You really should consider management of the machines.
With a sun, with serial console you can do _any_ thing you need to do with the box. This includes changing boot devices, and other BIOS features. Being able to do almost everything through the console port is a great feature.
With the x86, you'll need a monitor and keyboard to do changes like that. That may mean a trip to the data center.
(If you can't tell, I like suns)
Considering that Linux only runs on 32-bit and some 64-bit platforms, your chances for finding a configuration involving a 16-bit microprocessor are slim.
I can understand the desire for small configurations, but perhaps you should consider a real embeded operating system, or a custom one.
If its PC hardware, sending a break over the serial port does the same as SysRq, so if you got a console server(these let you use serial ports over the network, you usually telnet into them and then pick a port) you could do all the Magic SysRq stuff remotely... Combine this with a somthing to do remote poweroffs, a modern bios that does serial console stuff (lets you config the bios), a properly configured bootloader, and a properly configured kernel and you'll never need a physical console (excluding hardware failures).
The US does have somthing like what you are talking about, we call it PBS(Public Broadcasting System). Its amusing beacuse 1) there are no commercials, and 2) their programming doesnt suck.
there are some explainations for this. It could be a single subnet advetised by several netblocks with BGP. Under this arrangement packets would take what seeemd to be the shortest path to a dns server, and you get geographic load balanceing.
Linux doesnt scale well past two processors, so with a massive 8 way sun box running linux, you lose a bit of preformance. However, on a uniprocessor box, Linux would function just as well as Solaris. Now depending on the situation you could make a very good case for linux(perhaps a standard operating system, custom app, or staff knowledge) or one for solaris(binary compatibility with big suns, ease of maintence(jumpstart), corporate prebuilt packages). For a single processor box, its not that one clearly leads the other.
However, for a multiprocessor box, yes anyone running linux on it is insane. Im intrested in what makes you prefer solaris(symantics, os feature, preformance, or...). I've used and admined a bunch of sun boxes, and I always find them sorta different, with some nice features(serial consoles!) and some bad ones(the stock vi). Why do you prefer it?
Actually, you can disable echo in inetd, and you most likely should. Echo provides a nice DOS, one byte sent to it, uses two (send and reply) on your net connection, and you dont really need it.
but it isn't for massively parrellel boxes. The kernel doesnt scale well, and its not optmized for the boxes. You would be much better off buying your {alpha,sun,ibm,sgi} and running {tru64?,solaris,aix,irix}.
If you mean to consider a beowolf or MOSIX cluster of linux machines, then linux is a decent choice, but a cluster does not function the same as a shared memory supercomputer, and you will have to write programs in a different way to be able to use the clustering. This might be a problem, or it might not be.
When you get 1.0.31 and 1.0.4 for example? Which is greater? is the first.30 (as in 29 + 1) or.30(as in.3 +.01). Which should sort first I would avise against having many two digit patch levels. Also the linux kernel's odd vs even minor numbers is nice, lets you know which are stable.
I see suggestions for both scaling horizontally and vertically, and support contracts. I think what you really need is a load balanced cluster of coffee machines with a RAIC(Redunant Array of Inexpensive Coffee). Also look into a platnum support contract with 4 hour "spare in the air" service. You can justify all of this beacuse your coffee maker is _oviously_ mission critical to your compnay:-)
Well, not if they use the BGP subscription.(With BGP you drop _all_ traffic). I think thats what jamie was talking about by using RBL, the BGP session.
There are perl scritps that will update a DNS zone based on the leases file(check freshmeat). Also consider using DHCP to issue leases based on MAC address(basically static assignment) and then using DNS for name resoultion.
Slashdot Mirror
You really should consider management of the machines. With a sun, with serial console you can do _any_ thing you need to do with the box. This includes changing boot devices, and other BIOS features. Being able to do almost everything through the console port is a great feature. With the x86, you'll need a monitor and keyboard to do changes like that. That may mean a trip to the data center. (If you can't tell, I like suns)
/*
*Not a Sermon, Just a Thought
*/
Considering that Linux only runs on 32-bit and some 64-bit platforms, your chances for finding a configuration involving a 16-bit microprocessor are slim. I can understand the desire for small configurations, but perhaps you should consider a real embeded operating system, or a custom one.
/*
*Not a Sermon, Just a Thought
*/
Does anyone else find it ironic that they have "quench" in their name? The true patent company.
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*Not a Sermon, Just a Thought
*/
- Enabling Appletalk on Your Netware box this is ok, limited password length and cleartext authentication(ick). But its simple, and works with any mac
- Native IPX clients for MacOS This works much better, is cleaner, and faster. No real reason no to use this
We havn't had any problems with our macs speaking IPX to our netware servers.*Not a Sermon, Just a Thought
*/
You still have that shared bandwidth problem at the DSLAM itself, phone companies often oversell the bandwidth _out_ of the CO.
/*
*Not a Sermon, Just a Thought
*/
FreeBSD!
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I know you didnt suggest it, but its free, and has an excellent NFS subsystem.
*Not a Sermon, Just a Thought
*/
http://library.thinkquest.org/C006300/main.htm
/*
*Not a Sermon, Just a Thought
*/
A runbook.
/*
Thats what they really need, its a if-this-is-the-problem, do this book.
*Not a Sermon, Just a Thought
*/
If its PC hardware, sending a break over the serial port does the same as SysRq, so if you got a console server(these let you use serial ports over the network, you usually telnet into them and then pick a port) you could do all the Magic SysRq stuff remotely... Combine this with a somthing to do remote poweroffs, a modern bios that does serial console stuff (lets you config the bios), a properly configured bootloader, and a properly configured kernel and you'll never need a physical console (excluding hardware failures).
/*
*Not a Sermon, Just a Thought
*/
The US does have somthing like what you are talking about, we call it PBS(Public Broadcasting System). Its amusing beacuse 1) there are no commercials, and 2) their programming doesnt suck.
/*
*Not a Sermon, Just a Thought
*/
there are some explainations for this. It could be a single subnet advetised by several netblocks with BGP. Under this arrangement packets would take what seeemd to be the shortest path to a dns server, and you get geographic load balanceing.
/*
*Not a Sermon, Just a Thought
*/
Its rather heard to port binaries. I belive he was reffering to the source being available, not that it was gpl'd
/*
*Not a Sermon, Just a Thought
*/
Linux doesnt scale well past two processors, so with a massive 8 way sun box running linux, you lose a bit of preformance. However, on a uniprocessor box, Linux would function just as well as Solaris. Now depending on the situation you could make a very good case for linux(perhaps a standard operating system, custom app, or staff knowledge) or one for solaris(binary compatibility with big suns, ease of maintence(jumpstart), corporate prebuilt packages). For a single processor box, its not that one clearly leads the other.
...). I've used and admined a bunch of sun boxes, and I always find them sorta different, with some nice features(serial consoles!) and some bad ones(the stock vi). Why do you prefer it?
/*
However, for a multiprocessor box, yes anyone running linux on it is insane. Im intrested in what makes you prefer solaris(symantics, os feature, preformance, or
*Not a Sermon, Just a Thought
*/
Actually, you can disable echo in inetd, and you most likely should. Echo provides a nice DOS, one byte sent to it, uses two (send and reply) on your net connection, and you dont really need it.
/*
*Not a Sermon, Just a Thought
*/
but it isn't for massively parrellel boxes. The kernel doesnt scale well, and its not optmized for the boxes. You would be much better off buying your {alpha,sun,ibm,sgi} and running {tru64?,solaris,aix,irix}.
/*
If you mean to consider a beowolf or MOSIX cluster of linux machines, then linux is a decent choice, but a cluster does not function the same as a shared memory supercomputer, and you will have to write programs in a different way to be able to use the clustering. This might be a problem, or it might not be.
*Not a Sermon, Just a Thought
*/
When you get 1.0.31 and 1.0.4 for example? Which is greater? is the first .30 (as in 29 + 1) or .30(as in .3 + .01). Which should sort first I would avise against having many two digit patch levels. Also the linux kernel's odd vs even minor numbers is nice, lets you know which are stable.
/*
*Not a Sermon, Just a Thought
*/
I see suggestions for both scaling horizontally and vertically, and support contracts. I think what you really need is a load balanced cluster of coffee machines with a RAIC(Redunant Array of Inexpensive Coffee). Also look into a platnum support contract with 4 hour "spare in the air" service. You can justify all of this beacuse your coffee maker is _oviously_ mission critical to your compnay :-)
/*
*Not a Sermon, Just a Thought
*/
... Do you really want to work for a company like that?
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*Not a Sermon, Just a Thought
*/
I remember when they switched from Pascal to C++. It seems like they are switching lanugages every 3 years.
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*Not a Sermon, Just a Thought
*/
apt-cache search stuff check it out
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*Not a Sermon, Just a Thought
*/
Well, not if they use the BGP subscription.(With BGP you drop _all_ traffic). I think thats what jamie was talking about by using RBL, the BGP session.
/*
*Not a Sermon, Just a Thought
*/
http://www.goatse.cx isnt blocked. They cant even get one of the most disgusting things ever blocked.
/*
*Not a Sermon, Just a Thought
*/
There are perl scritps that will update a DNS zone based on the leases file(check freshmeat). Also consider using DHCP to issue leases based on MAC address(basically static assignment) and then using DNS for name resoultion.
/*
*Not a Sermon, Just a Thought
*/
If you can afford it go with exodus. They rock, and have several data centers near NoVa.
/*
*Not a Sermon, Just a Thought
*/
Using the term cluster in that sense is common with solaris boxes, in fact Veritas sells a product("Veritas Cluster Server") which does just that.
/*
I think that someone just made it up to confuse people, I try to refer to them as a "HA Cluster" or a "Computing Cluter"
*Not a Sermon, Just a Thought
*/