[svlug] Hardware compatibility with Redhat Linux 9

[Charles Peterman]

On Jun 29, 2004, at 8:23 AM, Wayne Earl wrote:

> There is nothing "magical" about Dell hardware. It's no different than
> other x86 hardware.

I am afraid that statement is incorrect, at least at the in Dell's 
server line.
Their hardware tends to have specific revision or part numbers in the 
pci info.  So while the ata adapter may identify itself as ICH4, it is 
a revision specific to dell. The documentation for the ata driver may 
say it supports ICH4, but if the revision number is not present it will 
fail to identify the Dell ICH4 as such.  The solution requires 
modifying the kernel source.

Hardware upgrades are also rather painful.  Dell servers only want to 
play with Dell parts.
We had no luck upgrading to a second CPU if we used an off the shelf 
Intel Boxed part.  However, when we put the much more expensive Dell 
CPU in the box, it worked.  Their internal connectors are mostly 
non-standard.



>
>
> -- 
> Wayne Earl <wayne at qconcepts.net>
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Charles Peterman
Software Engineer
peterman at eecs.tufts.edu