Re: [Xen-users] Re: dual core/dual proc

[Matthew Wild <M.Wild@xxxxxxxx>]

Matthew Palmer wrote:
> On Tue, Feb 06, 2007 at 09:09:43PM -0900, Jon Reynolds wrote:
>> Matthew Palmer wrote:
>>> On Tue, Feb 06, 2007 at 08:19:33PM -0900, Jon Reynolds wrote:
>>>> Is anybody running dual processors with dual cores that works with Xen? 
>>>> I have been trying to find such a board and have had no luck in finding 
>>>> a definite answer. If anyone is doing this, can you tell me what procs 
>>>> and what board you are using?
>>> We've got 2.8GHz Xeons in Dell 1850s and Opteron 275s on Tyan (I think)
>>> boards and have never had any problem running Xen on any of them.  What
>>> dual-core specific problems are you seeing?
>> No problems, I just don't want to spend a lot of money and have it not 
>> be able to do what I want.
> 
> Oh, I see.  I misread your message as saying that you were having problems
> with an existing hardware setup.
> 
>> Is only the Xeon and Opteron dual cores able to be used in a dual
>> processor config?
> 
> I'm not real sure about the Xeon, but the Opterons come in three (from
> memory) different "series" -- 1xx, 2xx, and 8xx.  That first digit indicates
> the maximum number of CPUs that can work together, so any 2xx Opteron that's
> dual core will satisfy your requirements, while a 1xx Opteron won't do the
> job.
> 
> Spreading the net wider, I have to say that I'm not particularly familiar
> with the abilities of the "cheaper" CPU ranges (Pentium, Athlon64, X2, etc),
> as we're all Xeon/Opteron where I work.
> 
> Really, you're best off speaking to a hardware supplier about CPU/board
> combos, as they'll know what will work together with what.
> 
> A word of caution: although I'm a general fan of AMD CPUs, I've had a lot of
> problems with getting solid Linux compatibility out of motherboards
> recently; I think that there's just a lack of good chipsets out there for
> AMDs with solid Free driver support.  As such, buying a Xeon system with an
> Intel-chipset motherboard will probably, statistically, give you less
> problems than AMD systems (as much as it pains me to admit it).
> 
We've got 20+ boxes with Opterons and not had a problem with any, other
than a couple of Iwill workstations. All my motherboards are Tyan, all
the way from single to quad CPU.

Xen is running happily on a couple of dual CPU-dual core boxes as well
as the quad CPU box. Soon to be joined, on loan, by a Sun X4600 M2 with
up to 8 dual core CPUs.

Matthew
-- 
Matthew Wild                       Tel.: +44 (0)1235 445173
M.Wild@xxxxxxxx                    URL http://www.ukssdc.ac.uk/
UK Solar System Data Centre and
World Data Centre - Solar-Terrestrial Physics, Chilton
Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot, Oxon, OX11 0QX

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