Re: NOAAPort data server x86 configuration (fwd)

===============================================================================
Robb Kambic                                Unidata Program Center
Software Engineer III                      Univ. Corp for Atmospheric Research
address@hidden             WWW: http://www.unidata.ucar.edu/
===============================================================================

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 11 Oct 2000 14:28:09 +0000 (GMT)
From: Mark Tucker <address@hidden>
To: Jessica Thomale <address@hidden>
Subject: Re: NOAAPort data server x86 configuration


I've just read throught all the responses to your request this
morning.  We have just recently moved our ldm server over from Linux to
Solaris 8 (x86) so perhaps I can add some useful information to the
discussion here.  I hand built our ldm server two years ago and installed
Linux on it because that was the platform that I had the most experience
with at the time (well, that and DEC Unix but the price of Alpha hardware
was prohibitive).  It is a dual PII-400 with 512MB of RAM and Ultra-2 SCSI
disk system.  This summer we moved the ldm over to Solaris 8 (x86) on the
exact same hardware.  The main difference I've seen over the past couple
of months is that Solaris always remains responsive where Linux would
occasionally pause under heavy load.  Also, under Linux certain ldm  
processes would go awry every once in a while where I have not had any
similar problems running Solaris 8. 

On the down side, I find Solaris a little more difficult to find software
for than for Linux.  I've ended up using gcc, g77 and f2c to build
everything on Solaris because Sun has been sitting on our ScholarPAC
license for over three months now.  The task of just finding the right
"someone" at Sun who can help you can be a bit much IMO.  It is also
easier to find Linux specific information and help on the internet than
for Solaris (although I do feel that Solaris has better quality 
documentation).  In the end, either one is capable of getting the job
done.

As for hardware requirements, I'm quite happy with our configuration -
memory and disk I/O seem to be the big factors regardless of which Unix
flavor you choose.   As others have already said, just make sure your
hardware is supported.

On Tue, 10 Oct 2000, Jessica Thomale wrote:

> We are planning on feeding all the NOAAPort data to LDM on a data server box
> with a x86 platform.
> 
> We would appreciate any recommendations for x86 platform specifications
> (memory requirements and disk type, space and speed).
> 
> Also, would you recommend using Solaris x86 or Linux?
> 

Mark Tucker
Information Technology
Lyndon State College
address@hidden
http://apollo.lsc.vsc.edu