Using a DELL as a Linux server
Jorrit Tyberghein
I'm investigating the possibility of using a DELL Linux server. Here
is the hardware configuration that we're interested in:
- Dell PowerEdge 4300
- 2x450 Mhz Intel Pentium II
- 512 MB ECC EDO RAM
- 3x9GB Ultra-2/LVD SCSI (7200rpm)
- Intel EtherExpress (PCI) Pro/100 MB/s Ethernet (TP)
- APC Smart-UPS 1400 VA
- SCSI controllers: Adaptec AIC-7890 Ultra-2/LVD and Adaptec AIC-7860 Ultra/Narrow SCSI-3
- 14/32x SCSI CD-ROM
- DDS-3 DAT driver 12/24 GB SCSI-3
I have a few questions:
- Will this setup work well with Linux? Any special things I should
worry about in this particular configuration?
- Will the 2 processors be supported by Linux?
- Is there an advantage over using the 10000rpm disks instead of
the 7200rpm disks?
- They propose 1,0'' and 1,6'' disks. The latter are more expensive.
What is the difference?
- They propose different tape drivers:
- DDS-3 DAT 8 tape autoloader 96/192 GB
- DLT 4000 drive 20/40 GB SCSI-3
- DLT 7000 drive 35/70 GB SCSI-3
What is the best choice here?
Greetings and thanks in advance,
--
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jorrit Tyberghein (Jorrit.T...@uz.kuleuven.ac.be)
Project Manager of Crystal Space, a free and portable 3D 6DOF portal engine.
More info at: http://crystal.linuxgames.com
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cedric Ware
Jorrit Tyberghein <Jorrit.T...@uz.kuleuven.ac.be> wrote:
>I'm investigating the possibility of using a DELL Linux server. Here
>is the hardware configuration that we're interested in:
>
> - Dell PowerEdge 4300
We have a 2300 here, which looks the same as what you describe, except
the 450 PII (we have 2x400), the third SCSI disk, the UPS, and the DAT.
It works fine as a CPU server, and I don't remember having had any
problems on install (RedHat 5.2, kernel 2.0.36-pre-something).
> - Will this setup work well with Linux? Any special things I should
> worry about in this particular configuration?
I think it should work, except for the UPS and the DAT, which I don't
know much about.
> - Will the 2 processors be supported by Linux?
Yes, but you'll have to recompile the kernel with SMP support. (Uncomment
SMP=1 in the Makefile for 2.0.xx, or simply select the option for 2.2.x).
You might want to use a 2.2 kernel series, as their SMP support is said
to be better than that of the 2.0. However, we have yet to try it on our
server - we had mixed results with 2.1.131, but hopefully 2.2 is stabler.
> - Is there an advantage over using the 10000rpm disks instead of
> the 7200rpm disks?
Their being faster? :-)
> - They propose 1,0'' and 1,6'' disks. The latter are more expensive.
> What is the difference?
\begin{I don't know anything about the problem but I think...}
Perhaps they have more heads, which would make them faster in sustained
transfer rate? Anybody correct me?
\end{...}
> - They propose different tape drivers:
[8<]
Don't know about that one.
Hope this helps,
Cedric.
John F. Johnson III
you going to serve? Also do you have much *nix knowledge. One thing that can
lead to unstability is if you are going to run X on the machine. But as a
raw FTP, HTTP, and shell access it should do well. The only thing I am not
familiar with is the UPS end of Linux.
Jorrit Tyberghein wrote in message <919860940.933481@marvin>...
>Hi,
>
>I'm investigating the possibility of using a DELL Linux server. Here
>is the hardware configuration that we're interested in:
>
> - Dell PowerEdge 4300
> - 2x450 Mhz Intel Pentium II
> - 512 MB ECC EDO RAM
> - 3x9GB Ultra-2/LVD SCSI (7200rpm)
> - Intel EtherExpress (PCI) Pro/100 MB/s Ethernet (TP)
> - APC Smart-UPS 1400 VA
> - SCSI controllers: Adaptec AIC-7890 Ultra-2/LVD and Adaptec AIC-7860
Ultra/Narrow SCSI-3
> - 14/32x SCSI CD-ROM
> - DDS-3 DAT driver 12/24 GB SCSI-3
>
>I have a few questions:
> - Will this setup work well with Linux? Any special things I should
> worry about in this particular configuration?
> - Will the 2 processors be supported by Linux?
> - Is there an advantage over using the 10000rpm disks instead of
> the 7200rpm disks?
> - They propose 1,0'' and 1,6'' disks. The latter are more expensive.
> What is the difference?
> - They propose different tape drivers:
John
919860940.933481@marvin...
>Hi,
>
>I'm investigating the possibility of using a DELL Linux server. Here
>is the hardware configuration that we're interested in:
>
> - Dell PowerEdge 4300
> - 2x450 Mhz Intel Pentium II
> - 512 MB ECC EDO RAM
> - 3x9GB Ultra-2/LVD SCSI (7200rpm)
> - Intel EtherExpress (PCI) Pro/100 MB/s Ethernet (TP)
> - APC Smart-UPS 1400 VA
> - SCSI controllers: Adaptec AIC-7890 Ultra-2/LVD and Adaptec AIC-7860
Ultra/Narrow SCSI-3
> - 14/32x SCSI CD-ROM
> - DDS-3 DAT driver 12/24 GB SCSI-3
>
>I have a few questions:
> - Will this setup work well with Linux? Any special things I should
> worry about in this particular configuration?
2 options would be redundant PSU and a RAID controller. There are
Red Hat drivers for the PERC2/SC, which isn't expensive.
> - Will the 2 processors be supported by Linux?
I'm not sure Dell officially support SMP with Linux, as some have
found it a little buggy. But hey, its Linux.
> - Is there an advantage over using the 10000rpm disks instead of
> the 7200rpm disks?
10-15% if they are being pushed
> - They propose 1,0'' and 1,6'' disks. The latter are more expensive.
> What is the difference?
The standard 4300 has 6x1.6" backplane. There is also a 8x1" backplane
available. The 9Gb are 1" (but will fit 1.6" backplane). The larger disks
tend to be 1.6", so when the 36Gb appear they will be 1.6". The choice
is more and smaller, or fewer but bigger.
> - They propose different tape drivers:
> - DDS-3 DAT 8 tape autoloader 96/192 GB
> - DLT 4000 drive 20/40 GB SCSI-3
> - DLT 7000 drive 35/70 GB SCSI-3
DLT costs more, but is better on every other count.
edi...@my-dejanews.com
"Jorrit Tyberghein" <Jorrit.T...@uz.kuleuven.ac.be> wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I'm investigating the possibility of using a DELL Linux server. Here
> is the hardware configuration that we're interested in:
>
We're in a similar boat. I'm about to install Linux on a PowerEdge 2300. I've
read several postings from people reporting success, and Dell itself will
install Linux on servers under special circumstances.
> - Will this setup work well with Linux? Any special things I should
> worry about in this particular configuration?
Unless you compile a special boot disk for some other distribution, the only
version of Linux that really supports the Dell systems more or less out of the
box is Red Hat Linux. You can get special boot disk images from Dell that will
recognize both the AMI MegaRaid (PERC) controller and the Adaptec controller
(so that you can install from the Red Hat CD onto the internal drive array).
Here's the URL for your model:
http://support.dell.com/filelib/system.asp?sysid=PWE_PNT_PII_4300
Look toward the bottom of the page.
I believe the boot images for the PERC raid controller are also available
directly from the manufacturer, at www.ami.com or ftp.megatrends.com (the site
claims the driver isn't available; that's not technically true). You should
probably get these drivers at some point anyway, as you'll need them if you
recompile the kernel.
> - Will the 2 processors be supported by Linux?
Yes, but you'll have to recompile the kernel with SMP support.
> - Is there an advantage over using the 10000rpm disks instead of
> the 7200rpm disks?
> - They propose 1,0'' and 1,6'' disks. The latter are more expensive.
> What is the difference?
The drive carriers will take either; we're using 7200 1.0" drives right now.
Frankly, with the right RAID configuration, the 80MB/s throughput of the
Ultra2/LVD SCSI bus makes the difference in drive speeds marginal in all but
the most I/O intensive situations.
> - They propose different tape drivers:
> - DDS-3 DAT 8 tape autoloader 96/192 GB
> - DLT 4000 drive 20/40 GB SCSI-3
> - DLT 7000 drive 35/70 GB SCSI-3
> What is the best choice here?
DLT is better but more expensive. Linux will work fine with either.
If anyone has actually *installed* Linux on a PE 2300 (as opposed to just
being in the planning stages), I'd like to hear his or her experiences.
Erik Diehn
Systems Engineer
Comet Systems, Inc.
er...@remove-this-to-reply.cometsystems.com
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wiri...@my-dejanews.com
wa...@news.ens.fr (Cedric Ware) wrote:
..clip..
> Yes, but you'll have to recompile the kernel with SMP support. (Uncomment
> SMP=1 in the Makefile for 2.0.xx, or simply select the option for 2.2.x).
> You might want to use a 2.2 kernel series, as their SMP support is said
> to be better than that of the 2.0. However, we have yet to try it on our
> server - we had mixed results with 2.1.131, but hopefully 2.2 is stabler.
..clip
2.2.x should be more stable...the way linux kernel release number works:
MM.mm.bb-pp
MM = Major release number
mm = minor release number, where even numbers are stable release,
and odd numbers are development branch..no stable
bb = build numbers
pp = patch numbers
Right now 2.2.x is the stable release and 2.3 should be the latest
development codes but not guaranteed stable.
Thomas Bendler
>
> In article <919860940.933481@marvin>,
> "Jorrit Tyberghein" <Jorrit.T...@uz.kuleuven.ac.be> wrote:
> > Hi,
> >
> > I'm investigating the possibility of using a DELL Linux server. Here
> > is the hardware configuration that we're interested in:
> >
> Unless you compile a special boot disk for some other distribution, the only
> version of Linux that really supports the Dell systems more or less out of the
> box is Red Hat Linux. You can get special boot disk images from Dell that will
> recognize both the AMI MegaRaid (PERC) controller and the Adaptec controller
> (so that you can install from the Red Hat CD onto the internal drive array).
> Here's the URL for your model:
>
> http://support.dell.com/filelib/system.asp?sysid=PWE_PNT_PII_4300
>
> Look toward the bottom of the page.
>
> I believe the boot images for the PERC raid controller are also available
> directly from the manufacturer, at www.ami.com or ftp.megatrends.com (the site
> claims the driver isn't available; that's not technically true). You should
> probably get these drivers at some point anyway, as you'll need them if you
> recompile the kernel.
Hi Erik,
I heard the same asking for Dell Server support. The only difference I
heard is that the PERC/2 SC controller is based on the SymbiosLogic
53C895 chipset wich is also support by the SuSE distribution. I get a
Dell Server end of next week so I will try to install the SuSE
distribution. I will post if this project succeed.
regards Thomas
Sysadmin