From owner-freebsd-hardware@FreeBSD.ORG Sun Dec 31 00:09:32 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: freebsd-hardware@freebsd.org Delivered-To: freebsd-hardware@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [69.147.83.52]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id DF2C116A412 for ; Sun, 31 Dec 2006 00:09:32 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from jon@seaholm.caamora.com.au) Received: from seaholm.caamora.com.au (seaholm.caamora.com.au [203.7.226.5]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 59EEC13C465 for ; Sun, 31 Dec 2006 00:09:29 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from jon@seaholm.caamora.com.au) Received: (from jon@localhost) by seaholm.caamora.com.au (8.11.1/8.11.1) id kBUNwqU23632; Sun, 31 Dec 2006 10:58:52 +1100 (EST) Message-ID: <20061231105852.59380@caamora.com.au> Date: Sun, 31 Dec 2006 10:58:52 +1100 From: jonathan michaels To: freebsd-hardware@freebsd.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii X-Mailer: Mutt 0.84e Organisation: Caamora, PO Box 144, Rosebery NSW 1445 Australia Subject: some advice please --- amd semperon v opteron for dns/mail/nfs freebsd server X-BeenThere: freebsd-hardware@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: General discussion of FreeBSD hardware List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Sun, 31 Dec 2006 00:09:33 -0000 greetings all and best wishes for the coming new year. i'm about to setup a webserver on the freebsd system here, currently we are running several intel 386dx33 with co-processors 8-16 mb dram and an intel 486dx33 and a i486dx50 (16-32 mb dram) all are running scsi ontop of adaptec aha-1542b hostadapters, supporting between several 2-3x250 mb, 4x350 mb and several 3x1 gb. all have a scsi2 1x500 mb operating system dedicated spindle for the basic system software and for /, /etc, /var, /var/tmp, fs) media. christmas saw a compaq proliant 5500 (2xPIII 550/100 L2 1mb Xeon cpu, 5x9g1 gb scsi3 ultra drives and a SMART-2/P raid controller and 1g25 ecc/edo dimms i think) i also have several dec alpha server 2000 model 500's ( a pedestal with 2 cpu and 512 mb dram wuth a scsi raid cage (16 slots but only 6x3g5 scsi2 ultra drives) the other 2000.500 is a rack case sans its case, the 6 foot case was too much to lug and did't fit, wasnt wirth the effort for one 2 unit host, in hindsight (wonderfull this hindsight thing, isn't it???) it would have given me a tidy place for the proliant to live as well and make for easy transport around teh floor here, grrr, silly me o'h ell thats life. anyway, i'm looking to replace both/one of teh dec alphas with a more curently supported architecture thats likely to offer simialr performance and clean architecture, sorry that my world view. i've decided that the amd mob would be teh best of all possible worlds as candide would opine .. and give me a suitable 64 bit platform into teh future. my only difficulty is that i do not understand what are the differences between the two amd offerings, that is between teh opteron and teh semperon .. currently i don't need 'bleeding edge, blazingly fast i.e. inflated go fast because it s bigger numbers .. just reliable relatively cool (stable operating tempreatures) and long term reliability. what sort of motherboards would work best with freebsd, what if any gotchas are thier with the semperon and or teh opteron and which would be the best to use in a medium workload, relatively slow local network with a 50 percent of lits loading coming from internet network over teh (choke/throttle point) dialup via a permanent pppd connection running at 56/33k6 kilo bits its a reliable analogue modem thats been connected to the service providor's network for some 10 years now. stories, recomendations, suggestions would be much appreciated. as i said i do not understand what teh real difference is between the semperon/opteron and its for networking environment that its going to be going into, perhaps at some latter point in time another machine will be added to act as a cad/graphic arts/multimedia/graphical workstation ergo its floating point operations will be critical and need to be at least up in teh dec alpha processor class. i saw a dec alpha kitted out as a cad station a long time ago and compared to a motorola mc68060 something like that the axp chip put up a good showing and i was smitten .. the intel jobs were left in teh dust, didn't have a chance. oh well that was then and this is now. much appreciation for al the support we have goten from the freebsd support team over the years (we started back in v2.0.5-release, and are still going) thank you for all your tireless support. much gracious regards jonathan -- ================================================================ powered by .. QNX, OS9 and freeBSD -- http://caamora com au/operating system ==== === appropriate solution in an inappropriate world === ====