[volunteers] Brie specs? Heather? (Anyone else?)

[Rick Moen]

I wrote about "brie":

> o  A fully working VA Linux Systems model 2230 with 512MB ECC PC100 RAM,
>    and dual 700 MHz PIII CPUs.  This was VA's classic 2U rackmount server.  
>    All 512 MB RAM has now passed 12 hours of memtest86+ testing.

At the recent Web Team dinner, attendees offered their spare PC100
SDRAM.

VA model 2230 was based on an Intel L440GX+ "Lancewood" motherboard.
Specs here:  http://support.intel.com/support/motherboards/server/L440GX/
Board maxes out at 2 GB, can take either 168-pin JEDEC, 3.3 V, 72-bit
registered or unbuffered ECC SDRAM DIMMs or 64-bit unbuffered non-ECC
SDRAM DIMMs.  There are four DIMM sockets.  

Memory can be installed in one, two, three, or four DIMM sockets and
must be populated starting with the lowest-numbered slot first and
filling slots in consecutive order.  Empty memory slots between DIMMs
are not supported.  EDO RAM is not supported.  You can mix various sizes
of SDRAM DIMMs (with 1 MB to 512 MB sizes supported), but cannot mix
unbuffered and registered DIMMs.  Best performance is obtained using
unbuffered DIMMs.  Registered DIMMs require additional time (1 clock)
for memory access.

Given that there is 512 MB total present at the moment, I'm _betting_
that it consists of qty. 4 of 128 MB registered ECC DIMMs -- with zero
open sockets.  (There's an outside chance brie has, instead, 2 x 256 MB
sticks or 1 x 512 MB one, but I doubt we're that lucky.  ;-> )  If I
guess right, then all RAM-upgrade schemes require yanking out RAM;
I'm betting most will require yanking out _all_ existing RAM.

Here's a page listing pricing for new qualifying (new) RAM:
http://www.satech.com/168-pin-3-3v-pc-memory-dimms-pc100-sdram-168-pin-3-3v-memory-dimms.html

Please note that the cheapest means of fully populating an Intel
Lancewood entails four "512MB PC100 168 Pin 3.3V ECC Registered SDRAM
DIMM Memory" sticks.  Retail is 4 x $78.98 = $315.92.  Add 8.25% sales
tax, and you're at ~$342.

This sad math is familiar to me because, as CABAL members know, I
recently forked out $171 to add a gig to a Lancewood, for my own
prototype replacement server.