would definitly not call it unreliable.
> 3. The probability of mediocre hardware is higher.
I would say it's actually *lower*. If you look in the average
datacenter, I bet you'll find a lot more linux boxes running on
built-at-home-with-the-cheapest-parts boxes. Whereas your windows boxes
will run on HP or IBM or whatever real server-grade hardware.
I don't know anybody who claims to run a professional business who uses
IDE drives in a Windows server, for example. I know several who run
linux or freebsd on it.
> Regular POSIX:
> 1. We can't write through cache.
> 2. We have good OS with good filesystem (probably even
> journaled).
NTFS is journaled, BTW. And I've seen a lot more corruption on ext2,
extr3 or reiser than I'ev seen on NTFS in my datacenter - and I have
about 5 times more Windows server than linux...
Granted other unixen might be more stable, I don't run any of those..
> 3. The probably of mediocre hardware is lower.
See above.
> Why shouldn't we offer reliable option to win32?
*we do offer a reliabel option*.
Same as on POSIX, we don't enable it by default for *non-server
hardware*.
> Options:
>
> - Win32 guy complains that PG is bit slow.
> We tell him to RTFM.
What most often happens here is:
Win32 guy notices PG is very slow, changes to mysql or mssql.
> PS. Yeah, I was the guy who helped him to restore what's left.
> I'd say he wasn't exactly happy.
I bet. Has he looked over all his other windows servers that are
improperly configured with regards to write cache?
//Magnus