Re: Server Motherboards with multiple PCI buses
On Fri, Apr 14, 2000 at 01:18:55PM +0200, Russell Coker wrote: On Wed, 12 Apr 2000, J. Currey wrote: I am putting together a couple of servers that will become PCI bus bottlenecked. I haven't found very many motherboards that have multiple PCI buses. The Intel L44GX+ has taken the AGP port (PCI 66) and used it for PCI slots instead, but has some bug report against this second PCI where the machine locks, but otherwise sounds good. Does anyone know of some good ix86 multiple PCI bus motherboard that you have running Debian on ( even if a custom kernel was required (like for SMP))? I am curious, what are you doing that will cause a PCI bus bottleneck? I hope you don't mind me asking. Well supporting gigabit Ethernet for one, and 4 100Mb sub networks and logging. PCI bandwidth is about 132 MB/sec (32bit at 33MHz), and with 100MB/sec? taken by the gigabit Ethernet, it doesn't leave much room for disk writes, much less the other networks. In practicality it will rarely see that much, but it must be capable of it (and I have a one shot budget to accommodate a few years growth). A common example of a PCI bottle neck is multiple SCSI controllers with stripped drives. It would make sense for gigabyte Ethernet cards and high speed SCSI controllers to use the AGP slot (since AGP is really PCI @ 66MHZ with a funny connector - flame target) . There are SCSI raid adapters that are using PCI 66MHZ. Make sense? Oh well :). J.Currey
Re: Server Motherboards with multiple PCI buses
At 06:24 PM 4/14/00 -0500, J. Currey wrote: Well supporting gigabit Ethernet for one, and 4 100Mb sub networks and logging. It would take an astonishing amount of traffic to max out the interfaces. I don't think a PC based system could handle a fraction of what you propose. I think you need to look to a non-Intel platform, like Alpha or something. PCI bandwidth is about 132 MB/sec (32bit at 33MHz), and with 100MB/sec? taken I thought the PCI bus speed was the same as the CPU base speed (FSB). You're saying the PCI bus is fixed at 33MHz? SCSI controllers to use the AGP slot (since AGP is really PCI @ 66MHZ with a funny connector - flame target) . There are SCSI raid adapters that are using PCI 66MHZ. Maybe it's time for motherboards with multiple AGP's. +---+ |-=I T ' S P R I N C I P L E T H A T C O U N T S=- | |=- -=ALAN KEYES FOR PRESIDENT=- -=| | Balanced Budgets Personal Freedoms Morality Lower Tax | |=-- http://www.Keyes2000.com. --=| ++
Server Motherboards with multiple PCI buses
I am putting together a couple of servers that will become PCI bus bottlenecked. I haven't found very many motherboards that have multiple PCI buses. The Intel L44GX+ has taken the AGP port (PCI 66) and used it for PCI slots instead, but has some bug report against this second PCI where the machine locks, but otherwise sounds good. Does anyone know of some good ix86 multiple PCI bus motherboard that you have running Debian on ( even if a custom kernel was required (like for SMP))? J.Currey