*BSD News Article 43911


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From: nate@trout.sri.MT.net (Nate Williams)
Newsgroups: comp.os.386bsd.questions
Subject: Re: Help!! How many slip server ports?
Date: 11 May 1995 17:14:39 GMT
Organization: SRI Intl. - Montana Operations
Lines: 31
Message-ID: <3otglv$90s@helena.MT.net>
References: <prw1-110595115442@128.84.239.123>
Reply-To: "Nate Williams" <nate@sneezy.sri.com>
NNTP-Posting-Host: trout.sri.mt.net

In article <prw1-110595115442@128.84.239.123>,
Paul R. Weber <prw1@cornell.edu> wrote:
>Could some tell me how many SLIP server ports can be supported with free
>BSD running on a 486 computer?

I just talked with a vendor last night who sells modem servers which use
486/66 boxes with a 16-port BOCA card.  They use FreeBSD as the OS, and
according to the vendor he was running 9 lines at a full 115K baud when
we has talking to me w/out a hiccup.

I would think it might be a stretch to run 16 lines at a full 115K/line
full open with a 486/66 all the time w/out some SIO overflows (which are
taken care of in SW, but slow the line down none-the-less).  However, if
I were an ISP, I would *seriously* look at a FreeBSD box since they are
cheap, and do you ever rarely get more than 3-4 users running flat out
at any one time.  Most traffic is 'bursty' with the line being idle most
of the time. 

With that in mind, you *may* be able to run a 2*16 port modems on a
486/66 box with little to no problems, but you're probably stretching
the hardware to it's limits with no room to spare.  Upgrade the CPU to
a P90/100/120 and you might pull it off.


Nate

-- 
nate@sneezy.sri.com    | Research Engineer, SRI Intl. - Montana Operations
nate@trout.sri.MT.net  |
work #: (406) 449-7662 | Loving life in God's country, the great state of
home #: (406) 443-7063 | Montana.