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To: des@des.no
From: "M. Warner Losh" <imp@bsdimp.com>
In-Reply-To: <86y6hkiien.fsf@ds4.des.no>
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Cc: deischen@freebsd.org, scottl@samsco.org, d@delphij.net, julian@elischer.org,
	freebsd-arch@freebsd.org
Subject: Re: [PATCH] Utilize i686, SSE and MMX by default on FreeBSD/i386
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In message: <86y6hkiien.fsf@ds4.des.no>
            Dag-Erling Sm=F8rgrav <des@des.no> writes:
: Daniel Eischen <deischen@freebsd.org> writes:
: > Perhaps I was wrong, but I thought Scott's question was more genera=
l:
: > is there a desire for a special installation suitable to small
: > appliances (usually flash-based)?
: =

: Not all "small appliances" are flash-based; the Geode-based soekris c=
an
: use 2.5" disks and has enough memory to run a stock install.  The onl=
y
: trouble I've had is with /etc/periodic/daily/470.status-named, which
: uses an ungodly amount of memory.  The AMD Geode is more or less
: equivalent to a Pentium MMX, and does not have SSE.
: =

: Soekris net4801-48:
: =

: CPU: Geode(TM) Integrated Processor by National Semi (266.65-MHz 586-=
class CPU)
:   Origin =3D "Geode by NSC"  Id =3D 0x540  Stepping =3D 0
:   Features=3D0x808131<FPU,TSC,MSR,CX8,CMOV,MMX>
: real memory  =3D 134217728 (128 MB)
: avail memory =3D 126160896 (120 MB)
: =

: Soekris net5501-70:
: =

: CPU: Geode(TM) Integrated Processor by AMD PCS (499.91-MHz 586-class =
CPU)
:   Origin =3D "AuthenticAMD"  Id =3D 0x5a2  Stepping =3D 2
:   Features=3D0x88a93d<FPU,DE,PSE,TSC,MSR,CX8,SEP,PGE,CMOV,CLFLUSH,MMX=
>
:   AMD Features=3D0xc0400000<MMX+,3DNow!+,3DNow!>
: real memory  =3D 536870912 (512 MB)
: avail memory =3D 510726144 (487 MB)

You don't really get into the small to flash install realm until you
start hitting some of the !x86 embedded boxes.  There, you have to
have a hand-crafted firmware load for each box or a limited range of
boxes.  This is even true in linux land.  You'll never use sysinstall
or anything remotely like it to install onto a Linksys WRT55G.  you're
going to give the firmware loader a new firmware image via http or
simething like that.

So for the x86 case, there's not a good argument to be made for
hyperoptimizing GENERIC.

Warner