[ale] Dual Processor Boards & Linux...

[jeff_hubbs at mcgraw-hill.com]

Jay -

Especially for what you're describing, I'd only use IDE if I simply had no
other choice.  I got a PCI-bus Diamond SCSI card for $90 and a
Symbios-Logic-based card that doesn't have its own BIOS setup for $60 at
Delta Computers in Morrow.  Both work, but I am only using the Diamond
right now because it's easy to boot from it in the machine it's in.  Maybe
you could put / on IDE and everything else on SCSI if you wanted to split
the difference and make use of an IDE drive that you otherwise wouldn't.

- Jeff.






Jay Finch <horus at larp.com> on 12/28/98 03:57:57 PM

To:   ale at cc.gatech.edu
cc:    (bcc: Jeff Hubbs/Tower)

Subject:  Re: [ale] Dual Processor Boards & Linux...




At 03:49 PM 12/28/98 -0500, jeff_hubbs at mcgraw-hill.com wrote:
>
>Thus Spake Jay Finch:
>>Hrm -- Well then, let me explain what I use my machine for and I hope you
>>can advise me.
>
>>My server, LARP.COM (http://www.larp.com), is mainly running web
services,
>>PostGres-SQL, some FTP services, and some basic compiling.  Would a
>>dual-processor board help speed up these types of functions, or would I
be
>>better suited looking at just a processor upgrade?  (I'm running a P150
w/
>>128MB of RAM right now, looking at upgrading to Dual-P200's with 256MB of
>RAM)
>
>Okay, well, your dual CPU-box would tend to mitigate the degree to which
>the various things you've listed will impact each other.  This would be
>especially relevant if you want your PostGres-SQL to integrate in some
>meaningful way with your Web server (as well you might, depending on the
>purpose of your Web site).  It would also smooth out the whack your Web
>users will take when you do your compiles.  Do note, though, that disk-I/O
>intensive operations are not helped much by more than one CPU (maybe
>unless, oddly enough, you're using IDE).  What you're doing sounds really
>interesting and I wish you the best with it.

     Excellent!  That was precisely the answer I was looking for.  Oddly
enough, I am using IDE, and I do plan on integrating PostGres with my
webserver (using PHP) ...

Thanks, everyone, for all your assistance.  Unless I hear something bad, it
looks like I'll be taking the plunge into SMB soon!

BTW -- I know that for Window$ requires all sorts of drivers for "special"
motherboards, but I've never had to use any for Linux.  Does anyone know if
there's anything specific I should look for to handle the SMB options of
that Tyan Motherboard I'm looking at?

Cheers!
Jay
-----
Jay Finch                       : "Don't it always seem to go,
Owner/GKE of NERO-Atlanta       :  That you don't know what you've
(770) 650-0410  (voice)         :  got 'til it's gone .....
(770) 902-3049  (pager)         :  They paved Paradise and put up
horus at larp.com                  :  a parking lot."
kateth at bck.org                  :               -- Joni Mitchell
MTBI Survey says:  ENXJ         :
      Check out my home page at:  http://www.photobooks.com/~horus/