From owner-freebsd-hackers@FreeBSD.ORG Tue Feb 4 22:10:00 2014 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-hackers@FreeBSD.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [8.8.178.115]) (using TLSv1 with cipher ADH-AES256-SHA (256/256 bits)) (No client certificate requested) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id 3CA41B4F for ; Tue, 4 Feb 2014 22:10:00 +0000 (UTC) Received: from mho-01-ewr.mailhop.org (mho-03-ewr.mailhop.org [204.13.248.66]) (using TLSv1 with cipher DHE-RSA-AES256-SHA (256/256 bits)) (No client certificate requested) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id 05D7E1212 for ; Tue, 4 Feb 2014 22:09:59 +0000 (UTC) Received: from c-24-8-230-52.hsd1.co.comcast.net ([24.8.230.52] helo=damnhippie.dyndns.org) by mho-01-ewr.mailhop.org with esmtpsa (TLSv1:AES256-SHA:256) (Exim 4.72) (envelope-from ) id 1WAoBq-000EnU-Af; Tue, 04 Feb 2014 22:09:58 +0000 Received: from [172.22.42.240] (revolution.hippie.lan [172.22.42.240]) by damnhippie.dyndns.org (8.14.3/8.14.3) with ESMTP id s14M9t9n065193; Tue, 4 Feb 2014 15:09:55 -0700 (MST) (envelope-from ian@FreeBSD.org) X-Mail-Handler: Dyn Standard SMTP by Dyn X-Originating-IP: 24.8.230.52 X-Report-Abuse-To: abuse@dyndns.com (see http://www.dyndns.com/services/sendlabs/outbound_abuse.html for abuse reporting information) X-MHO-User: U2FsdGVkX1/AMFdTnwAdiEqgZRE1czEP Subject: Re: opteron a1100 arm From: Ian Lepore To: Jim Thompson In-Reply-To: <23B18B88-D888-46B3-99F6-905F86E20FAF@netgate.com> References: <1391538649.19169.79261269.3C5F49D1@webmail.messagingengine.com> <493DEB39-C4B4-409E-B8B2-B1B11E013754@netgate.com> <60555.1391549390@critter.freebsd.dk> <23B18B88-D888-46B3-99F6-905F86E20FAF@netgate.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-13" Date: Tue, 04 Feb 2014 15:09:55 -0700 Message-ID: <1391551795.1196.11.camel@revolution.hippie.lan> Mime-Version: 1.0 X-Mailer: Evolution 2.32.1 FreeBSD GNOME Team Port Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable X-MIME-Autoconverted: from 8bit to quoted-printable by damnhippie.dyndns.org id s14M9t9n065193 Cc: freebsd-hackers@FreeBSD.org X-BeenThere: freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.17 Precedence: list List-Id: Technical Discussions relating to FreeBSD List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Tue, 04 Feb 2014 22:10:00 -0000 On Tue, 2014-02-04 at 15:42 -0600, Jim Thompson wrote: > On Feb 4, 2014, at 3:29 PM, Poul-Henning Kamp wrot= e: >=20 > > In message <493DEB39-C4B4-409E-B8B2-B1B11E013754@netgate.com>, Jim Th= ompson wri > > tes: > >=20 > >>> No but it may well be an early reminder of the upcoming generation = of > >>> powerful ARM servers that we don't want to leave unsupported. > >>=20 > >> isn't that attractive when the 8-core, 64-bit Intel C20 > >> 00 parts are here, now, at a lower TDP > >> (20W, .vs 25W for the a1100. 22nm rocks).=20 > >=20 > > I very much welcome a competing 64bit CPU into the marketplace and > > will buy one myself, as soon as I can, for no other reason than to > > help break the X86 monopoly on server architecture. > >=20 > > Monopolies are never a good thing. >=20 > True, but I didn=FFt say that the chip wasn=FFt interesting. What I s= aid is that it=FFs not that attractive (to the real market for these: mic= ro servers). >=20 > The dual 10Gig Ethernet and 8 SATA 3.0 ports are interesting. You won= =FFt get that with a C2K system at 25W TDP, (4 x GigE that can run at 2.5= Gbps per port, and 2 SATA 3.0 ports currently) but Intel owns IP for both= , so if that becomes a differentiator for design wins, I=FFd expect a fut= ure variant to cover. >=20 > But by all means, port FreeBSD to it. Perhaps it can be the long-desir= ed =B4reference platform=A1 to bring ARM into a =B4Tier 1=A1 architecture= status. >=20 > Jim We have no shortage of ARM platforms. IMO the thing that prevents ARM from becoming tier 1 is manpower. -- Ian