RE: Multi-Processor support

[Bill Rees <bill_rees%firepower.com@localhost>]

Well the biggest issue running NetBSD on a BeBox is the lack of a mesi
protocol on the BeBox when running 603 chips.  NetBSD and most smp OSs
expect at a minimum that the memory system and the processors are reasonably
coherent with respect to each other.  If not, then you end up adding alot of
overhead to ensure that locks are treated correctly and that tasks migrate
to other processors under tightly controlled conditions.  These sorts of
requirements will hamper performance and scaling to more than 2 processors.

bill rees

>----------
>From:  tsarna%endicor.com@localhost[SMTP:tsarna%endicor.com@localhost]
>Sent:  Wednesday, October 23, 1996 5:20 PM
>To:    port-powerpc%NetBSD.ORG@localhost
>Subject:       Re: Multi-Processor support
>
>In article <199610230611.IAA06722%server.peacock.de@localhost>,
>Markus Illenseer  <markus%server.peacock.de@localhost> wrote:
>>  I have heard about that. NetBSD already does better than that, the
>biggest
>> problem for the Be-folks is the non-standard hardware and the missing
>> documentations. 
>
>Non-standard is relative. It's all off-the-shelf, fairly standard chips.
>NetBSD already has drivers for most of the stuff, I think. The most
>non-standard things are the GeekPort and the IR ports, and they can be
>ignored safely until someone feels the need to use them under NetBSD.
>