From owner-freebsd-questions Mon Jul 5 18:35: 4 1999 Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from Prime-FE1.lvcablemodem.com (prime-fe1.lvcablemodem.com [24.234.0.9]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id EB14515393 for ; Mon, 5 Jul 1999 18:34:51 -0700 (PDT) (envelope-from mholloway@flashmail.com) Received: from prime-fe1.lvcablemodem.com - 24.234.0.9 by lvcablemodem.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Mon, 5 Jul 1999 18:39:29 -0700 Received: from liquid (dhcp235.59.lvcm.com [24.234.59.235]) by prime-fe1.lvcablemodem.com with SMTP (MailShield v1.5); Mon, 05 Jul 1999 18:39:27 -0700 Message-ID: <000a01bec74f$ae6ee6c0$eb3bea18@lvcm.com> From: "Mark Holloway" To: Subject: Alpha or Ultra 5? Date: Mon, 5 Jul 1999 18:34:24 -0700 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_0007_01BEC715.01B2FAA0" X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.00.2314.1300 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.00.2314.1300 Sender: owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Precedence: bulk X-Loop: FreeBSD.ORG This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0007_01BEC715.01B2FAA0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable I almost made this a long, drawn email asking for advice. Then I erased = it because I didn't want to be boring.. Simply put, for the last 6 months I have been SUPER EXCITED to buy a Sun = Ultra 5. For $2500, I can get an Ultra 5/270mhz/256k cache machine with = 64MB ram. I wanted it for the sake of learning Solaris and learning = system administration tasks on the world's most popular commercial Unix. = Then it hit me! After selling all my legacy equipment on ebay and = having $2500 in cash sitting here in front of me, I DON'T WANT THE ULTRA = 5!=20 I used FreeBSD for several months last year and I though it was great. = It's fast and geared towards the Internet just like Solaris. The only = problem I have with buying an Ultra 5 is the cost of upgrading. Sure, = $2500 gets me a cheap Ultra 5 with 256k cache and a SpecInt of 10.2 = (equal to a Pentium II/233 - a 2 year old chip!). To upgrade the Ultra = 5 from 270 -> 480mhz with 2MB cache is $4000. The $2500 Ultra ships = with 8 Bit graphics and EIDE. The more I re-read the specs the more it = makes me see Sun is not appealing to me with the "shaved down" machine. = Besides, I want to learn "Internet" related administration, not OS = specific tasks. That means Apache, DNS, Sendmail, Real G2 Server, = things that are all available for both Solaris and FreeBSD. So, I = figures instead of spending the $2500 on a very low-end Ultra 5, I could = get more bang for the buck by getting a DEC Alpha.. A very good friend = of mine sells used SUN, SGI, and DEC ALPHA machines. He has the = following system for sale: DEC Alpha 500a, 128MB, 2MB Cache, 4GB HDA, 16MB PCI Video Card, CD-Rom - = $1550.00 Simply stated: A Sun machine that is comparable to this is going to cost = a fortune! My only question to you, the FreeBSD world (and PLEASE be = honest), is in regards to learning FreeBSD versus Solaris - is there = something I will gain by learning Solaris instead of FreeBSD? I'm an = MCSE, Cisco CCNA and CCNP who is studying for the Cisco CCIE. As we all = know, Cisco and Solaris are the two companies who are most prolific with = the Internet. However, we all know FreeBSD lives here, there, and = everywhere.. FreeBSD is by far the most popular platform that exists in = multi-vendor environments. Many shops who use Solaris for one task use = FreeBSD for 3 more tasks.. It just pops up all over the place. =20 Because I'm spending over $1k this is considered a serious move for me. = If I buy the Alpha and install FreeBSD then that's it - there is no = turning back! If I buy the Ultra 5, the same thing will happen..there = is no turning back! I don't have money to waste...whatever I get the = first time is what I am stuck with. My instinct tells me buying the = Ultra 5 will be fun for the first week but that I'll get frustrated with = the SpecINT 10.2 performce versus the Alpha's 18.9 performance. Also, = keeping up with FreeBSD is much easier.. Are there any known issues with the Alpha I should be aware of? =20 Regards, Mark Holloway I appreicate ANY feedback! ------=_NextPart_000_0007_01BEC715.01B2FAA0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
I almost made this a long, drawn email asking for=20 advice.  Then I erased it because I didn't want to be = boring..
 
Simply put, for the last 6 months I have been SUPER = EXCITED to=20 buy a Sun Ultra 5.  For $2500, I can get an Ultra 5/270mhz/256k = cache=20 machine with 64MB ram.  I wanted it for the sake of learning = Solaris and=20 learning system administration tasks on the world's most popular = commercial=20 Unix.  Then it hit me!  After selling all my legacy equipment = on ebay=20 and having $2500 in cash sitting here in front of me, I DON'T WANT THE = ULTRA 5!=20
 
I used FreeBSD for several months last year and I = though it=20 was great.  It's fast and geared towards the Internet just like=20 Solaris.  The only problem I have with buying an Ultra 5 is = the cost=20 of upgrading.  Sure, $2500 gets me a cheap Ultra 5 with 256k cache = and a=20 SpecInt of 10.2 (equal to a Pentium II/233 - a 2 year old chip!).  = To=20 upgrade the Ultra 5 from 270 -> 480mhz with 2MB cache is $4000.  = The=20 $2500 Ultra ships with 8 Bit graphics and EIDE.  The more I re-read = the=20 specs the more it makes me see Sun is not appealing to me with the = "shaved down"=20 machine. 
 
Besides, I want to learn "Internet" related = administration,=20 not OS specific tasks.  That means Apache, DNS, Sendmail, Real G2 = Server,=20 things that are all available for both Solaris and FreeBSD.  So, I = figures=20 instead of spending the $2500 on a very low-end Ultra 5, I could get = more bang=20 for the buck by getting a DEC Alpha..  A very good friend of mine = sells=20 used SUN, SGI, and DEC ALPHA machines.  He has the following system = for=20 sale:
 
 
DEC Alpha 500a, 128MB, 2MB Cache, 4GB HDA, 16MB PCI Video Card, = CD-Rom -=20 $1550.00
 
 
Simply stated: A Sun machine that is comparable to this is going to = cost a=20 fortune!  My only question to you, the FreeBSD world (and PLEASE be = honest), is in regards to learning FreeBSD versus Solaris - is there = something I=20 will gain by learning Solaris instead of FreeBSD?  I'm an MCSE, = Cisco CCNA=20 and CCNP who is studying for the Cisco CCIE.  As we all know, Cisco = and=20 Solaris are the two companies who are most prolific with the = Internet. =20 However, we all know FreeBSD lives here, there, and everywhere.. FreeBSD = is by=20 far the most popular platform that exists in multi-vendor=20 environments.  Many shops who use Solaris for one task use FreeBSD = for 3=20 more tasks.. It just pops up all over the place. 
 
Because I'm spending over $1k this is considered a serious move for = me.  If I buy the Alpha and install FreeBSD then that's it - there = is no=20 turning back!  If I buy the Ultra 5, the same thing will = happen..there is=20 no turning back!  I don't have money to waste...whatever I get the = first=20 time is what I am stuck with.  My instinct tells me buying the = Ultra 5 will=20 be fun for the first week but that I'll get frustrated with the SpecINT = 10.2=20 performce versus the Alpha's 18.9 performance.  Also, keeping up = with=20 FreeBSD is much easier..
 
Are there any known issues with the Alpha I should be aware = of? =20
 
 
Regards,
Mark Holloway
 
I appreicate ANY feedback!
 
 
 
 
 
 
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