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From: julian@mailhub.tfs.com (Julian Elischer)
Subject: Re: Is this a good configuration for a serious image processing system?
Message-ID: <D9J5ts.HIn@tfs.com>
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Organization: TRW Financial Systems, Oakland, CA
References: <ERNST.95Jun1122757@kuk.klab.caltech.edu>
Date: Fri, 2 Jun 1995 05:27:27 GMT
Lines: 85
In article <ERNST.95Jun1122757@kuk.klab.caltech.edu>,
Ernst Niebur <ernst@klab.caltech.edu> wrote:
>
Firstly, before I get much further..
talk to ahasty@freebsd.org
>Hi everyone,
>
>we are in the process of putting together a somewhat serious image
>processing system. We need to grab moving images (we have already a
>video camera) and then do processing on them. At present, we use Sun
>workstations which do the processing fine, but the video capture sucks
>big time (we need real-time capturing, at least for quarter-size
>images, which probably requires on-board compression). Since I have
>Linux running on my notebook for some time already and since I am
>extremely happy with it, we will go with either Linux or with
>Free/netBSD.
For a PC version, that requires SOLID performance and networking,
I'd say that FreeBSD 2.0.5 is the best bet. The others aren't
far behind, and of course if you want to go with a MAC version
then NetBSD is the ONLY way to go. If Networking isn't so important,
then it all becomes about equal.
>
>The following is a configuration we put together and we would purchase
>very soon if no problems show up. Does anybody see any problems with
>it? One of the important constraints is that we need to transfer data
>from the video capture board to disk real fast, ie at frame rate.
>
>Thanks for your input!
The hardware will probably work the same for all 3 OS's..
for a detailed analysis talk to rgrimes@freebsd.org who is THE MAN when
it comes to kowing which chipsets give best performance and fewest bugs.
>
>-----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>- Super-Micro Pentium PCI Triton 256k cache motherboard - ref. P55CWA
>- CPU Intel P120 w/cooler
>- 64 Mb RAM, as 70ns 72pin 16Mb or 32Mb (not always available) SIMMs
>- OEM AMD LANCE PCI 10baseT ethernet board
>- OEM S3 968 video board with max VRAM
>- 3-button serial mouse
>- 17 " Microscan 5EP-MPR2+EPA/.28
>- disk: either a 1275Mb Conner 10ms EIDE (CFS1275A) with the EIDE controller
>on the triton motherboard, or a fast wide SCSI-II. What would be the
>fastest possible ? Is the NCR SCSI PCI 53c8xx (which xx?) a good choice
>for a really fast controller ? What popular SCSI-II drives are really fast ?
GO for SCSI-II. one of the large Seagate (from the old CDC stable)
would be ok, but there are a number of good ones around..
NCR adapters are the absolute fastest but there a re a few drives that
don't get on that well with them. The aha2xxx family are SLIGHTLY
slower, but may have slightly less compatibility problems from what I've seen.
finally the buslogin PCI cards are a solid performer for FreeBSD/NetBSD.
If you go IDE, you'll waste processor cycles shufling all those bytes around.
with FAST NCR devices, people have seen upto 6MB/sec on/off (fast) disk.
>
>Would this be ok for a combination of Linux/XFree86/NetBSD/FreeBSD ?
Talking from the FreeBSD angle, yes, Linux people tend to be real evangelists
so you'll be flooded with info from them too.
As I said talk to the relevent people indicated above as well.
>
>---------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>Oh, btw, the careful reader will have noticed that we don't include a
>frame grabber (with which our switch to Linux/xBSD started in the
>first place). The reason is that we haven't yet found one which is
>powerful enough and which has a driver for Linux/xBSD. There is a
>Linux driver for the old Videoblaster but that card is -- well, just
>old. Haven't yet found a better one for which a driver exists. In the
>worst case, we will write one ourselves.
If you need help with a FreeBSD driver send me mail.
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