From owner-freebsd-alpha@FreeBSD.ORG Fri Dec 10 21:16:15 2004 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-alpha@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.FreeBSD.org (mx1.freebsd.org [216.136.204.125]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 74C2C16A4CE for ; Fri, 10 Dec 2004 21:16:15 +0000 (GMT) Received: from smtp-vbr6.xs4all.nl (smtp-vbr6.xs4all.nl [194.109.24.26]) by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id D1EA143D5C for ; Fri, 10 Dec 2004 21:16:14 +0000 (GMT) (envelope-from wb@freebie.xs4all.nl) Received: from freebie.xs4all.nl (freebie.xs4all.nl [213.84.32.253]) by smtp-vbr6.xs4all.nl (8.12.11/8.12.11) with ESMTP id iBALGDTI039464; Fri, 10 Dec 2004 22:16:13 +0100 (CET) (envelope-from wb@freebie.xs4all.nl) Received: from freebie.xs4all.nl (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by freebie.xs4all.nl (8.13.1/8.12.9) with ESMTP id iBALGCdj090627; Fri, 10 Dec 2004 22:16:12 +0100 (CET) (envelope-from wb@freebie.xs4all.nl) Received: (from wb@localhost) by freebie.xs4all.nl (8.13.1/8.13.1/Submit) id iBALGCQh090626; Fri, 10 Dec 2004 22:16:12 +0100 (CET) (envelope-from wb) Date: Fri, 10 Dec 2004 22:16:12 +0100 From: Wilko Bulte To: "Greg A. Woods" Message-ID: <20041210211612.GA90601@freebie.xs4all.nl> References: <20041210202803.GI90137@freebie.xs4all.nl> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: X-OS: FreeBSD 4.10-STABLE X-PGP: finger wilko@freebsd.org User-Agent: Mutt/1.5.6i X-Virus-Scanned: by XS4ALL Virus Scanner cc: freebsd-alpha@freebsd.org Subject: Re: FYI, no-go with booting FreeBSD-5.3 on AlphaServer ES40 X-BeenThere: freebsd-alpha@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.1 Precedence: list List-Id: Porting FreeBSD to the Alpha List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Fri, 10 Dec 2004 21:16:15 -0000 On Fri, Dec 10, 2004 at 04:07:39PM -0500, Greg A. Woods wrote.. > [ On Friday, December 10, 2004 at 21:28:03 (+0100), Wilko Bulte wrote: ] > > Subject: Re: FYI, no-go with booting FreeBSD-5.3 on AlphaServer ES40 > > > > FreeBSD does not even support 4GB so don't moan... :-P > > Sigh.... > > Any ES40 with fewer than 4 memory options installed (i.e. 8GB _minimum_) > is a huge waste of space, energy, and money. With just 2 RAM options > installed (i.e. 4GB minimum), the machine is way under-utilized and can > only achieve 1/2 its memory throughput. With just one RAM option > installed (i.e. 2GB minimum), the machine crawls at 1/4 its potential > memory throughput. > > There are many better, faster, cheaper, smaller, types of systems > available if one does not need to break the 4GB 32-bit address space > boundary. I know. Feel free to fix it. > I.e. I guess FreeBSD doesn't really truly support the ES40 (or anything > bigger) at all. You should definitely not list them as supported! I'm That is bull, as I did run FreeBSD on the ES40 at work. Briefly, as it is not my machine. > sure anyone else familiar with Alphas would make the same assumption as You should not make assumptions, it is documented that dependent on the machine model the limit is 1 or 2GB for FreeBSD. > I have that the full RAM configurations of any supported machine would > work -- that's the whole reason for wanting a 64-bit address space in > the first place! Yep, it would be very nice. > > But surely not on 16G RAM. > > BUT, that's only half-way to where we want to go with 32GB installed... Go and run Tru64 for a UNIX that makes full use of the ES40. None of the *BSD or Linux will if you look at it more or less closely. -- Wilko Bulte wilko@FreeBSD.org