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Newsgroups: comp.os.386bsd.questions Path: sserve!newshost.anu.edu.au!munnari.oz.au!news.Hawaii.Edu!ames!pacbell.com!amdahl!netcomsv!netcom.com!hasty From: hasty@netcom.com (Amancio Hasty Jr) Subject: Re: DISK LIGHT HANG !#@*&!!! Message-ID: <hastyCG75y8.730@netcom.com> Organization: Netcom Online Communications Services (408-241-9760 login: guest) References: <1993Nov3.190751.17591@sifon.cc.mcgill.ca> <1993Nov8.015518.23306@news.qut.edu.au> Date: Mon, 8 Nov 1993 23:44:31 GMT Lines: 32 Three things: The bsd drivers don't use DMA Many times the geometry layout of the disk is not optimized sometimes you can get a four fold improvement by just properly fine tuning your file system. A nice item for a FAQ. Memory, the more that you have the merrier it is. At work I have 20MB of memory and I don't have any problems running X and compiling large C++ programs. I strongly suspect that compiling X on my 486DX33 is faster than on my sparc II with a scsi. -------- There is a new generation of scsi disk drives with higher RPM be in the look out for them. I think that IBM is selling one a 1GB with 5400 RPM and I saw listed here in Silicon Valley for $1000. If memory does not failed the more traditional scsi drives are about 3600 RPM. VLB and EISA can help you but I suspect that the kernel needs more work. Amancio -- This message brought to you by the letters X and S and the number 3 Amancio Hasty | Home: (415) 495-3046 | ftp-site depository of all my work: e-mail hasty@netcom.com | sunvis.rtpnc.epa.gov:/pub/386bsd/X