I have a question about how much space I need for a server on Raspberry Pi.      For example, I just bought a Raspberry Pi for running a server. I now need a SD card, but I don't know how much space to commit to at first. I might need it for the OS, and software for running the server. How much storage should I buy right now."   Should I post it on the Server Fault Stack Exchange, the Hardware Recommendations beta or the Raspberry Pi Stack Exchange?
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There seems to be more than a few computer science/programming Stack Exchange networks (is that the correct term?). Stack Overflow, being the first, has by far the most users, questions, and answers.  What is the reasoning for creating the others, and are there clear guidelines for which kinds of questions should be posted? I can see a large amount of potential overflow, many cases of people not getting a good answer to their question, because the person who has the answer isn't browsing that particular network at the moment.  I understand that they were probably created for organizational purposes, but wouldn't it almost make more sense to just have them as categories under Stack Overflow, keep them separated but still connected, instead of making people have to create multiple 'account's, one for each network?  I am sure there was a very good reason to break them up, but as someone that is new to SE, it can be somewhat intimidating to decide which one to post in to ensure you get a good answer. For example, if I am a computer science student, my first instinct might to be to post in the computer science network, until I see that it literally has 1% of the users as the Stack Overflow network, which still seems to be for programming/computer science related questions.  So my second instinct would then to be to post it into the Stack&nbsp;Overflow site on the basis that I have a significantly higher chance of my question being seen and getting a good answer. Then I notice that there is also a 'programmers' network, and I don't even begin to know where that fits in. I, and I am assuming most people, will probably just post on Stack&nbsp;Overflow to be safe.  My question is, other than the short little description blurb of each one, is there a clear cut set of guidelines which what each network is intended for, what kinds of questions should go to each one, and is anything being done to encourage people to post in these newer, smaller (more specialized?) networks as opposed to just posting in big daddy Stack Overflow?  Now again, this is for computer science/programming/"why isn't this code doing what I want?" related questions, I am not saying that if I had a question about Linux or WordPress or something I would have the same confusion.
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I'm trying to come up with a sane way to understand if the max server memory (mb) setting is appropriate (either should be lower, or higher, or stay the way it is).  I am aware that max server memory (mb) should always be low enough to leave room for the operating system itself, etc.    The environment I'm looking at has several hundred servers; I need a reliable formula I can use to determine if the present size of the buffer pool is appropriate since RAM is costed per GB allocated to each server.  The entire environment is virtualized, and "physical" RAM allocated to a VM can easily be changed up or down.  I have a particular SQL Server Instance I'm looking at now with a PLE of 1,100,052 seconds, which equates to 12.7 days (the amount of time the server has been up).  The server has a max server memory setting of 2560MB (2.5GB), of which only 1380MB (1.3GB) is actually committed.    I've read several items including one by Jonathan Keheyias () and another by Paul Randal (), and several others.  Jonathan advocates monitoring for a PLE below 300 per 4GB of buffer pool as being too low.  For the SQL Server Instance above, 300 * (2.5 / 4) = 187 results in a really really low target PLE below 300.  This instance has 290GB of SQL Server data (not including log files), and is only used for integration testing.  Assuming the last 12 days is representative of typical usage for this server, I'd say the max server memory (mb) setting could be lowered.  At the other end of the scale, I have another integration-test server with a PLE of 294, that has a max server memory (mb) setting of only 1GB.  This server has only 224MB of SQL Server data not including logs, and is running some BizFlow databases.  This server might benefit from a higher max server memory (mb) setting.  I'm thinking a good starting place for targets that might be assigned too much memory could include looking at:  SELECT      RamMB = physical_memory_in_bytes / 1048576     , BufferPoolCommittedMB = bpool_committed * 8192E0 / 1048576     , BufferPoolCommitTargetMB = bpool_commit_target * 8192E0 / 1048576     , PercentOfDesiredSizeMB = CONVERT(INT,(CONVERT(DECIMAL(18,2),bpool_committed)                              / bpool_commit_target) * 100) FROM sys.dm_os_sys_info;   If BufferPoolCommitTargetMB / BufferPoolCommittedMB is greater than 1, the server is not using the entire buffer pool.  If the machine in question also has a PLE of greater than "x" then it might be a good candidate for a decrease in max server memory (mb).  Since the Buffer Manager:Lazy writes/sec performance counter tracks the number of times SQLOS has written pages out to disk between checkpoints due to memory pressure, this might be another good thing to look at.  DECLARE @WaitTime DATETIME; SET @WaitTime = '00:00:15'; DECLARE @NumSeconds INT; SET @NumSeconds = DATEDIFF(SECOND, 0, @WaitTime); DECLARE @LazyWrites1 BIGINT; DECLARE @LazyWrites2 BIGINT;  SELECT @LazyWrites1 = cntr_value  FROM sys.dm_os_performance_counters dopc WHERE (         dopc.counter_name LIKE 'Lazy writes/sec%' COLLATE SQL_Latin1_General_CP1_CI_AS     )     AND dopc.object_name = 'MSSQL$' + CONVERT(VARCHAR(255),                SERVERPROPERTY('InstanceName')) + ':Buffer Manager';  WAITFOR DELAY @WaitTime;  SELECT @LazyWrites2 = cntr_value  FROM sys.dm_os_performance_counters dopc WHERE (         dopc.counter_name LIKE 'Lazy writes/sec%' COLLATE SQL_Latin1_General_CP1_CI_AS     )     AND dopc.object_name = 'MSSQL$' + CONVERT(VARCHAR(255),                SERVERPROPERTY('InstanceName')) + ':Buffer Manager';  SELECT LazyWritesPerSecond = (@LazyWrites2 - @LazyWrites1) / @NumSeconds;   The above code assumes the server is under load during the 15 seconds it takes to run, otherwise it will report 0; which might be a misleading false-negative.  Should I also look at PAGELATCHIO_* wait stats or some other wait type as an indicator of memory pressure, or lack thereof?   My question is, how can I reliably determine a "good" target value for PLE and max server memory (mb)?
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I was wondering what you do when developing a new application in terms of estimating database size.  E.g. I am planning to launch a website, and I am having a hard time estimating what size I could expect my database to grow. I don't expect you to tell me what size my database will be, but I'd like to know if there are general principles in estimating this.  E.g. When Jeff developed StackOverflow, he (presumably) guesstimated his database size and growth.  My dilemma is that I am going for a hosted solution for my web application (its about cost at this stage), and preferably don't want to shoot myself in the foot by not purchasing enough SQL Server space (they charge a premium for this).
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I am currently doing some electronics and microcontroller programming, and I have a couple of questions to ask the people here.    Most of the questions are regarding wiring on breadboards and components.    On which of the websites (Stack Overflow, Server Fault, or Super User) should I ask these particular questions?
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How can I increase the size of the root partition of a system at runtime?   I have a partition that is not allocated after the root partition (which is also ext4), how can I add that unallocated space to the space allocated to the root partition without having to shutdown the server?
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I am in need of a terabyte or so of storage space for Lucene indices on a testing server.  I'm having a hard time differentiating between disks like the  for about $450 vs  of dollars.  What concerns should I have regarding the 840 evo, and what should I be looking for?  This server will be used strictly for in-house testing purposes by our development team and will have to put up with periodic load testing.
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I am using a linux server which has 128GB of memory and 24 cores. I use top to see how much it is used. Its output is pasted at the end of the post. Here are two questions:  (1) I see that each of the running processes occupies a very small percentage of memory (%MEM no more than 0.2%, and most just 0.0%), but how the total memory is almost used as in the fourth line of output ("Mem:  130766620k total, 130161072k used,   605548k free,   919300k buffers")? The sum of used percentage of memory over all processes seems unlikely to achieve almost 100%, doesn't it?  (2) how to understand the load average on the first line ("load average: 14.04, 14.02, 14.00")?   Thanks and regards!  Edit:  Thanks!  I also really like to hear some rough numbers based on used percentage of memory to determine if a server is heavily loaded, since I once became the one who cramed the server without understanding the current load.  Is swap regarded as almost the same as memory? For example, when memory and swap are almost of same size, if the memory is almost running out but the swap is still largely free, may I just view it as if the used percentage of memory + swap is still not high and run other new processes?  How would you consider together CPU or memory (or memory + swap) usage? Do you become worried if either of them reaches too high or both?  Output of top：  $ top    top - 12:45:33 up 19 days, 23:11, 18 users,  load average: 14.04, 14.02, 14.00 Tasks: 484 total,  12 running, 472 sleeping,   0 stopped,   0 zombie Cpu(s): 36.7%us, 19.7%sy,  0.0%ni, 43.6%id,  0.0%wa,  0.0%hi,  0.0%si,  0.0%st Mem:  130766620k total, 130161072k used,   605548k free,   919300k buffers Swap: 63111312k total,   500556k used, 62610756k free, 124437752k cached    PID USER      PR  NI  VIRT  RES  SHR S %CPU %MEM    TIME+  COMMAND  6529 sanchez   18  -2 1075m 219m  13m S  100  0.2  13760:23 MATLAB 13210 timothy   18  -2 48336  37m 1216 R  100  0.0   3:56.75 absurdity 13888 timothy   18  -2 48336  37m 1204 R  100  0.0   2:04.89 absurdity 14542 timothy   18  -2 48336  37m 1196 R  100  0.0   1:08.34 absurdity 14544 timothy   18  -2  2888 2076  400 R  100  0.0   1:06.14 gatherData  6183 sanchez   18  -2 1133m 195m  13m S  100  0.2  13676:04 MATLAB  6795 sanchez   18  -2 1079m 210m  13m S  100  0.2  13734:26 MATLAB 10178 timothy   18  -2 48336  37m 1204 R  100  0.0  11:33.93 absurdity  12438 timothy   18  -2 48336  37m 1216 R  100  0.0   5:38.17 absurdity 13661 timothy   18  -2 48336  37m 1216 R  100  0.0   2:44.13 absurdity 14098 timothy   18  -2 48336  37m 1204 R  100  0.0   1:58.31 absurdity 14335 timothy   18  -2 48336  37m 1196 R  100  0.0   1:08.93 absurdity 14765 timothy   18  -2 48336  37m 1196 R   99  0.0   0:32.57 absurdity 13445 timothy   18  -2 48336  37m 1216 R   99  0.0   3:01.37 absurdity 28990 root      20   0     0    0    0 S    2  0.0  65:50.21 pdflush 12141 tim       18  -2 19380 1660 1024 R    1  0.0   0:04.04 top  1240 root      15  -5     0    0    0 S    0  0.0  16:07.11 kjournald  9019 root      20   0  296m 4460 2616 S    0  0.0  82:19.51 kdm_greet     1 root      20   0  4028  728  592 S    0  0.0   0:03.11 init     2 root      15  -5     0    0    0 S    0  0.0   0:00.00 kthreadd     3 root      RT  -5     0    0    0 S    0  0.0   0:01.01 migration/0     4 root      15  -5     0    0    0 S    0  0.0   0:08.13 ksoftirqd/0     5 root      RT  -5     0    0    0 S    0  0.0   0:00.00 watchdog/0     6 root      RT  -5     0    0    0 S    0  0.0  17:27.31 migration/1     7 root      15  -5     0    0    0 S    0  0.0   0:01.21 ksoftirqd/1     8 root      RT  -5     0    0    0 S    0  0.0   0:00.00 watchdog/1     9 root      RT  -5     0    0    0 S    0  0.0  10:02.56 migration/2    10 root      15  -5     0    0    0 S    0  0.0   0:00.34 ksoftirqd/2    11 root      RT  -5     0    0    0 S    0  0.0   0:00.00 watchdog/2    12 root      RT  -5     0    0    0 S    0  0.0   4:29.53 migration/3    13 root      15  -5     0    0    0 S    0  0.0   0:00.34 ksoftirqd/3
122500
i have a huuuuge problem.  Created a snapshot and image from my instance...instance has 1000GB of disk.  Now i need to reduce it but everytime i try to create an image or a snapshot from that, i get the same error "Disk need to be at least 1000GB".  There is a way to reduce disk size directly on instance? Some workaround?
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If I want to add more RAM to my computer, how can I buy something compatible? What kinds are there? How do I determine which kind my computer will accept and how much I can add?
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This is the  for "Should I build coomputing hardware myself?" questions.   I have put together countless PCs, but never a large server. The geek in me says build it, but the realist in me says let the manufacturer handle it when there is a problem. Ignoring the time penalty involved with the initial assembly time of a built one, which is a better solution? Have you ever run into a problem with a home build server that would have been solved easier/quicker/cheaper by going with a manufacturer? Are there any features that manufacturers give that aren't easily attainable with a home built server?
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This is a  about Compile Dependencies and Package Management.    I have a question regarding compiling ports/software or installing RPMs on my *nix server.  When I try to do this I receive lots of messages about missing dependencies.  Can the Server Fault community please help?
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I was wondering how do you know where the largest files in my system are stored.  For example---  Disk Space Used: 1GB Java: 500MB Java Percentage: 50% maybe represented in a pie chart. Maybe?  I know this maybe a feature overkill. I sometimes forget having stored things and wonder why my disk is so full.   So basically a command that will allow me to run on the file system and provide me with information on disk space used.  Please and thank you.
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This is a beginner question here. When choosing memory ICs, one of the options is the memory size/configurations. I understand the size part, but what does the "16Kx9" mean? It seems the same memory size is usually available in different configurations. I attached a screenshot from Digikey as an example.
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I don't know if it's the right place to ask but can somebody advise me for buying a ram memory for my computer.  I have a Dell Vostro 200 with 1GB of RAM and 667MHz. (2 x 512MB)  I want to buy raise the amount of RAM but I'm confused whether to buy 1 x 2GB or 2 x 1GB  I know it's the same for the available amount of memory but is ther a difference maybe in the clock speed so that 2 x 667MHz will be better than 1 x 667MHz. or maybe accessing one single memory slot will be faster and better than accessing two slots.  Please anyone helps.
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When we want to setup a linux system, there is a common a suggestion to set the swap space  twice as big as your physical memory. I want to know why do we need this, and how it is this suggestion come to be?
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I have 4GB of RAM and I want to install Ubuntu. Do I need a to have a swap partition? Because my computer has 4GB RAM, I do not think it is necessary to have a swap partition. If I do need to have a swap partition, should it be a 4GB or an 8GB partition?
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I just want to know, what is the difference between ubuntu Minimal, Desktop &amp; Server Editions? How they differ? is it by performance? If yes which one is recommended for a normal user and which one is recommended for a advanced user ?