On Sun, 20 Sep 2015 10:23:13 +0100 Mark Carroll <m...@ixod.org> wrote:
> Many helpful replies so quickly, thank you. It looks like I should plan > to spend more and stick with x86 if it's so much better supported. The > mention of Mini-Box rang a bell as I used to have an M200 that worked > well. I try to avoid diversity in both hardware and software so, if I'm > spending a bit more anyway, perhaps I should even look out for a system > whose sibling could replace, for instance, the computer I use for > streaming TV. My fileserver needs would be modest -- I'm asking little > in terms of number of clients, reliability, size, throughput, etc. -- > I am just looking to add enough value to justify spending more on a > 'router', even to the level of Intel NUCs which look pretty good if > their hardware is solid. > > As background, this OpenBSD effort is also partly about replacing the > various hardware I already have: nearly ten-year-old desktop machines > that are on their last legs (replacing parts by cannibalization or > buying used on eBay) and are enormous, noisy, and power-hungry. (My > current router is a full-height tower, a server retired from a past > employer, with one of the first single-core Opterons and the 2.5" drive > from its mini-ITX predecessor which died!) I figure if I'm reinstalling > stuff onto new hardware, it's a good time to try out OpenBSD too: if > nothing else, it makes me actually review configurations instead of just > copying them over. > > -- Mark > > Hi Mark, Spend a bit more and look around for the Supermicro (Atom or why not even Xeon CPU, look for the VT-* support as OpenBSD native hypervisor is coming ahead) offers was going to be my suggestion too, solved it for me multiple times so far. For me the BMC/IPMI option is indispensable, with a 3-wire serial cable. Check out for dmesg posts on the mailing list archive as well, there are pointers. Diversity is not bad, given you have the resources (time and everything) to get to know the systems well. ECC is a must for 24/7 systems or reliable use anyways. I'd stick to reliable 3.5" HDDs and ventilate the system well with low noise fans, and reusing 2.5" HDDs (in pairs) is OK but not my go to choice. OpenBSD is a wonderful OS and provides a good foundation to expand know-how and is very useful in all scenarios. Regards, Anton
