[NTLUG:Discuss] Router or switch? - (really New server)

[Kyle Davenport]

I have the 2469UNG dual 2400+ MP using the internal scsi.  I had to patch
my kernel for the latest scsi driver, but it's well supported and stable.
I think it works great, and the disk benchmarks I have done are as fast as
could be hoped for.  It still shocks me to see 100 megabyte transfers in
the blink of an eye.   I searched for some reference by Alan Cox, and all I
could find was his statement about a 64bit scsi controller being faster
than the on-board.  Probably so, but that's way more money; the on-board
scsi has the best performance to cost ratio.

The memory is a little slow - but the ecc is reliable.  The other server
features are very useful (like 6 hardware temperatures to let you know how
absurdly hot it is!)   I have to agree with Alan that this is a server type
machine - you don't want to be in the same room with all the noise.   But
it is a lot of fun being able to convert a dvd to divx in real time.

Kyle

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Date: Wed, 07 May 2003 02:46:37 -0500
From: Chris Cox <cjcox at acm.org>

Joel Sinor wrote:
....
>
> <snip>
> Hmm, well given all these problems, I think I will probably pass on the
> board.  I had planned for some time to build a machine based on one of
> the series of Tyan multiproc athlon boards, and recently read Alan Cox
> uses/likes these (but dislikes the built in scsi, recommending instead a
> scsi add-on card for that), and Fry's has consistently had the non-scsi
> version cheaper than I have foudn it on the internet, so I guess we are
> back to this one being the next machine I build.

I'm writing this from my Tyan SN2468UGN box (dual Athlon with dual
U160 Adaptec onboard).  I also have a dual channel HW SCSI
raid as well.  Haven't seen any issues with the onboard SCSI, but
I hear the newer U320 wasn't supported until very recently (that's
what you'll find on the SN2469UGN).  I like the 2468 vs. the 2469
though because you get the full bus mastering Vortex 3com controllers
vs. the cheapo Intel ones on the 2469 (though one is gigabit if that
is important on the 2469).

I run dual MP2400+... acpi enabled for pci (uses the higher irqs),
apic enabled (interrupt handling across both proceesors).  There's
not too many boards, dual or otherwise that support the advanced
server features like this.  I do have to use acpi=oldboot in order
to boot from my hardware raid though... but that's not a big deal.

For what it's worth, subjectively, my box seems signifcantly faster than
equivalent Xeons (2.4Ghz) that I've tried.  Could be the m/b... could
be the HW raid (LSI Elite 1600 w/128M cache)... not sure.

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