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Date:      Fri, 9 May 1997 21:11:14 -0400 (EDT)
From:      Chuck Robey <chuckr@mat.net>
To:        Terry Lambert <terry@lambert.org>
Cc:        Steve Passe <smp@csn.net>, james@westongold.com, smp@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject:   Re: maptable of SuperMicro P6DNH
Message-ID:  <Pine.BSF.3.91.970509210708.18685s-100000@Journey2.mat.net>
In-Reply-To: <199705100043.RAA01343@phaeton.artisoft.com>

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On Fri, 9 May 1997, Terry Lambert wrote:

> > I don't see it happening.  There are major differences in the hardware on
> > an SMP motherboard and a UP motherboard.  The software differences are much 
> > more than just locking.  A completely different INTerrupt sub-system is in 
> > order.  Different scheduling strategies will be in place.  The list goes on...
> > Even if you could engineer it so that there was less than 5% cost at runtime, 
> > why should a UP user have to pay that cost.
> 
> To encourage better (APIC-using) UP boards?
> 
> Seriously, the MP boards are typically *better* than the UP boards
> because they have more hurdles.  The UP boards *should* jump the same
> hurdles -- it would make for faster UP boards, for one thing, and
> faster generic OS code, for another.  I'm surprised there isn't a
> push for this from MS on the basis of NT... heck, maybe there is?

I don't know for sure, but I right now suspect FreeBSD is considerably 
ahead of MS in terms of stability on MP.  I had to have a MS Windows 
environment this last semester, for an OS project I had to do.  I tried 
installing NT on my SMP platform, which runs FreeBSD-SMP just ducky.  
Results were not good, it kept on panicing on install.

I'm not a MS genius, and I had a friend who let me use her platform, so I 
let it go (I didn't want to run NT all that badly anyhow), but I am left 
with the feeling that maybe our SMP is more stable than their SMP.

Of course, that's not really a surprise, is it?

> 
> 
> 					Terry Lambert
> 					terry@lambert.org
> ---
> Any opinions in this posting are my own and not those of my present
> or previous employers.
> 
> 

----------------------------+-----------------------------------------------
Chuck Robey                 | Interests include any kind of voice or data 
chuckr@eng.umd.edu          | communications topic, C programming, and Unix.
9120 Edmonston Ct #302      |
Greenbelt, MD 20770         | I run Journey2 and picnic, both FreeBSD
(301) 220-2114              | version 3.0 current -- and great FUN!
----------------------------+-----------------------------------------------




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