[K12OSN] K12LTSP on dual opterons?

[Terrell Prude', Jr.]

Robert Arkiletian wrote:

>>Date: Fri, 5 Mar 2004 16:07:33 -1000 (HST)
>>From: Nakashima <pnakashi at k12.hi.us>
>>To: <k12osn at redhat.com>
>>Subject: Re: [K12OSN] K12LTSP on dual opterons?
>>Reply-To: k12osn at redhat.com
>>
>>We have been very happy with our dual opteron server. However, this is my
>>first and only exposure to fedora and k12ltsp 4.0.0 and therefore I have
>>nothing to compare it against. We're currently running 16 clients on it,
>>but have plans to move to 30. All of our success can be attributed to top
>>notch tech support from Warren, Vince, Ray, and the rest of the HOSEF
>>team. I don't know where we would be without them.
>>
>>
>>Date: Fri, 05 Mar 2004 21:14:04 -0500
>>From: Konstantin Ryabitsev <icon at linux.duke.edu>
>>Organization: Linux at DUKE
>>To: k12osn at redhat.com
>>Subject: Re: [K12OSN] K12LTSP on dual opterons?
>>Reply-To: k12osn at redhat.com
>>
>>Duke Physics high performance computing cluster is using about 12
>>dual opterons so far, running FC1 for x86_64. They are working quite
>>well -- no complaints from the users so far.
>>    
>>
>
>
>My school is also considering dual opterons. I would like to know what 
>motherboard are you guys using? Also, what are your hard drives? SCSI or  
>SATA? and if you are using any RAID setup? 
>
>Robert
>  
>

Though I'm not using dual Opterons, I am using dual Athlons, and they 
rock.  I now have two K12LTSP servers, one using a MSI K7D Master, and 
the other (my first one) using a Tyan Tiger MP.  Both have 4GB DRAM and 
single IDE disks.  The MSI box hasn't gotten any real field testing yet, 
but the Tyan box, with the same CPUs and DRAM, has been providing 
service to 25 kids for close to a year now and is not really breathing 
very hard.  The MSI box thus far has seemed quite friendly to GNU/Linux, 
Red Hat 7.3 to FC1 (K12LTSP 4.0).  I've even tried Lindows 4.0 and 4.5 
on it, and FreeBSD 5.1, just for fun, w/ no issues.  Fast as a bat out 
of hell.

Some will argue, correctly in my opinion, that SCSI is faster for things 
like RAID and multiple accesses, but you've got to ask yourself if it's 
needed in your specific environment.  I've learned that a single IDE 
disk is just dandy in mine, thus saving me a nice chunk of $, and the 
kids have no complaints other than that they can't install whatever 
Windows game from home that they feel like.  :-)

You may be able, therefore, to save yourself some money and go with a 
dual Athlon solution similar to mine.  BTW, I've discovered, with the 
MSI K7D Master, that not every SMP-capable Athlon mobo allows for 
non-MP-series Athlons (the Tiger MP will even do it with Durons!).  I 
actually had to get a pair of Athlon MPs for both CPUs to be 
recognized.  Still considerably less, though, than Opteron chips.  And 
yes, I wish I could afford Opterons--them things are FAAAAAST!  :-)

--TP