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Date:      Tue, 25 Mar 1997 12:14:08 -0800
From:      Erich Boleyn <erich@uruk.org>
To:        Steve Passe <smp@csn.net>
Cc:        schluntz@pinpt.com, freebsd-smp@freefall.freebsd.org
Subject:   Re: SMP and 3/486's 
Message-ID:  <E0w9cbg-0007mJ-00@uruk.org>
In-Reply-To: Your message of "Tue, 25 Mar 1997 12:14:43 MST." <199703251914.MAA27367@Ilsa.StevesCafe.com> 

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From:    Steve Passe <smp@csn.net> wrote:

> Hi,
> > Does the SMP kernal in FreeBSD support systems with multiple 386's
> > or 486's?  I see a lot of talk about P5's and P6's but I have known
> > about multi-processor systems using intel chips for a number of
> > years, using 386's and 486's.
> 
> no, 386/486 chips just can't do this sort of thing *efficiently*,
> the P5/P6 were designed to do SMP.  I'm not saying it couldn't be
> done, just that it doesn't appear worth the effort to those involved...

Well...

I really think the reasons that most 386 and 486 machines aren't
supported are that:

  --  there are only a few Intel MPS-compatible (the SMP standard
	that FreeBSD-SMP supports) SMP 486 machines, and no 386
	machines.
  --  they are old, slow, and generally not manufactured anymore.
  --  mostly custom hardware, with support for each kind having
	to be added in and tested separately (there there is likely
	a common code base).

Clearly not worth the effort.

--
  Erich Stefan Boleyn                 \_ E-mail (preferred):  <erich@uruk.org>
Mad Genius wanna-be, CyberMuffin        \__      (finger me for other stats)
Web:  http://www.uruk.org/~erich/     Motto: "I'll live forever or die trying"



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