Subject: Re: hydra?
To: Neil A. Carson <neil@causality.com>
From: David Brownlee <abs@netbsd.org>
List: port-arm32
Date: 05/22/2000 22:33:48
On Fri, 19 May 2000, Neil A. Carson wrote:

> Nope, you can't do SMP with ARMs. The most the API was going to do
> (which is similar to the stuff I worked on in the RISC OS support code)
> was allow you to 'dd' some code to a /dev/hydracpu0, /dev/hydracpu1,
> etc. We discussed some wacky other stuff at the time, but the hardware
> makes it too hard.
> 
> The best you can maybe do is some sort of distributed-type approach but
> that's tough to do in a useful manner with a monolithic kernel, unless
> you run one kernel on each CPU.
> 
> In any case, it's all academic value now anyway: The product's dead, the
> machine's bus crippled it anyway, blahdy blah etc.

	NetBSD runs on quite a few dead products with interesting hardware
	issues (32K pagesize on arm26 anyone :), and limited numbers
	(the pc532), but that doesn't make it any less interesting for
	those who want to code, or those who just want to run. 

	While we may not have anyone currently interested in working on
	a port, I'd like to mention it on the potential ports page - does
	anyone have a link to a page containing information on the hydra?

		David/absolute
				       -- www.netbsd.org: No hype required --