Kevin Harrison

After mangling some crontabs commands, I finally got the date into mysql exports.

mysqldump -u database-user -h localhost -pdatabase-password database | gzip -9 > /path/to/backup/directory/database-data`date +%m%d%y`.sql.gz

This command will dump the database, gzip it then add the date to the exported file. Basically if you had problems adding a date to the export file you most likely forgot to add a '\' before the %m, %d, or the %y.

edit: well it looks like my blog is actually removing the \ before the %m%d%y in the command. It should look like this minus the spaces...

\ %m \ %d \ %y

Google finally revealed to the public what their servers are like on the inside. Surprisingly, from a technology standpoint, their servers are using x86 chips with a mixture of AMD and Intel chips. I guess from Google's perspective, they would rather have quantity over quality. Not that x86 chips are bad but with x86-64 available, x86 systems are the most cost effective.

Attached to each Gigabyte GA-9IVDP (The motherboard's model number might actually be GA-91VDP I can't say if it is a 1 or a capital i) motherboard are two hard drives, which look to be Hitachi Deskstars, eight chips of memory, maximum of 4 gigs each server since the operating system is x86, and a 12 volt battery as their own Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS).

Google explains that designing their servers with their own UPS battery is more efficient then having ten on one single UPS. Pretty interesting...

The real question with the hardware is whether or not Google's servers actually use the same exact parts. Do they know something most of us don't know about the reliability of Hitachi Deskstars? Or how about the Magnetek Power supplies? Perhaps it's time to dig up some stats for this hardware. Thanks cnet for the info.