AE@DAL.BITNET.UUCP (04/13/87)
We will shortly be installing a VAX 8800 with 11 RA81 disks on an HSC70;
it is planned to increase the number of RA81's to 22. It has been
suggested that the RA81's should be configured in volume sets so that
(a) the users have fewer disks to know about;
(b) we can have files bigger than one disk (450 megabytes);
(c) disk space utilization will be greater because whole disks
(1 to number in the set minus 1) can be filled instead of
having wasted space at the "end" of each disk.
The basic arguments against volume sets seem to be
(a) if one disk in a set fails, the whole set is out of commission;
(b) online backup of volume sets might interfer more with users than
single disk online backups;
(c) while it is easy to add disks to a set, it is difficult to
break a set up.
I know that the SYSTEM disk must not be put in a set. I am interested
in comments on the arguments I have listed and in additional ideas for
or against using volume sets.