Should I install software on a "SAN"

Question

I need to set up ColdFusion 9 on a ubuntu server that has a SAN disk mounted. Is it appropriate to install the CF server software on this disk? I don't really understand the ins and outs of what a SAN is, so I am not sure if the intention is for me to solely install web content on it or whether the server software itself should go here too.

Any advice would be extremeness welcome.

Many thanks, Andrew.

Answer 1

A SAN disk is basically just another disk on your server. It can be used for any number of reasons. Some examples:

• extending the storage of your existing server
• offer high performance space for heavy load
• offer fault tolerant storage
• offer a shared location so multiple resources can share the same content

So, you can do whatever you want with it, just like you would another local disk. Check with your system admin who added the SAN to make sure that it's assumed to be permanent storage.

However, I should say that it's common to use local disks for the installed applications and SAN storage for the content. You're not required to do so, but it will prevent services on the Ubuntu box from failing if the SAN is temporarily disconnected. If only content is stored on the SAN then the site will usually recover easier than if the entire installed application (CF) is on the SAN. Plus the installed applications usually don't take up much space compared to stored content.

Answer 2

The server doesn't know better than that it has a harddisk available to it. That this harddisk is actually a LUN served by a SAN over a network makes no difference to it.

Install whatever you want to it. Just realize that you'll have trouble when the SAN is disconnected or anything. It will be just like unplugging the harddisk that you're apps are on.