CDW has IBM Opteron servers.

Post #140,174 by Another Scott 2/5/04 11:02:49 PM Reply	CDW has IBM Opteron servers. E.g. [link\|http://www.cdw.com/shop/products/default.aspx?EDC=522353\|this]. $3179. It comes with a single 242 Opteron, but will take 2. Note - I've got no experience with this box, just pointing out that it exists. I'd personally suggest a good laptop, but that may make it tougher for you to escape work on your time off. :-( I wouldn't get anything too exotic if you intend to evaluate new kernels, etc. It's better to be a little more trailing edge so that you don't have to wait for drivers for bleeding edge stuff. E.g. 64-bit drivers for AMD may be an issue for a while yet. If I had to get a non-laptop, I'd get a SMP box with the fastest disk array I could afford and max it out with RAM. Have fun! Cheers, Scott.
Post #140,183 by broomberg 2/5/04 11:48:31 PM Reply	Too expensive, wrong type Check this one out: [link\|http://www.penguincomputing.com/store/tempest-2100.php\|http://www.penguinco.../tempest-2100.php]
Post #140,184 by Another Scott 2/5/04 11:59:11 PM Reply	But it's got a really ugly case! :-) I would certainly look at vendors other than CDW if you've got the time and the freedom to do so. You should be able to get much more bang for the buck. Best of luck! Cheers, Scott.
Post #140,197 by a6l6e6x 2/6/04 1:30:11 AM Reply	Tiger Direct alternative. [link\|http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=33681&Sku=SYX-XP-036074\|]. # Microsoft\ufffd Windows\ufffd XP Home Edition # AMD Athlon\ufffd 64-bit Processor 3000+* Learn More # Hypertransport\ufffd Technology (1600MHz Bus) # 1GB PC2700 DDR Memory Learn More # 120GB\ufffd 7200RPM Ultra ATA100 Hard Drive # CD-RW / DVD-RW Drive w/ Ulead VideoStudio 6 Learn More # Realtek\ufffd Integrated Audio # 128MB ATI\ufffd RADEON 9200 SE AGP 8x Video Card # 10/100Mbps Fast Ethernet Adapter Learn More # 56K v.92 Send/Receive Fax Modem # 7 in 1 Digital Media Reader # USB 2.0 and FireWire Interfaces! # Logitech Internet Keyboard and Optical Wheel Mouse. $1000 +S&H You can blow away the XP-Home. Alex The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled. -- Plutarch
Post #140,199 by deSitter 2/6/04 1:36:20 AM Reply	Did you even bother listening? Why the fuck are you buying another Intel machine when your boss just wrote you a blank check for whatever you fucking want?? It's completely clear that any challenge to MS, and any hope for UNIX on the desktop, is going to come from OS X. Here you have a chance to 1) get a magnificent machine 2) learn a new idiom 3) have a real GUI programming environment to work with 4) explore the crossover of open source Linux software with proprietary Apple OS X, something that NEEDS doing, and you're jacking off to Intel. Did we pass through some kind of "DUH" cloud recently? GET ME OFF THIS PLANET! -drl
Post #140,213 by Ashton 2/6/04 4:41:30 AM Reply	Amazing.. Now if I'd said that (no props).. so I didn't. But I akshully Thought that - in the sense of the Rx mentioned: Experimental machine What else (that's a contender at all) BUT.. a G5 OK going back to sleep.
Post #140,232 by broomberg 2/6/04 8:36:42 AM Reply	Context. The whole message. Missed. We are not talking desktop. Mine for my own comfort, but only as a side effect of this purchase, not as a goal. Business context goals are stated: new technology, workflow, data processing solutions, applications and Linux kernels. The start of this discussion with the boss was me referring to the dramatic IO speed increase the 2.6 kernel series had, and how nice it would be for Linux to surpass Sun as a mid-level Oracle database box, the type of thing we currently use Sun 450s for. Everything flows from the core business requirement, not from a personal play / learn desire. That is WHY I am trusted with these types of projects, since I can put aside my innate geek lust. So, to clarify: Should be able to run commercial Linux software, which means Intel / AMD. Applications in general mean Windows apps. For our industry. Data processing means a variety of data munging which could them be released on other boxes, so that means Linux or Windows, which means both for the box, ie: VMWare. Also, I do some low level data munging, so I need to take into account the "endian" of the box. Better to match the MF than the Sun. I seem to recall G5 will not match Intel or MF.
Post #140,282 by jake123 2/6/04 1:10:06 PM Reply	If money is no object I'd go for an SMP AMD64 based system. The point of this is research to replace other systems... so get the system that looks like it will deliver most bang for the buck, and be the logical jumping off point for the future development you're talking about. The fact that the new kernels are going to start off a bit squiffy (malodorous, you might say;) is not the point... the point is that you are going to be trying to develop two main sets from the use of this system; a skill set and a tool set that your firm can use. The skill set is about being able to build the systems they want, and the tool set is the combination of hardware and software you're going to use to do it. See if you can get them to spring for a two or four way, a boatload of RAM, and a nice RAID disk array, as well as the interfaces to go for massive cheap storage (eg- there's a new USB 2.0 box out that takes SATA and/or IDE drives, and interfaces with the PC via a USB cable). Then, you can get down and start messing around with the Right Way to tweak the bits... the kernel options, what's the good compiler, the good packages (postgres? Oracle?) for building the applications you need, and so on. Start making test applications, and running tests on them, for correctness, performance, and how long before it cracks under the load. Two years down the road... it may be time for a massive overhaul of your back room. --\n-------------------------------------------------------------------\n* Jack Troughton jake at consultron.ca \n [link\|http://consultron.ca\|http://consultron.ca] [link\|irc://irc.ecomstation.ca\|irc://irc.ecomstation.ca] \n Kingston Ontario Canada [link\|news://news.consultron.ca\|news://news.consultron.ca] *\n-------------------------------------------------------------------
Post #140,295 by broomberg 2/6/04 1:58:56 PM Reply	Agreed Except I want the Opteron, not the the AMD64. Difference in the IO. See Greg's continuing refinement for the baseline box. I assume I'll add an external SATA array for the additional database storage.
Post #140,305 by jake123 2/6/04 3:32:06 PM Reply	Well, when I said AMD64 I was talking about the line of 64 bit x86 compatible chips from AMD, not a particular chip. I don't know enough about the specific featuresets of their 64 bit line to be able to pick one. Prolly should've called it AMD x86-64 or something like that... --\n-------------------------------------------------------------------\n* Jack Troughton jake at consultron.ca \n [link\|http://consultron.ca\|http://consultron.ca] [link\|irc://irc.ecomstation.ca\|irc://irc.ecomstation.ca] \n Kingston Ontario Canada [link\|news://news.consultron.ca\|news://news.consultron.ca] *\n-------------------------------------------------------------------
Post #140,322 by CRConrad 2/6/04 4:51:10 PM Reply	You don't want the Athlon 64. They're both "AMD64". HTH!

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