Linux - How to Design Storage Architecture for a Real Server (Step-by-Step)

Step 1: Understand the Workload

Different workloads require different storage.

Workload Type Requirement Priority
Databases (MySQL, PostgreSQL) Fast I/O, low latency Performance
Web servers Moderate I/O Balanced
File servers Large storage, redundancy Capacity + safety
Virtual machines High performance + flexibility RAID10 + LVM
Backup servers Huge space Capacity

Step 2: Choose Disk Type

Select the right hardware based on needs.

SSD (SATA/NVMe)

✔ High performance
✔ Best for databases & VMs
✔ Lower latency

HDD

✔ Cheap
✔ Best for bulk storage or backups
✔ Slower

Hybrid design (common in enterprise)

Use SSD for performance-critical apps + HDD for data storage.

Step 3: Choose RAID Level

Choosing the right RAID level depends on speed, redundancy, and cost.

Use Case Recommended RAID
Databases RAID 10 (fast + redundant)
Web servers RAID 1 or RAID 5
File servers RAID 6 (handle 2 disk failures)
VM hosts RAID 10
Backup servers RAID 0/none (since backups are already replicated)

Quick Summary:

  • RAID 10 → best for performance

  • RAID 5 → balance performance + capacity

  • RAID 6 → high redundancy

  • RAID 1 → two disks only

  • RAID 0 → no protection

Step 4: Use LVM for Flexibility

LVM gives:

  • Resize volumes anytime

  • Add disks without downtime

  • Create snapshots

  • Manage storage pools easily

Always recommended unless boot partition requires fixed partitioning.

Typical structure:

RAID → PV → VG → LV → Filesystem

Step 5: Choose Filesystem

Based on use case:

Filesystem Best For
ext4 General purpose, most stable
xfs Enterprise servers, large files, high I/O
btrfs Snapshots, compression
zfs Advanced data integrity (needs more RAM)

Typical recommendations:

  • ext4 → OS partitions

  • xfs → databases, log servers

  • btrfs → backups, containers

Step 6: Partition Layout (Recommended)

Here’s a standard Linux server partition layout:

/boot            → 1 GB  (non-LVM)
/                → 20–50 GB
/home            → Optional (LVM)
/var             → Large (logs, containers)
/var/log         → Separate LV (important for security)
/srv or /data    → Application data (LVM)
swap             → Based on RAM (LVM)

Step 7: Apply Security & Backup Strategy

A real server must include:

1. Backups

  • Use rsync, BorgBackup, Veeam, or snapshots

  • Store backups on a different machine

2. Snapshots

  • LVM snapshots

  • Btrfs snapshots

3. Monitoring

Monitor:

  • Disk usage

  • SMART health

  • RAID status (mdadm or controller)

Step 8: Plan for Scalability

Your design should support future growth.

✔ Add new disks → extend VG
✔ Need more performance → add SSD RAID10
✔ Need more storage → add HDD RAID6

Good design avoids future downtime.

Real Example Storage Architecture (For a Web + DB Server)

Hardware

  • 4 × 1TB SSD → RAID 10

  • 4 × 4TB HDD → RAID 6

Storage Layout

SSD RAID10 → LVM → / → OS + /var + Database
HDD RAID6  → LVM → /data → Application files

Benefits

✔ Fast database access
✔ Reliable storage
✔ Large capacity
✔ Scalable with LVM

Real Example Storage Architecture (For a VM Hypervisor)

Disks

  • 8 × SSD → RAID10

  • 4 × HDD → RAID5 (for backups)

Storage Layout

SSD RAID10 → LVM-Thin (fast provisioning for VMs)
HDD RAID5 → /backup → VM snapshots

Benefits

✔ Fast VM hosting
✔ Thin provisioning saves space
✔ Backups stored separately

Real Example Storage Architecture (For File Storage Server)

Disks

  • 10 × 8TB HDD → RAID6

  • 1 × SSD → Cache (optional)

Filesystem

  • XFS or ZFS

Benefits

✔ Handles large files
✔ Can survive 2 disk failures
✔ Good for NAS/file servers

Complete Storage Architecture Diagram

       Applications
            │
         Mount Points
            │
       Filesystems
            │
        LVM (LV/VG/PV)
            │
    RAID Arrays (/dev/mdX)
            │
  Partitions (sda1, sdb2…)
            │
   Physical Disks (SSD/HDD)

In Summary — Steps to Design Storage Architecture

  1. Understand workload requirements

  2. Choose disk type (SSD/HDD)

  3. Select suitable RAID level

  4. Use LVM for flexibility

  5. Choose filesystem

  6. Plan partition layout

  7. Enable backups + monitoring

  8. Keep room for future growth