Date: Wed, 21 Apr 1999 13:47:52 -0700 (PDT) From: Doug White <dwhite@resnet.uoregon.edu> To: Bob Keys <rdkeys@unity.ncsu.edu> Cc: freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: Need specs for small-medium FBSD based web servers Message-ID: <Pine.BSF.4.03.9904211335140.27954-100000@resnet.uoregon.edu> In-Reply-To: <199904211433.KAA14506@cc01du.unity.ncsu.edu>
next in thread | previous in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
On Wed, 21 Apr 1999 rdkeys@unity.ncsu.edu wrote: > I have the fun task of obtaining and setting up a pair of FBSD web servers > for some local use. One will mirror the other. What I need are some > suggestions or recommendations from the gurus as to what is a good machine. > The guildern are at hand, and must flow shortly or else they be lost. > So, I need to come up with reasonable specs by Friday. > > 1. Which release of FBSD would be recommended for server use as a web > machine? I run currents on my office boxes and the home boxes, > but perhaps something a little more stable would be best here. > 2.2.8 or 3.1 RELEASE, or 3.1-STABLE? I suggest 2.2.8 for super-stable systems. 3.1-R isn't proven yet in my mind, even though I have 3.0 servers floating about. If you really want to run 3.X I suggest tracking -STABLE for a while. > 2. What amount of ram would be best for server use. The machines will > be used for class distance education, so won't be heavily hit, but > will have some high hit times sporadically. I was thinking 128M > of ram would do. Would that be sufficient with apache? At least. With RAM, buy what you can afford; you can never have too much. :-) > 3. Drive space is always at a premium. If two drives were used per > machine, what would be a good drive size, 9gig or larger? If > 4 drives were used for sparing and redundancy, are there any particular > hardware configurations or controllers or manufacturers that would > be recommended? The local heavy hitter seems to be Gateway, around > here, but I would like to hear from the server admins about as > to what works and what doesn't, or if other manufacturers are better. Depends on how much space you need. Definitely go SCSI, and buy what disks you can. Until one of the disks died, we had a machine with 3 4GB Seagate Barracudas; 1 was the system disk and the other two were striped. Nowadays the same money would buy 9GB disks, so go nuts. > 4. What would be the recommended ethernet board(s) for best use? > I have always used 3Com on my own machines, and that has worked > well, but are others any better or are particular boards recommended > for server use? If you can grab a Digital variant (like a pre-D1 rev Netgear, or a Farallon), these work best. If you can't find any, the PNIC deriviatives require 3.1-RELEASE. The 3Com PCI driver isn't very good. > 5. A scanner must be usable on one of the machines. What is a recommended > scanner that works with FBSD and the software is part of the FBSD suite > of packages or ports? Scanning on FreeBSD isn't really there. I suggest a Mac for your authoring solutions. It's better built for those types of operations. > 6. A postscript printer must be usable on one of the machines, or maybe > both. What models would one recommend these days of HP hardware with > postscript capability and sufficient ram, etc? We have an 8000DN, which is the corporate printer. 25ppm with the extra large bin. Maybe a little overkill for you. :) I highly suggest spending the money for the JetDirect module -- it makes the printer a stand-alone print queue, so Macs, Winblows, and UNIX machines can print to it without needing a dedicated spooler. All HPs off the bottom level have PostScript personalities; that or buy the Mac versions of the printers, which have to come with PS. > 7. Backup is a must. What are recommendations for tape backup systems that > are reliable and work well with FBSD? Anything SCSI. DLT tape is the hot stuff now. > 8. Any other gotchas I ought to be aware of? Carefully evaluate your requirements and be wary of off-brand garbage. Spend the money on the good stuff and you'll be well rewarded. > Thanks, all, and keep FBSD purring..... it is good stuff. > Now, if it only ran on my old suns.... Doug White Internet: dwhite@resnet.uoregon.edu | FreeBSD: The Power to Serve http://gladstone.uoregon.edu/~dwhite | www.freebsd.org To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-questions" in the body of the message
Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?Pine.BSF.4.03.9904211335140.27954-100000>