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Date: Mon, 5 May 1997 11:04:04 -0700 (PDT)
From: Tom Samplonius <tom@sdf.com>
To: Andrzej Bialecki <abial@korin.warman.org.pl>
cc: freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org
Subject: Re: SMP hardware recommendations
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On Mon, 5 May 1997, Andrzej Bialecki wrote:

> Hi all!
> 
> My company considers buying a new SMP machine for some CPU/disk-intensive
> tasks (similar to news server: searching and processing large quantities
> of text files), and I convinced them to give a try to FreeBSD. The idea
> behind it is to save some money on another Sun Ultra, if possible...
> 
> What hardware would you recommend? Now I'm thinking about the following
> setup: 
> 
> * MB: 2xPPro 200MHz, 512kB cache, manufacturer: ???, chipset: ???

  ASUS makes very good boards.  They make a dual-CPU motherboard, that the
CPUs are installed on a daughtercard.  Very nice.  I'm using one of these
now with just one CPU, but the SMP web page mentions that this board.

> * RAM: 256 MB (EDO ???)

  For servers, always, always get parity memory.

> * SCSI: Adaptec 2940U
> * HDD: ??? (ca. 8 GB total)

  I like the Seagate Barracuda 4LP series.  They run cool for a 7200 rpm
drive, but are very fast.

> * Network: Intel EtherExpress 10/100 (fxp driver)
> * other hardware is less important (i.e. floppy, graphics, keyboard...)
> 
> And what do you think about performance of such a machine (comparing to
> Sun Ultra 1/140)? 

  No idea, but I imagine that a dual-PPRO would be faster.  Depends a lot
on the application though.

> Thanks in advance for your suggestions.
> 
> Sincerely yours,
> 
> ---
> Andrzej Bialecki                  FreeBSD: Turning PCs Into Workstations
> <abial@warman.org.pl>             http://www.freebsd.org
> Research and Academic Network in Poland
> 
> 
> 

Tom