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Path: sserve!newshost.anu.edu.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!msuinfo!agate!howland.reston.ans.net!europa.eng.gtefsd.com!news.umbc.edu!haven.umd.edu!ames!koriel!news2me.EBay.Sun.COM!engnews2.Eng.Sun.COM!orpheus!jackv From: jackv@orpheus.Eng.Sun.COM (Jack F. Vogel) Newsgroups: comp.os.386bsd.questions Subject: Re: Dual/Quad Pentium servers Date: 18 Sep 1994 23:00:19 GMT Organization: Sun Lines: 29 Message-ID: <35igq3$2no@engnews2.Eng.Sun.COM> References: <Robert-CCN.jrfq@sacbbx.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: orpheus.eng.sun.com In article <Robert-CCN.jrfq@sacbbx.com> Robert-CCN@sacbbx.com (Robert Du Gaue) writes: |I've been looking for a nice server machine recently and I'd like to |stay with an intel machine. I've seen ALR's 4 CPU pentium advertisement |as well as a couple of dual CPUS (Compaq, etc...) which according to the |ads look to be very nice servers. |My question is this. When adding a second, 3rd, or 4th CPU what kind of |speed increase would I expect with each addition under FreeBSD. And most |importantly, does FreeBSD take advantage of multi CPU boards? Is there |something special I need to do in order to use the multi-CPU systems or |will FreeBSD 'see' the additional processors and start using them for |additional processing power? The answer is unfortunately NO, NONE of the free BSD variants will run MP. Of course I don't know the hardware, but I owuld guess that it will RUN on the machine, it just won't initialize or do anything with the other CPUs. As someone who has worked on a couple of MP kernels, if someone wants to donate an MP motherboard (I will even foot the bill for the CPUs :-), I would LOVE to work on MP extensions to FreeBSD :-). Your only real MP options are commercial OS's right now. Disclaimer: Speaking only for myself, NOT SMI, naturally :-)! -- Jack F. Vogel Sun Microsystems Inc. jackv@Sun.COM