From owner-freebsd-isp  Tue Feb 17 13:22:44 1998
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	Wed, 18 Feb 1998 08:21:08 +1100 (EST)
Date: Wed, 18 Feb 1998 08:21:08 +1100 (EST)
From: "Daniel O'Callaghan" <danny@panda.hilink.com.au>
To: John Kelly <jak@cetlink.net>
cc: Doug White <dwhite@resnet.uoregon.edu>, freebsd-isp@FreeBSD.ORG,
        freebsd-questions <freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG>
Subject: Re: FreeBSD as router, terminal server
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On Tue, 17 Feb 1998, John Kelly wrote:

> On Mon, 16 Feb 1998 23:13:55 -0800 (PST), Doug White
> <dwhite@gdi.uoregon.edu> wrote:
> 
> >On Mon, 16 Feb 1998, Gary Dunn wrote:
> >
> >> I am developing alternatives for an ISP start-up. A typical ISP involves
> >> a unix server, a router, and a terminal server. It seems to me that a
> >> reasonably fast Pentium should be able to perform the routing and
> >> terminal service, at least in the early stages of growth.
> >> 
> >> Am I over-estimating performance?
> >
> >You'll outgrow that pretty quickly, servicing serial ports can eat CPU
> >significantly.
> 
> Anybody have experience with Comrtol Rocketport multiport serial
> adapters and how many ports they can run on one box?

Comtrol is interruptless, so you should be able to put 64 or 128 in a box.
However, there is a big difference between using kernel pppd and userland 
ppp.  The latter eats CPU, the former is much better because of the fewer 
context switches.  I have 30 pppd lines on a 486-100, and it is happy.
I use cyclades and AST/4 port cards.

Danny


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