Re: Rackmount Server for NetBSD in 2023

[neitzel%hackett.marshlabs.gaertner.de@localhost (Martin Neitzel)]

From bounces-netbsd-users-owner-neitzel=hackett.marshlabs.gaertner.de%NetBSD.org@localhost  Mon Nov 27 03:53:36 2023
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Date: Mon, 27 Nov 2023 15:53:12 +1300
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Subject: Re: Rackmount Server for NetBSD in 2023
To: Frank Wille <frank%phoenix.owl.de@localhost>, netbsd-users%NetBSD.org@localhost
From: Mark Davies <mark%ecs.vuw.ac.nz@localhost>
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On 15/11/23 04:07, Frank Wille wrote:
> The current server is a HP ProLiant DL360 G5, Xeon 5160 3GHz, supporting the
> HP hardware RAID via ciss(4).

As I just learned trying out 10RC1 on a DL360 G6 with an HP Smart
Array P410i RAID controller:

Yes, ciss(4) does recognize the controller but as the man page says:
there are no RAID config changes possible.  You can only view the
status of the logical & physical drives using bioctl(1).  You cannot
redefine logical drives with bioctl(1).

Other operations were hit and miss:

	+ turning the physical drives ID lights on/off worked
	- no info about the BBWC battery (I checked the associated envsys
	  section)
	- none of the "bioctl alarm" subcommands worked

Another thing a learned on this DL360 G6:  A Xeon 5550 has the VMX
and PTE flags but not not the UG="Unrestriced Guest" flag/feature.
This precludes the use of nvmm(4) virtualization.  I wish nvmm(4)
would be more transparant on its requirements, both in its man page
and in its diagnostic output.  I wouldn't have bothered with this
box at all if I had known before that it is unsuitable for nvmm(4).

						Martin Neitzel