🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <68vjcd$d4v$1@meteora.areti.com>
           chris@meteora.areti.com "Chris Green" writes:

> On a related subject I have to decide between a 486DX4/100 and a
> NexGen P90 (no FPU) for setting up a RedHat Linux system.  It's main
> function will be as a file server running Samba.
> 
> Which will be better the 486DX/100 or the NexGen?

If I remember right, the CPU external clock for the 486 is 33MHz.  If 
the NexGen chip has a faster external clock (A genuine Intel P90 
certainly does) that will give it an edge.  I doubt that the FPU will be 
missed.

> Also I have a choice of SCSI or IDE disks, SCSI will probably be a
> 2742 controller (VL-bus), again which will be better?  I am leaning
> towards SCSI but I'm not totally convinced.

SCSI can be a bit confusing in all its variations, but looks to be the 
way to go.  I'm a little puzzled by the reference to a VL-bus card--does 
the NexGen P90 use a 486-motherboard?  

> The system won't run X and does no dial-up, PPP or anything like that.
> Just an SMB server and maybe some TCP/IP networking (Web server,
> telnet into it, FTP, etc.).

Conventional wisdom for file servers is that buying RAM has more effect 
than buying CPU power.  But I heard that about Netware, rather than 
Linux/Unix.  Even so, it's the graphical interface that soaks up clock 
cycles.

-- 
David G. Bell -- Farmer, SF Fan, Filker, Furry, and Punslinger..