From owner-freebsd-smp@FreeBSD.ORG Wed Dec 3 14:42:56 2003 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-smp@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.FreeBSD.org (mx1.freebsd.org [216.136.204.125]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 83D3816A4CE for ; Wed, 3 Dec 2003 14:42:56 -0800 (PST) Received: from mikea.ath.cx (wsip-68-15-203-64.ok.ok.cox.net [68.15.203.64]) by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 5B75843F75 for ; Wed, 3 Dec 2003 14:42:55 -0800 (PST) (envelope-from mikea@mikea.ath.cx) Received: from mikea.ath.cx (bsd [192.168.1.1]) by mikea.ath.cx (8.12.3/8.12.3) with ESMTP id hB3Mgs89030795 for ; Wed, 3 Dec 2003 16:42:54 -0600 (CST) (envelope-from mikea@mikea.ath.cx) Received: (from mikea@localhost) by mikea.ath.cx (8.12.3/8.12.3/Submit) id hB3Mgq0G030794 for freebsd@mikea.ath.cx; Wed, 3 Dec 2003 16:42:52 -0600 (CST) (envelope-from mikea) Date: Wed, 3 Dec 2003 16:42:52 -0600 From: mikea To: freebsd@mikea.ath.cx Message-ID: <20031203164252.B30624@mikea.ath.cx> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline User-Agent: Mutt/1.2.5.1i X-Mailman-Approved-At: Thu, 04 Dec 2003 05:34:15 -0800 Subject: Request pointers to current-generation SMP boards X-BeenThere: freebsd-smp@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.1 Precedence: list List-Id: FreeBSD SMP implementation group List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Wed, 03 Dec 2003 22:42:56 -0000 Hi. I'm speccing out a server for the day job, to run MailScanner and SpamAssassin on the inbound corporate mailstream. I hope to talk the boss into something that is _really_ muscular, in hope that the rising tide of spam, worms, etc., won't swamp the poor thing after 6 months to a year. With any luck, I'll be able to get something that doesn't have lots of integrated on-board controllers, so that I won't end up installing a card to take over the function after that part of the motherboard dies about 3 AM. Or do people find that integrated peripheral support on the motherboard isn't all that bad? The only things I really care about are that o it should support two or more pretty swift Intel P-IV CPUs, preferably the ones with lots of on-board cache, o it should have lots of L2 cache, and o it should support at least 1 GB of fast RAM. 2 GB is better, but I think that more would be overkill. Minimum RAM should be 512 MB, just in case the boss won't (or can't) spring for more right off the bat. I'm also planning to ask for SCSI, in as fast a flavor as I can get approval for, and some _big_ SCSI drives. I'll need card slots for a display adapter, a NIC, and not much more. I'd like those even if there are integrated adapters on the mobo. Of course, if you can point to a ready-to-go server that meets these specs and that we can afford, that's great. We're prepared to spend some money on this, but we're a state government agency, and so have to get bang for the buck. I'm interested in what you folks have to say. -- Mike Andrews mikea@mikea.ath.cx Tired old sysadmin