Re: server recomendations

[Jochen Kunz <jkunz%unixag-kl.fh-kl.de@localhost>]

On Sun, 17 Feb 2008 15:01:07 -0700 (MST)
Al - image hosting services <azick%zickswebventures.com@localhost> wrote:

> So, I guess the question is does anyone use PCI cards in a SB 100 and
> if so, what version of NetBSD are you using?
No SB100 here, but a U5 and a U60 running some -current from last year.
I use USB and FireWire cards in them as well as tlp(4) and fxp(4)
network cards. Just Works (C) (R) (TM).

> I have heard both really bad things and really good things about
> sparc64.
There are some issues. SMP is an ongoing effort and not usable at the
moment. There where some serious threading problems. They are resolved
in -current but 4.0 still suffers from then. I was not able to use
Firefox on sparc64 with the old threading system. With the new one in
-current Firefox runs as nice (or bad) as on any other platform. So if
you use a UltraSPARC for your server I recommend -current. Unfortunately
slight instability is the nature of -current. You have to try and
find a "stable point" in -current, that works for you.

An other point is third party software. sparc64 is 64 bit and big
endian. There is a surprising number of software out there with 64 bit
bugs. (I am still huntig a 64 bit bug in xpdf or one of the libs it
uses.) A big endian architecture is very unforgiving to this class of
bugs.
-- 


tschüß,
       Jochen

Homepage: http://www.unixag-kl.fh-kl.de/~jkunz/