turning off harddisk and listen music from ramdisk under linux

[Charles Brej]

My questions:
- is this possible? Yes
- how do I turn off a harddisk from software under Linux?

hdparm -S 1
This actually sets a timeout when the disks will be spun down (5 secs). If they
are accessed they will spin back up and down again after the timeout.

- do I have to buy a special harddisk?

Nope, "all" disks spin down

- how does linux react on turning off all harddisks?

Its ok. If it needs the disks they will be spun back up.

Can
I cut away any superfluous stuff like CRON and let Linux
also run on a ramdisk?

Yes do. Turn off all services you dont use. There are some other nibbles to set
such as log demons and the like. (they have a tendency of writing stuff to disks
every few minutes).

 

[Martin Wierich]

Hi guys,

I want to use a PC to listen mp3-music. Therefore I have to buy a big
harddisk.
I use Linux and I want to turn off all harddisks while listening,
because
they are so noisy. My plan is to let some homegrown software copy the
music data
from a harddisk to a ramdisk and to turn off the harddisk then. Then I
would
listen from the ramdisk.

My questions:
- is this possible?
- how do I turn off a harddisk from software under Linux?
- do I have to buy a special harddisk?
- how does linux react on turning off all harddisks? Can
I cut away any superfluous stuff like CRON and let Linux
also run on a ramdisk? Or do I need some special embedded
Linux distribution?
- or is there a readymade solution?

There are the following circumstances:
- for religious reasons I only use _old_ hardware (64MB, 100Mhz)
- I am planning to have a boot image just for the sole
purpose of listening to music
- I want to keep this boot image small: no X windows stuff,
no network and so on. The system should start up very
fast.
- I have a SuSE Linux distribution on CD Rom. I only have a 56K
modem. I don't want to download software for hours.

Any help would be appreciated.

cheers

Martin

 

[Hactar]

[crossposts trimmed]

I want to use a PC to listen mp3-music. Therefore I have to buy a big
harddisk.
I use Linux and I want to turn off all harddisks while listening,
because
they are so noisy. My plan is to let some homegrown software copy the
music data
from a harddisk to a ramdisk and to turn off the harddisk then. Then I
would
listen from the ramdisk.

My questions:
- is this possible?
maybe

- how do I turn off a harddisk from software under Linux?

hdparm -Y /dev/whatever

- do I have to buy a special harddisk?
no

- how does linux react on turning off all harddisks?

As long as nothing accesses the drive, the OS won't care. If something does,
(like swap, or *flushd, or who-knows-what) it'll wake the drive up.

Can I cut away any superfluous stuff like CRON and let Linux
also run on a ramdisk?

Sure; if you boot to single-user mode for instance, cron and syslogd (among
lots of things) don't run. I don't see why you couldn't play your music
there.

Or do I need some special embedded Linux distribution?
no

- or is there a readymade solution?

There might be... google around with tar.gz or tar.bz2 or tgz or rpm or deb .

- I am planning to have a boot image just for the sole
purpose of listening to music

In addition, you might need to do something manually.

- I have a SuSE Linux distribution on CD Rom. I only have a 56K
modem. I don't want to download software for hours.

Shouldn't have to. What you're describing requires (even demands) very
little.

 

[Sales for IDE-CF flash drive]

Hi guys,

I want to use a PC to listen mp3-music. Therefore I have to buy a big
harddisk.
I use Linux and I want to turn off all harddisks while listening,
because
they are so noisy. My plan is to let some homegrown software copy the
music data
from a harddisk to a ramdisk and to turn off the harddisk then. Then I
would
listen from the ramdisk.

If you turn on and off the hard drive every few minuties, you would
shorten
the life of the drive substantially. The ram up and down noise would
probably
be more annoying than a constant noise as well.

My suggestion is to nfs mount the mp3 files from a remote server (in
the garage?). You can run a flash drive based local pc via nfs.

Mp3 needs approximately 100 MHz x86. However, old Pentium (5V) are
too hot to run without a fan. We use a 200 MHz Pentium MMX (3.3V)
underclocked to 100 MHz, without the CPU fan. By not running a hard
drive and CPU fan, we can disconnect the power supply fan as well.
Using a Compact Flash drive, our mp3 player have absolutely zero
noise.

 

[Christian =?ISO-8859-1?Q?D=FCrrhauer?=]

crosspost is only a good idea when setting a follow-up2. Otherwise you
yourself won't find the replies to your posting. Also, you're laying more
stress on the news servers. Please keep this in mind for the future.
Thanks.

And on the seventh day, Sales for IDE-CF flash drive wrote...

If you turn on and off the hard drive every few minuties, you would
shorten the life of the drive substantially. The ram up and down
noise would probably be more annoying than a constant noise as well.

I wouldn't recommend copying all data to the ramdisk as well. You most
certainly won't have enough memory. Having the hard disk drive always spin
up serves only one purpose: its destruction.

My suggestion is to nfs mount the mp3 files from a remote server (in
the garage?). You can run a flash drive based local pc via nfs.

Mp3 needs approximately 100 MHz x86. However, old Pentium (5V) are
too hot to run without a fan.

Only 60 and 66 MHz Pentium 1 have been running at 5V. Starting with Pentium
90 (and Pentium 75 as well), the cpus use 3,3V.

We use a 200 MHz Pentium MMX (3.3V)
underclocked to 100 MHz, without the CPU fan.

Be aware that most Pentium MMX are multiplier-locked. You are lucky. The
MMX core also uses split-voltage. The core is using 2,8/2.9Volts.

By not running a hard
drive and CPU fan, we can disconnect the power supply fan as well.

However, this is not recommended and dangerous. In case of a fire, your
insurance will find about it!

Using a Compact Flash drive, our mp3 player have absolutely zero
noise.

using a CF flash drive is good idea. You might want to look at the opts for
fli4l/EISFAIR.

--
Mit freundlichen Grüßen/with kind regards
Christian Dürrhauer, Institute of Geography, FU Berlin

"Laugh and the world laughs with you; snore and you sleep alone. " Anthony
Burgess

 

[Rod Speed]

crosspost is only a good idea when setting a follow-up2.
Wrong.

Otherwise you yourself won't find the replies to your posting.
Wrong.

Also, you're laying more stress on the news servers.

Wrong. Crossposting is MUCH better than
separately posting to the newsgroups instead.

Please keep this in mind for the future.

Pointless when you got everything completely wrong.

 

[Martin Wierich]

Hi Christian,

crosspost is only a good idea when setting a follow-up2. Otherwise you
yourself won't find the replies to your posting. Also, you're laying more
stress on the news servers. Please keep this in mind for the future.
Thanks.

Ach so. (Habe lange nicht mehr das usenet benutzt, und das mit der
Netiquette ist bei mir auch schon zehn Jahre her). Danke für die
Antwort.

Gruss

Martin

 

[Folkert Rienstra]

crosspost is only a good idea when setting a follow-up2.
Clueless.

Otherwise you yourself won't find the replies to your posting.

If he's not in alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt he now certainly won't.

 

[Christian =?ISO-8859-1?Q?D=FCrrhauer?=]

And on the seventh day, Rod Speed wrote...

news:[email protected]...

that looks professional indeed. You're most certainly an IT specialist,
highly qualified, knowing what you're talking about.

Wrong.

Well, then of course, I'm totally mistaken in following rules being set up
nearly 15 years ago. Sorry, your highness, your distinction in telling me
that I'm wrong finally made me realize my mistakes. Again, I apologize.

Wrong. Crossposting is MUCH better than
separately posting to the newsgroups instead.

Seeing you using the superior mail and news software from Microsoft I now
have to admit my faults. Stressing the word "much" nearly instantaneously
caught my eyes. By the way, I've got some spare car parts for sale. May I
post it to the linux groups as well?

Pointless when you got everything completely wrong.

I thought I've learned a great deal about American culture and how
criticism usually works there. I always admired the American way of saying:
"well, not bad, but doing that and that, maybe in another way, you may be
even better off!". Looking at you, you're either the big exemption or
simply impolite.

BTW: Do you have to contribute anything of relevance for the poster's
original question?

--
Mit freundlichen Grüßen/with kind regards
Christian Dürrhauer, Institute of Geography, FU Berlin

Captain, we're receiving two hundred and eighty-five thousand hails. - Lt
Wesley Crusher, "Star Trek: The Next Generation, (Parallels)"

 

[Rod Speed]

Rod Speed wrote...

that looks professional indeed. You're most certainly an IT
specialist, highly qualified, knowing what you're talking about.

Fraid so.

Well, then of course, I'm totally mistaken in
following rules being set up nearly 15 years ago.

There are no such 'rules'

usenet is as close to anarchy as you
are ever likely to personally encounter.

Sorry, your highness, your distinction in telling me that I'm
wrong finally made me realize my mistakes. Again, I apologize.

Even you should be able to bullshit your way out of
your predicament better than that pathetic effort.

Seeing you using the superior mail and news software
from Microsoft I now have to admit my faults.

Even you should be able to bullshit your way out of
your predicament better than that pathetic effort.

Stressing the word "much" nearly instantaneously caught
my eyes. By the way, I've got some spare car parts for
sale. May I post it to the linux groups as well?

Even you should be able to bullshit your way out of
your predicament better than that pathetic effort.

I thought I've learned a great deal about American culture
and how criticism usually works there. I always admired
the American way of saying: "well, not bad, but doing that
and that, maybe in another way, you may be even better
off!". Looking at you, you're either the big exemption

The word is exception, fool.

You are clearly so stupid that you can't even manage
to work out that I have absolutely NOTHING to do with
America at all, let alone their pathetic excuse for 'culture'

or simply impolite.

You get to like it or lump it, fool.

BTW: Do you have to contribute anything of
relevance for the poster's original question?

I choose to comment on your pig ignorant stupiditys.

You get to like that or lump that too.

 

[chrisv]

I thought I've learned a great deal about American culture and how
criticism usually works there. I always admired the American way of saying:
"well, not bad, but doing that and that, maybe in another way, you may be
even better off!". Looking at you, you're either the big exemption or
simply impolite.

Hey, don't foist this kook off on us, we have enough problems already.
Rodney's Australian.