Date: Tue, 25 Mar 1997 12:14:08 -0800 From: Erich Boleyn <erich@uruk.org> To: Steve Passe <smp@csn.net> Cc: schluntz@pinpt.com, freebsd-smp@freefall.freebsd.org Subject: Re: SMP and 3/486's Message-ID: <E0w9cbg-0007mJ-00@uruk.org> In-Reply-To: Your message of "Tue, 25 Mar 1997 12:14:43 MST." <199703251914.MAA27367@Ilsa.StevesCafe.com>
next in thread | previous in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
From: Steve Passe <smp@csn.net> wrote: > Hi, > > Does the SMP kernal in FreeBSD support systems with multiple 386's > > or 486's? I see a lot of talk about P5's and P6's but I have known > > about multi-processor systems using intel chips for a number of > > years, using 386's and 486's. > > no, 386/486 chips just can't do this sort of thing *efficiently*, > the P5/P6 were designed to do SMP. I'm not saying it couldn't be > done, just that it doesn't appear worth the effort to those involved... Well... I really think the reasons that most 386 and 486 machines aren't supported are that: -- there are only a few Intel MPS-compatible (the SMP standard that FreeBSD-SMP supports) SMP 486 machines, and no 386 machines. -- they are old, slow, and generally not manufactured anymore. -- mostly custom hardware, with support for each kind having to be added in and tested separately (there there is likely a common code base). Clearly not worth the effort. -- Erich Stefan Boleyn \_ E-mail (preferred): <erich@uruk.org> Mad Genius wanna-be, CyberMuffin \__ (finger me for other stats) Web: http://www.uruk.org/~erich/ Motto: "I'll live forever or die trying"
Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?E0w9cbg-0007mJ-00>