From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 To: 9fans@cse.psu.edu Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2008 09:51:04 +0000 From: TheAbysmal Message-ID: Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Subject: [9fans] Consindering eBox-4854 for Plan9 Topicbox-Message-UUID: 54914828-ead3-11e9-9d60-3106f5b1d025 Hi all. I am considering purchasing an eBox IV Series box for a Plan9 installation, and I was curious of any of your successes or failures with these or similar systems. Specifications for each box in the series can be found at http://www.wdlsystems.com/downloads/specs/1EBX48T_s.pdf. The eBox-4854 is what Zombu uses for their $99 subscription machine, so I imagine it is open-source friendly enough, but I have had all manner of difficulty installing Plan9 on many machines. I recalled seeing a few posts here concerning success on VIA EPIA platforms, but not much, so I figured I would voice a few concerns and questions: The eBox-4854 box features Realtek RTL8100B 10/100 Base-T Ethernet. This is not listed on the Plan9 hardware compatiblilty page. Perusing online forums suggests that this adapter can be driven on some Linux distros with 8139too. How likely is Plan9 to similary drive this ethernet adapter? It also features integrated VIA UniChrome Pro II video to which the Plan9 hardware compatibility page suggests it can be driven in VESA mode. However, I do not know if there are key differences between UniChrome and UniChrome Pro II that would prevent this. Are there any such differences? Notwithstanding said differences, at what maximum resolution would Plan9 enable on this adapter? Rather than a traditional hard disk, the eBox-4854 fits an IDE Flash SDD. I imagine that this would pose no problem for Plan9, since such devices usually internally manage translation from Flash to standard IDE. Am I about right in this assumption? Finally, a related, but misplaced question: Does anyone know on what chipset the optional integrated wireless adapter is based? I have searched in vain. Again, it must be open-source friendly, but open- source wireless compatibility varies wildly across platforms and distributions. Thanks. I look forward to your inputs or suggestions if and when you have the inclination and time.