Dell PV RD1000 and ubuntu server file systems

[andrea]

I'm configuring a poweredge 2900, for backup I'm using the rd1000.
It works with usb, and having a look I get this

fdisk -l /dev/sdb

Disk /dev/sdb: 160.0 GB, 160037691392 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 19456 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x69205244

This doesn't look like a partition table
Probably you selected the wrong device.

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdb1 ? 13578 119522 850995205 72 Unknown
Partition 1 does not end on cylinder boundary.
/dev/sdb2 ? 45382 79243 271987362 74 Unknown
Partition 2 does not end on cylinder boundary.
/dev/sdb3 ? 10499 10499 0 65 Novell Netware
386
Partition 3 does not end on cylinder boundary.
/dev/sdb4 167628 167631 25817+ 0 Empty
Partition 4 does not end on cylinder boundary.

Partition table entries are not in disk order

Can I delete all the partitions without problems?
It should be hot swappable using dell's systems, will it still be if I
use my methods?
Which filesystem is best for this purpouses?

I configured the server (raid 1 SAS) with LVM in this way
Disk /dev/sda: 146.1 GB, 146163105792 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 17769 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x00000080

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 1 8 64228+ de Dell Utility
/dev/sda2 9 270 2104515 c W95 FAT32
(LBA)
/dev/sda3 * 271 282 96390 83 Linux
/dev/sda4 283 17769 140464327+ 5 Extended
/dev/sda5 283 404 979933+ 82 Linux swap /
Solaris
/dev/sda6 405 1012 4883728+ 83 Linux
/dev/sda7 1013 17769 134600571 8e Linux LVM

Disk /dev/sda: 146.1 GB, 146163105792 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 17769 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x00000080

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 1 8 64228+ de Dell Utility
/dev/sda2 9 270 2104515 c W95 FAT32
(LBA)
/dev/sda3 * 271 282 96390 83 Linux
/dev/sda4 283 17769 140464327+ 5 Extended
/dev/sda5 283 404 979933+ 82 Linux swap /
Solaris
/dev/sda6 405 1012 4883728+ 83 Linux
/dev/sda7 1013 17769 134600571 8e Linux LVM

Maybe too complicated??

Thanks a lot

[andrea]

I tried with xfs (one partition) and it works fine with rsync, but
it's not hot swappable,
When it's mounted I can't take it off (and that's normal).

Not a big problem though, I just have to make an automated system to
mount -> backup -> umount it that's gonna be used by other people...