Hi all,

I've been trying to set up a NetBSD mail/web server for a non-profit I'm
doing some pro bono work for, and I have run up against a performance
problem. Basically, the IMAP server seems to take forever for large
mailboxes. I think it is an I/O problem, so I'm looking for a cheap RAID or
otherwise fast I/O solution. Cost is of the essence.

If someone else thinks I'm barking up the wrong tree, please do let me know.
For reference, the system in question is a Pentium-Pro 200, 64 MB RAM, 4.2
gb EIDE boot disk, and 8 gb EIDE data disk. IMAP server is imap-uw 4.5 from
pkgsrc. Userload is about 20-30 people, with mailboxes around 5-10 megs each
excluding attachments, although that is bound to increase in the future.
Apache and sshd round out the mix. I did install IMP to put up a web-based
mail gateway. It's rather nifty actually.

I think I can get another 8gb EIDE disk without breaking the bank. My first
step will probably be to move the drives to different IDE channels
(currently they are both on the same channel). Is RAID 0 my next step after
that? If so, is RAIDFrame a good idea, or should I look at the Promise EIDE
RAID controller? Has anyone tried IDE RAID under NetBSD?

Or should I really just break the bad news and tell them that we need to
spend lots of $$ on SCSI drives and a SCSI raid controller?

-Edwin

----
Compaq Computer Corporation - Corporate Research
Cambridge Research Laboratory
http://www.crl.research.digital.com
(617) 551-7612 (Phone)
(617) 551-7650 (Fax)
efoo@crl.dec.com