[laptop-mode] Spinning down too many times may kill hard drives?

[Alberto Lepe]

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Hello,

I have a small Ubuntu server for personal usage. It is a Pentium II with
512MB... quite old... but good for what I require.
Last month I bought a SSD drive because I read that was good for saving
energy (which I figured out later, it is not always the case).
I failed to install the SSD maybe it was because of the old hardware... but
anyway, so I bought a usb flash drive in which I copied all
my web content, databases and moved essential log files to there. I also
reduced as much as possible logging unnecessary events.
That small computer have a BIOS feature to shut-down HDDs after some
inactivity, which I setup to 1 minute.

So, after doing this, I can hear the HDD to "wake-up" once in a while (I
will follow some of the recommendations at
http://samwel.tk/laptop_mode/faq to reduce it even more)... most of the time
is totally silent... that is good!

However after reading the "laptop-mode" FAQ documentation I start wondering
if it is good for the HDD....?

I know maybe that flash drive will have some problems soon or later because
of the write cycles, but meanwhile I'm backing up everything, everyday,
to the HDD.

But if turning-off/waking-up the hard disk, maybe once every hour, will make
my hard disk to fail in less than a year, then I will have problems...

Which would be the best to do in this case? Do you recommend me to use
laptop-mode-tools to control the HDD instead of the BIOS?

By the way, which is better for a HDD, to "turn-off" or to "spin-down"?

Thank you in advance...

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Hello,<br><br>I have a small Ubuntu server for personal usage. It is a Pent=
ium II with 512MB... quite old... but good for what I require.<br>Last mont=
h I bought a SSD drive because I read that was good for saving energy (whic=
h I figured out later, it is not always the case).<br>
I failed to install the SSD maybe it was because of the old hardware... but=
 anyway, so I bought a usb flash drive in which I copied all <br>my web con=
tent, databases and moved essential log files to there. I also reduced as m=
uch as possible logging unnecessary events. <br>
That small computer have a BIOS feature to shut-down HDDs after some inacti=
vity, which I setup to 1 minute. <br><br>So, after doing this, I can hear t=
he HDD to &quot;wake-up&quot; once in a while (I will follow some of the re=
commendations at <br>
<a href=3D"http://samwel.tk/laptop_mode/faq">http://samwel.tk/laptop_mode/f=
aq</a> to reduce it even more)... most of the time is totally silent... tha=
t is good! <br><br>However after reading the &quot;laptop-mode&quot; FAQ do=
cumentation I start wondering if it is good for the HDD....?<br>
<br>I know maybe that flash drive will have some problems soon or later bec=
ause of the write cycles, but meanwhile I&#39;m backing up everything, ever=
yday,<br>to the HDD. <br><br>But if turning-off/waking-up the hard disk, ma=
ybe once every hour, will make my hard disk to fail in less than a year, th=
en I will have problems...<br>
<br>Which would be the best to do in this case? Do you recommend me to use =
laptop-mode-tools to control the HDD instead of the BIOS?<br><br>By the way=
, which is better for a HDD, to &quot;turn-off&quot; or to &quot;spin-down&=
quot;?<br>
<br>Thank you in advance...<br><br><br><br><br>

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