https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=816388
https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=816388#c40
Jean Delvare changed:
What |Removed |Added
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
CC| |jdelvare@suse.com
--- Comment #40 from Jean Delvare 2013-06-18 09:01:48 UTC ---
Just a few random comments...
I've seen conflicting reports about how Windows behaves. Some claim that the
disk doesn't sleep so often under Windows, others claim that the disk doesn't
wake up so often under Windows. Which is true? We need to know what Windows
really does. Does it arbitrarily change the power setting values of all disks?
Or does it simply not wake up the disks so often?
If Linux wakes the disk more often than Windows does, then tweaking the hdparm
-B value is the wrong fix. On a laptop with a loaded battery (or a desktop /
server machine powered by a loaded UPS, for that matter) the risk of loosing
unwritten disk data is rather low. So it makes a lot of sense to ask the
filesystems / kernel to leave the disk alone and only write to it when it
really has to. Power savings should only be disabled when on AC power with no
battery/UPS, or when on battery/UPS and energy level is getting low.
The rationale for aggressive power management in general and disk head parking
in particular is double: it saves power and, on laptops, it prevents disk
damage if shocks occur. Disabling power savings unconditionally will change the
negative comparison from "Linux killed my disk due to high Load Cycle Count,
Windows is better" to "battery lasts longer under Windows than under Linux" and
"Linux fails to park the disk's head and I lost my data in a shock because of
this." I don't think this is what we want.
Now I'm not saying that anyone involved in this bug has the power or energy to
make it happen - I certainly won't, I'm busy enough as is. But ideally what
would be needed is better cooperation between the Linux kernel, the hardware,
and the power management policies. Disabling power savings altogether is only a
temporary band aid.
--
Configure bugmail: https://bugzilla.novell.com/userprefs.cgi?tab=email
------- You are receiving this mail because: -------
You are on the CC list for the bug.