[mythtv-users] Dual Core or Dual CPU??

[Gene Stapp]

On 8/6/07, Gene Stapp <genestapp at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> On 8/4/07, GyroTech <gyrotech[at]freakinabox.com> wrote:
> > I was looking at forking out for a dual Opteron setup, but since these
> > Core 2 Duos have come out they seem to be able to handle a fair grunt.
> > So, has anyone worked with either\both setups care to give me an honest
> > opinion on what they would do. Obviously the Intel chips and lower power
>
> > and price on their side, but Opterons have the increased bus bandwidth
> > (which helps greatly in the transcoding) and redundancy on their side.
>
> I'll throw my hat into the ring. I don't have exactly the system I'm
> recommending but mine won't work for you due to the requirement of 4 pci
> slots. I am using backend only Asus P5W DH deluxe and a Intel E2160 core 2
> duo processor (undervolted). This server also does my mail system,
> torrenting, usenet downloads and ftp/web serving.
>
> I would recommend this hardware for you due to a combination of reasons:
> Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-M61P-S3 Socket AM2 - 4 pci slots, 2 x1 pci-e
> slots and a pci-e x16 slot (usable at x8 for other cards) along with a built
> in geforce 6100 among other things. Very nice board.
> Processor: I'd go with the AMD be-2300 due to it only using 45 watts of
> power and performing between a 3800+x2 and a 4400+x2. Cost of about eighty
> five dollars. Or you could go with a 3600+x2 for sixty five dollars but it
> will cost you more in the long run if it's always on due to long term power
> costs.
>
> I've got two software raids of 5 sata 2 drives at the moment. The way I
> would go about using that motherboard with software raid would be to get a
> single pci-e x1 sata 2 Silicon image chipset card that has 2 channels. Then
> use a 5 port - Sata port multiplier of these types:
>
> PMP support is tested with the following controllers.
>
> * Silicon Image 3124	(1095:3124)
> * Silicon Image 3132	(1095:3132)
> * Intel ICH9R		(8086:2922)
> * JMicron JMB360	(197b:2360)
> * JMicron JMB363	(197b:2363)
>
>
> With the following Port Multipliers.
>
> * Silicon Image 3726	(1095:3726)
> * Silicon Image 4726	(1095:4726)
> * Silicon Image 5744	(1095:5744)
>
> Information on port multiplier patch for current linux kernel is here:
> http://home-tj.org/wiki/index.php/Libata-tj-stable
>
> I have two silicon image 3132s, and a Jmicron JMB360 along with two
> addonics internal port multipliers. Cost of port multiplier and pci-e x1
> sata 2 channel card = around a hundred dollars. Maximum speed through pci-3
> x1 interface is 250MB/s.
> WIth linux software raid you can do online capacity expansion. I've done
> this about 5 times now and added the entry on how to do it to the myth raid
> wiki. I use xfs and it can take anywhere from 3 to 8 hours for a drive to be
> fully added to a raid 5 array.
> Now with the motherboard above and using port multipliers and multiple
> pci-e sata 2 cards you have expandability of greater than 80 drives. Each x1
> card is two channel and can handle two port multipliers. Also on the x16
> slot you could put a x4 or greater pci-e card in there that supports port
> mulipliers and have 4 (largest one I've seen currently that has those
> chipsets above) or more available channels for even more port multipliers.
> :)
>
> Using the xfs file system and chunk sizes of 256KB the speeds on the raid
> arrays around 100MB/s burst and between 60-80MB/s sustained for the array
> made up of 500GB seagate 7200.10s. Also it can handle so far up to 4 HD
> streams (mythtv multirec branch) an sd stream and real time commflagging and
> serve two frontends at the same time.
> I'll be updating my user page with new information/pictures hopefully when
> I can find some time this week.
> http://mythtv.org/wiki/index.php/User:Blackoper
>
>
I forgot to add that the port multipliers let you get the same error finding
functionality as a hardware card if you use a good sata enclosure with
jumpers like a icy dock 3-in-5 that has multiple status and fail lights and
the sata 2 standard allows for hotswap. As to failure notification, I prefer
to be notified by email to my cell phone which mdadm has no problem doing.
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