[9fans] Intel atom system

[9fans] Intel atom system

[Ruckdashel]

i'm looking at building a system to get my plan9 tinkering out of VMs.
I'm looking at using a zotac Ionitx-t-u mobo with a sata ssd. I'm
curious if any one has tried this mobo. I'm trying to avoid having
another linux box lying around.

Re: [9fans] Intel atom system

[erik quanstrom]

On Fri Aug 12 04:53:43 EDT 2011, steve.ruckdashel@gmail.com wrote:
> i'm looking at building a system to get my plan9 tinkering out of VMs.
> I'm looking at using a zotac Ionitx-t-u mobo with a sata ssd. I'm
> curious if any one has tried this mobo. I'm trying to avoid having
> another linux box lying around.

that motherboard has a few pricy components that aren't supported,
or aren't supported well.  (video, wireless)

i think you can do better for less with this:

http://www.supermicro.com/products/motherboard/ATOM/ICH9/X7SPA-H-D525.cfm

it has better ethernet (intel 82574) and sm's mp tables are known
good enough for us.  here's the slightly slower version that i have used:

http://www.acmemicro.com/ShowProduct.aspx?pid=7749

and the -D525

http://www.provantage.com/supermicro-mbd-x7spa-h-d525~7SUPM3FU.htm

- erik

Re: [9fans] Intel atom system

[Nicolas Bercher]

On 12/08/2011 14:37, erik quanstrom wrote:
> i think you can do better for less with this:
>
> http://www.supermicro.com/products/motherboard/ATOM/ICH9/X7SPA-H-D525.cfm
>
> it has better ethernet (intel 82574) and sm's mp tables are known
> good enough for us.  here's the slightly slower version that i have used:
>
> http://www.acmemicro.com/ShowProduct.aspx?pid=7749
>
> and the -D525
>
> http://www.provantage.com/supermicro-mbd-x7spa-h-d525~7SUPM3FU.htm
>
> - erik
>

Btw, do you think this mb (foxconn 45CS, atom 230) would run Plan 9 ok for a file server?

http://www.foxconnchannel.com/product/Motherboards/detail_overview.aspx?ID=en-us0000404

Thank you,
Nicolas

Re: [9fans] Intel atom system

[erik quanstrom]

> http://www.foxconnchannel.com/product/Motherboards/detail_overview.aspx?ID=en-us0000404

maybe.  i'd prefer to see an ich9 southbridge.

- erik

Re: [9fans] Intel atom system

[Ruckdashel]

Think I'm going with the D525 supermicro mobo then. I looked at the
AMD Fusion boards before, but the benchmarks show some issues with
them. Also I haven't seen any that aren't UEFI boards, so i'm thinking
there's no point to trying them. The sata ssd is because I'm
potentially running off batteries, so I'm trying to go as low power as
possible. Thanks for the help!

Re: [9fans] Intel atom system

[John Floren]

On Fri, Aug 12, 2011 at 1:42 AM, Ruckdashel <steve.ruckdashel@gmail.com> wrote:
> i'm looking at building a system to get my plan9 tinkering out of VMs.
> I'm looking at using a zotac Ionitx-t-u mobo with a sata ssd. I'm
> curious if any one has tried this mobo. I'm trying to avoid having
> another linux box lying around.
>
>

We tried a Zotac IONITX-G-E board here but found that it didn't work
with Plan 9... I don't remember what the problem was, probably either
the ethernet or the SATA controller (the usual suspects).

The Intel D510MO was more compatible (worked with 9atom, don't
remember if we tried it with stock), cheaper ($75 at Frys, I think),
and smaller (about 6"x6").


John

Re: [9fans] Intel atom system

[Jack Norton]

John Floren wrote:
> On Fri, Aug 12, 2011 at 1:42 AM, Ruckdashel <steve.ruckdashel@gmail.com> wrote:
>> i'm looking at building a system to get my plan9 tinkering out of VMs.
>> I'm looking at using a zotac Ionitx-t-u mobo with a sata ssd. I'm
>> curious if any one has tried this mobo. I'm trying to avoid having
>> another linux box lying around.
>>
>>
>
> We tried a Zotac IONITX-G-E board here but found that it didn't work
> with Plan 9... I don't remember what the problem was, probably either
> the ethernet or the SATA controller (the usual suspects).
>
> The Intel D510MO was more compatible (worked with 9atom, don't
> remember if we tried it with stock), cheaper ($75 at Frys, I think),
> and smaller (about 6"x6").
>
>
> John
>

Hi,

I have a few of these little boards (D510MO).  I read both on Eric's
site and this list that someone had these working, but I am having issues.
I've tried the lab's 9pcf, 9pccd, and 9pcf/9pccd from Eric's ftp server
  (I had assumed they were from 9atom... maybe that was a bad
assumption).  I also tried 9pcf from 9front.

The lab's kernels never found the sata drives (I supposed I expected
that), and all the others find the sata hardware, but hang right after
memory capacities are printed (gee, I've seen this before... what could
it be this time... :)).

Without me having to try a zillion different kernel/bootloader
combinations, would the people who use the D510MO sound off what
kernel/loader they are using?  I'd be much obliged.

THanks,

Jack

Re: [9fans] Intel atom system

[Pavel Klinkovsky]

> Without me having to try a zillion different kernel/bootloader
> combinations, would the people who use the D510MO sound off what
> kernel/loader they are using?  I'd be much obliged.

I am using Erik's 9atom on my D510MO without troubles.

Content of kmesg:
Plan 9
E820: 00000000 0008f000 memory
E820: 00090000 0009ec00 memory
E820: 00100000 7eebd000 memory
E820: 7eebf000 7ef41000 memory
E820: 7efbf000 7eff1000 memory
E820: 7efff000 7f000000 memory
meminit - lost 4096 bytes
126 holes free
00018000 0009e000 548864
00454000 06d47000 110047232
110596096 bytes free
cpu0: 1661MHz GenuineIntel Atom (cpuid: AX 0x106CA DX 0xBFEBFBFF)
pat: 0107040600070406
ELCR: 0E00
pcirouting: ignoring south bridge PCI.0.31.0 8086/27BC
nomp LAPIC: fee00000 e0000000 64 0
oui 0x732 phyno 1, macv = 0x28000000 phyv = 0x0002
#l0: rtl8169: 100Mbps port 0x1000 irq 11 tu 1514: 00270e03ef27
sdata: blind probe 1f0
sdata: blind probe 170
2031M memory: 109M kernel data, 1922M user, 2547M swap
root is from (tcp, il, local)[local!#S/sdC0/fossil]: set sdC0 dma
time...
venti...2011/0829 19:35:06 venti: conf.../boot/venti: mem -1 bcmem 0
icmem 0...httpd tcp!127.1!8000...init...icache 0 bytes = 1,000
entries; 4 scache
sync...2011/0829 19:35:09 arenas00: indexing 87 clumps...
announce tcp!127.1!17034...serving.
fossil(#S/sdC0/fossil)...fsys: dialing venti at tcp!127.1!17034
version...time...
i8042: fe returned to the f5 command

init: starting /bin/rc

Content of 9fat:
--rw-rw-rw- M 194 bill trog       0 May 19  2010 /n/9fat/4e
alrw-rw-rw- M 194 bill trog  243192 May 19  2010 /n/9fat/9LOAD
--rw-rw-rw- M 194 bill trog 3323188 Jun 14  2010 /n/9fat/9pccpuf
--rw-rw-rw- M 194 bill trog 3286720 May 19  2010 /n/9fat/9pcf
--rw-rw-rw- M 194 bill trog     411 Jul  6  2010 /n/9fat/plan9.ini

Could it help?

Pavel

Re: [9fans] Intel atom system

[Jack Norton]

  > Hi,
>
> I have a few of these little boards (D510MO).  I read both on Eric's
> site and this list that someone had these working, but I am having issues.
> I've tried the lab's 9pcf, 9pccd, and 9pcf/9pccd from Eric's ftp server
>  (I had assumed they were from 9atom... maybe that was a bad
> assumption).  I also tried 9pcf from 9front.
>
> The lab's kernels never found the sata drives (I supposed I expected
> that), and all the others find the sata hardware, but hang right after
> memory capacities are printed (gee, I've seen this before... what could
> it be this time... :)).
>
> Without me having to try a zillion different kernel/bootloader
> combinations, would the people who use the D510MO sound off what
> kernel/loader they are using?  I'd be much obliged.
>
> THanks,
>
> Jack
>

As an update I'd like to point out that the D510MO works fine with 9atom
or 9front kernels (lab's kernels = no sata).  I in fact had a bad board.
  I wanted to point that out so that no one was discouraged from trying
one of these little buggers out.  At $70 a pop though, I'd be ready for
some QC issues, which I suspect I may have stumbled upon.  There is
always the off chance that I fried it though...

-Jack

Re: [9fans] Intel atom system

[Ruckdashel]

I got the hardware (Supermicro X7SPA-H-D525, 4G RAM, 40G SATAII OCZ-2
SSD) and after a little poking at the etherdrivers, its up and
running. I had to copy over some stuff from 9atom. Now I'm looking to
get an old WiFi USB stick working. I haven't tried it yet, so it could
just work. Time to start making cool 9programs!

Re: [9fans] Intel atom system

[erik quanstrom]

On Thu Sep  8 05:04:56 EDT 2011, steve.ruckdashel@gmail.com wrote:
> I got the hardware (Supermicro X7SPA-H-D525, 4G RAM, 40G SATAII OCZ-2
> SSD) and after a little poking at the etherdrivers, its up and
> running. I had to copy over some stuff from 9atom. Now I'm looking to
> get an old WiFi USB stick working. I haven't tried it yet, so it could
> just work. Time to start making cool 9programs!

if you run the 9atom kernel, you'll see all 4 processor threads.

- erik

Re: [9fans] Intel atom system

[erik quanstrom]

> We tried a Zotac IONITX-G-E board here but found that it didn't work
> with Plan 9... I don't remember what the problem was, probably either
> the ethernet or the SATA controller (the usual suspects).

both of those should work, i would think you'd have trouble with the crappy mp
mappings, etc.  9atom has enough acpi in it now to work around many crappy
mp tables, and if the part supports msi, 9atom will use it.  that evades the whole
issue of irq routing.  9atom doesn't support acpi irq routing yet.

- erik

Re: [9fans] Intel atom system

[Bernd Maier]

On Fri, 12 Aug 2011 10:42:01 +0200 Ruckdashel
<steve.ruckdashel@gmail.com> wrote:
>i'm looking at building a system to get my plan9 tinkering out of
>VMs.
>I'm looking at using a zotac Ionitx-t-u mobo with a sata ssd. I'm
>curious if any one has tried this mobo. I'm trying to avoid having
>another linux box lying around.

I would like to switch to real hardware too. I plan to use
Fossil+Venti. I would like to ask for a recommendation for
hardware too. Are atom system fast enough for Venti too?
What about the AMD350 Fusion boards? Are the sata ssd for Venti?

-Bernd

[9fans] Intel atom system

[erik quanstrom]

> I got the hardware (Supermicro X7SPA-H-D525, 4G RAM, 40G SATAII OCZ-2
> SSD) and after a little poking at the etherdrivers, its up and
> running. I had to copy over some stuff from 9atom. Now I'm looking to
> get an old WiFi USB stick working. I haven't tried it yet, so it could
> just work. Time to start making cool 9programs!

would you mind posting the output of "aux/vga -p"?  i'd like
to know what video modes this mb supports.

- erik