Re: What is best kernel/disto combination for SS20 SMP?
On Monday 05 Jul 2004 16:12, Gary Parker wrote: Hi all, I've been successfully running a stock Woody install on an SS5 70MHz/128MB for a year or so now as my home firewall/router/mail server but felt I'd outgrown it's limited processing power (wanting to do more with it) and recently treated myself to a SPARCstation 20 with 2x150Mhz Ross CPUs and 256MB RAM as an upgrade from eBay. So, what would people consider to be the best balance of up-to-date, yet stable, kernel and distribution for this machine? As far as I'm aware, no kernel is stable with even a single 150MHz Ross CPU, let alone two of them. It shouldn't make any difference which distro you choose, it's the kernel which is the problem. Compile the latest 2.4 from kernel.org and see if that's any better. But as I say, I don't think these CPUs play nicely with Linux at all, unless someone knows different? David. -- David Johnson http://www.david-web.co.uk/
Re: What is best kernel/disto combination for SS20 SMP?
Why wouldn't they? Don't all CPUs labeled as SPARC have to meet the SPARC specifications? On Mon, 5 Jul 2004, David Johnson wrote: Date: Mon, 5 Jul 2004 17:14:45 +0100 From: David Johnson [EMAIL PROTECTED] Reply-To: debian-sparc@lists.debian.org To: debian-sparc@lists.debian.org Subject: Re: What is best kernel/disto combination for SS20 SMP? Resent-Date: Mon, 5 Jul 2004 11:14:55 -0500 (CDT) Resent-From: debian-sparc@lists.debian.org On Monday 05 Jul 2004 16:12, Gary Parker wrote: Hi all, I've been successfully running a stock Woody install on an SS5 70MHz/128MB for a year or so now as my home firewall/router/mail server but felt I'd outgrown it's limited processing power (wanting to do more with it) and recently treated myself to a SPARCstation 20 with 2x150Mhz Ross CPUs and 256MB RAM as an upgrade from eBay. So, what would people consider to be the best balance of up-to-date, yet stable, kernel and distribution for this machine? As far as I'm aware, no kernel is stable with even a single 150MHz Ross CPU, let alone two of them. It shouldn't make any difference which distro you choose, it's the kernel which is the problem. Compile the latest 2.4 from kernel.org and see if that's any better. But as I say, I don't think these CPUs play nicely with Linux at all, unless someone knows different? David. -- David Johnson http://www.david-web.co.uk/ -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of unsubscribe. Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- Jessica L. Blank, Systems Administrator, twu.net Please avoid sending me Word, Excel or PowerPoint attachments. See http://www.fsf.org/philosophy/no-word-attachments.html
RE: What is best kernel/disto combination for SS20 SMP?
-Original Message- From: David Johnson [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: 05 July 2004 17:15 To: debian-sparc@lists.debian.org Subject: Re: What is best kernel/disto combination for SS20 SMP? As far as I'm aware, no kernel is stable with even a single 150MHz Ross CPU, let alone two of them. Arse It shouldn't make any difference which distro you choose, it's the kernel which is the problem. Compile the latest 2.4 from kernel.org and see if that's any better. Sorry, I used the wrong terminology, I was referring to Woody/Sarge/Sid/etc. But as I say, I don't think these CPUs play nicely with Linux at all, unless someone knows different? Please, someone know differently :) Gary
Re: What is best kernel/disto combination for SS20 SMP?
On Mon, 2004-07-05 12:15:27 -0400, JLB [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote in message [EMAIL PROTECTED]: Why wouldn't they? Don't all CPUs labeled as SPARC have to meet the SPARC specifications? It's not all *that* easy. There are optional parts which some CPU implement, others don't. IIRC there's an emulator for some instructions missing from some CPUs in the kernel, so that shouldn't be a problem for userland IFF the kernel was correctly build for the right type of CPU. Then, I'm not sure if the Ross CPUs are properly supported these days. Maybe ask on sparclinux@vger.kernel.org ... MfG, JBG -- Jan-Benedict Glaw [EMAIL PROTECTED]. +49-172-7608481 Eine Freie Meinung in einem Freien Kopf| Gegen Zensur | Gegen Krieg fuer einen Freien Staat voll Freier Bürger | im Internet! | im Irak! ret = do_actions((curr | FREE_SPEECH) ~(NEW_COPYRIGHT_LAW | DRM | TCPA)); signature.asc Description: Digital signature
Re: What is best kernel/disto combination for SS20 SMP?
- Original Message - From: David Johnson [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: debian-sparc@lists.debian.org Sent: Monday, July 05, 2004 5:14 PM Subject: Re: What is best kernel/disto combination for SS20 SMP? It shouldn't make any difference which distro you choose, it's the kernel which is the problem. Compile the latest 2.4 from kernel.org and see if that's any better. But as I say, I don't think these CPUs play nicely with Linux at all, unless someone knows different? Well...I did a bit of digging and Keith Wesolowski (The Man, it would seem, when it comes to Linux kernel SPARC development) had the following to say as of January and there doesn't seem to have been much more said on the subject in [EMAIL PROTECTED] since then: 2.4 is more or less hosed. I don't plan to fix it, no time. 2.6 boots UP and seems to work as well as SuperSPARC given the limited testing I've done so far. It may be possible later to backport whatever changes are made in 2.6, but frankly I don't recommend to use 2.4. If you want to help development, use 2.6. If you need first rate stability, use 2.2. That pretty much precludes any use of iptables as it depends on kernel 2.4.x and hence renders my new firewall/router machine kinda useless :( Ah well, guess it's going to have to wait in the loft until 2.6.x runs a little more happily on 32bit SMP or I might try my luck with 2.4.x Or I could put Solaris on it... /me ducks to avoid incoming fire Gary
