RoadWarrior
asked on
which of 2 PC's gives best performance?
Hello all,
I have 2 machines available, with one of which I want to set up a linux system to serve a cable modem to 2 or 3 other PC's, will have 2 network cards, one 10baseT to the cable modem, one 10base2 thin ethernet to the network. Here are my options, 486sx33 with 16mb of ram, 486dx50 with 8mb of ram. I am not buying new parts for this, the dx50 won't go on the sx's board and it's board has 8x30pin sockets which I only have 1mb simms for. The sx33 would take an enhanced ide VLB io card, but the dx50 is too fast for VLB, and anyway there isn't the linux support for it as far as I know.
What I want to know is, which system would be better to use as the router/gateway/bridge (however I set it up in the end) also if I later set up an Apache web server which of these would best cope?
thanks,
Road Warrior
I have 2 machines available, with one of which I want to set up a linux system to serve a cable modem to 2 or 3 other PC's, will have 2 network cards, one 10baseT to the cable modem, one 10base2 thin ethernet to the network. Here are my options, 486sx33 with 16mb of ram, 486dx50 with 8mb of ram. I am not buying new parts for this, the dx50 won't go on the sx's board and it's board has 8x30pin sockets which I only have 1mb simms for. The sx33 would take an enhanced ide VLB io card, but the dx50 is too fast for VLB, and anyway there isn't the linux support for it as far as I know.
What I want to know is, which system would be better to use as the router/gateway/bridge (however I set it up in the end) also if I later set up an Apache web server which of these would best cope?
thanks,
Road Warrior
ASKER
arikb
sorry, but I would prefer more opinions before I accept an answer, please keep tabs on this thread, I may award you the points after a week or so. thanks.
sorry, but I would prefer more opinions before I accept an answer, please keep tabs on this thread, I may award you the points after a week or so. thanks.
I do agree with arikb
arun.
arun.
i agree with arikb
No problem... just tell me when you want me to re-post the answer, as a comment to this question.
Memory is everything. I would generally agree with arikb, except to add that with 8MB of RAM, if you have it set up as a router, don't expect to be able to do much else on it without the whole thing slowing to an absolute crawl.
Since the difference in processor speed is only 1.5 times (the FPU on the DX isn't used *that* much here), I would say the memory is the overriding constraint.
Use the slower machine with more RAM. Compile yourself a custom kernel with as much compiled out as possible, to leave more free RAM, and be careful what services you have running. If it starts to swap the performance goes through the floor.
Matthew
Since the difference in processor speed is only 1.5 times (the FPU on the DX isn't used *that* much here), I would say the memory is the overriding constraint.
Use the slower machine with more RAM. Compile yourself a custom kernel with as much compiled out as possible, to leave more free RAM, and be careful what services you have running. If it starts to swap the performance goes through the floor.
Matthew
Umm, if posible take the sx machine with 4mg of RAM and a floppy unit as router and only as that, I usualy use slow machines with low memory as routers (as slow as 386SX 25mhz or less) for routing task they are enought, you must compile a small kernel for it (put only the needed things).
I suggest you this config:
Inet <-> SX with 4mg & FD <-> 10B2 <-> DX with 16 or more as WebServer, Proxy, etc ... <-> Rest of the home-network
I use this configuration with my customs to recicle old machines and use it as proxys, routers, email-servers, etc.
I suggest you this config:
Inet <-> SX with 4mg & FD <-> 10B2 <-> DX with 16 or more as WebServer, Proxy, etc ... <-> Rest of the home-network
I use this configuration with my customs to recicle old machines and use it as proxys, routers, email-servers, etc.
Rabs, read the question!
jeje ... I only sugest a config ... :-), taking into account the situation ... if better to use as bridge/router the DX machine and the SX machine as WebServer (memory considerations) ... btw maybe posible to change only the CPU's ?? (a DX50 for home-routing tasks is too much IMHO) }:-)
Rabs, read the question please!
1. The sx machine has 16MB, not 4MB.
2. Memory is *not* going to be transferred from machine to machine.
3. The dx50 cannot be transferred to the sx machine, so you may as well leave it in the machine with 8MB RAM.
Arguably, it would probably work a lot better to have both machines working hard. Then at least each machine only has to worry about some of the things you want done.
I think we are agreed generally that you should either:
1. Set up the dx50 as the router, and the sx33 as the server.
2. Set up the sx33 as both the router and the server - it would cope better than the dx50.
1. The sx machine has 16MB, not 4MB.
2. Memory is *not* going to be transferred from machine to machine.
3. The dx50 cannot be transferred to the sx machine, so you may as well leave it in the machine with 8MB RAM.
Arguably, it would probably work a lot better to have both machines working hard. Then at least each machine only has to worry about some of the things you want done.
I think we are agreed generally that you should either:
1. Set up the dx50 as the router, and the sx33 as the server.
2. Set up the sx33 as both the router and the server - it would cope better than the dx50.
mnw21, take it easy ... ;-), I was only suggesting diferents configs no more ... If the memory and the CPU can not been transfered I agree with your suggestion, that's all .. :-)
ASKER
Well I would like to have a few services running, and have some security too, and I don't think I should be using even an optimised kernel on just 4mb when I have 8mb available. There is a project called the linux router project, and for their single floppy minimum config they are recommending a 486 with 12mb. I want enough memory on the thing and enough spare cpu so I can log in and tinker with it while it is running too.
The sx 33 is on a nasty opti board that doesn't seem to like any clock setting above 33Mhz, and also I have not been able to get jumper settings for it. (don't bother asking for the bios string I turned the net upside down and shook it) but has the benefit of 3x72 and 4x30 simm sockets, whereas the DX is on a board that runs well at 50mhz (rare beast!) but only has 8x30pin sockets. I am considering another option at the moment I have a UMC 486SLC which seems to have some pentium optimisations in it, runs as fast as a dx2 66 at 40Mhz! so considering putting that in the SX's board with 16mb, it shouldn't need any jumper changes. Then maybe I can get everything running in one box, so then I could serve a few webpages, run a mail server, maybe run a local game server occasionally......
Anyway, so the general opinion seems to be that a lower mem machine is fine for a router, not necessarily needing to be fast and a higher mem machine is best when I want to start running servers, faster proc preferable if possible.
arikb you were right first so claim the points here.
mnw21, a thank you 50 points for clarifying things in the linux top level for you.
everyone else, thanks for participating!
Road Warrior
The sx 33 is on a nasty opti board that doesn't seem to like any clock setting above 33Mhz, and also I have not been able to get jumper settings for it. (don't bother asking for the bios string I turned the net upside down and shook it) but has the benefit of 3x72 and 4x30 simm sockets, whereas the DX is on a board that runs well at 50mhz (rare beast!) but only has 8x30pin sockets. I am considering another option at the moment I have a UMC 486SLC which seems to have some pentium optimisations in it, runs as fast as a dx2 66 at 40Mhz! so considering putting that in the SX's board with 16mb, it shouldn't need any jumper changes. Then maybe I can get everything running in one box, so then I could serve a few webpages, run a mail server, maybe run a local game server occasionally......
Anyway, so the general opinion seems to be that a lower mem machine is fine for a router, not necessarily needing to be fast and a higher mem machine is best when I want to start running servers, faster proc preferable if possible.
arikb you were right first so claim the points here.
mnw21, a thank you 50 points for clarifying things in the linux top level for you.
everyone else, thanks for participating!
Road Warrior
That certainly sounds like the best of both worlds. Good luck, and thanks.
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ASKER
Thanks arikb!
Oddly enough I have any number of 40mb harddrives I can use, [anybody want a st351 the damn things breed in my junk drawer :-) ] but there seems to be some universal law that prevents me from having more than 3 working floppy drives at any one time..... I buy another, one breaks! :-(
Oddly enough I have any number of 40mb harddrives I can use, [anybody want a st351 the damn things breed in my junk drawer :-) ] but there seems to be some universal law that prevents me from having more than 3 working floppy drives at any one time..... I buy another, one breaks! :-(
Oh, I know what you mean. And floppy disks tend to have a very short lifespan.
Where I work I receive a Windows 95 installation package with 18 diskettes with every new computer we buy. Needless to say I reformat them all; and install Win95 from a prepared image. That way I have lots of fair quality floppies.
Where I work I receive a Windows 95 installation package with 18 diskettes with every new computer we buy. Needless to say I reformat them all; and install Win95 from a prepared image. That way I have lots of fair quality floppies.
For the Apache server I suggest the slower machine with the more RAM. I recommend that you set them up so that one will be a server and the other the router. If you can't do that, run them both on the same machine, but then I would recommend the slower machine with more RAM, because RAM is significant once you start running applications on the machine.
BTW, what you need is a masquarading router. Look in: http://members.home.net/ipmasq/ for more details.