> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Josef Karthauser)
> Date: Thu 26 Sep, 2002
> Subject: Spark 5.
> Do we run on Spark 5? Someone's selling one and a monitor for 300 UK
> pounds. Is it worth getting hold of?
Not for FreeBSD (sun4u only, I believe); SPARC 5 is sun4m (32-bit only).
£300 is expensive - a 170MHz SPARCstation 5 goes for £75 and up on eBay
in the UK (without monitor), and I think a monitor will go for about £40.
The 70MHz and 85MHz(?) models are much slower due to cache, but I've heard
that Linux has had problems with the 170MHz model.
Solaris 9 is rather sluggish on my 85MHz system, but OpenBSD and NetBSD
run OK on my 70MHz system.
The 170MHz SPARCstation 5 was Sun's last decent mid-range workstation.
I've bought SPARCstation 5 bits from Ian at www.13w3.com - you can get
better prices on eBay if you're patient, but I'm pleased with his service.
He's currently listing a SPARC 5 for £125, 17" monitor for £65.
For FreeBSD you'd want an Ultra 1 at least - 13w3.com has a 170MHz model
listed at £225, but there were problems with Solaris 64-bit kernels on
anything less that the 200MHz model (and you have to force the 200MHz
model to boot 64-bit Solaris due to a CPU bug which allows users to
crash them). Also, you should get the 'E' suffix models for the fast
Ethernet and wide SCSI.
The Ultra 5 is more expensive and faster, but it's PC class, not a real
Sun.
Cheers,
Mark.
--
Mark Valentine, Thuvia Labs <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> <http://www.thuvia.co.uk>
"Tigers will do ANYTHING for a tuna fish sandwich." Mark Valentine uses
"We're kind of stupid that way." *munch* *munch* and endorses FreeBSD
-- <http://www.calvinandhobbes.com> <http://www.freebsd.org>
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