| Subject: Re: BOINC diskless-boot memory requirements? |
| From: gheston@hiwaay.net (Gary Heston) |
| Date: 19/01/2006, 05:04 |
In article <k3bzf.6$Kt5.3@newsfe6-gui.ntli.net>,
Martin 53N 1W <ml_news@ddnospamddml1dd.co.uk.dd> wrote:
Gary Heston wrote:
[ ... ]
It's looking like 128MB is a minimum. Depending upon the difference in
price, I may just go with 256MB and make sure I don't run into problems.
I was looking to put together a minimal system. The extra small cost of
putting in ooodles (lots) of RAM was very worthwhile instead of wasting
my time for working around too little RAM.
Yes; my local computer store wants $17US more to go from 128MB to 256MB;
I should make that back in a year on lower electric bills from not
having hard drives in all the nodes.
I don't anticipate any real problems; there are several descriptions on
the web about how to set it up with various distributions; I should have
all the hardware I need (other than memory). Just a matter of getting it
all put together and upgrading the connection. As that involves a hefty
increase in the monthly cost ($57 more) it'll be the last thing I do.
Does the link speed matter much?
No, not really.
You can have it maxed out for a while without problems so long as the
data gets through eventually.
I know--I did 80,812 WU for S@h Classic over a dialup that was doing
well to connect above 28.8Kb. However, I had SETI Queue to handle
WU distribution and gathering/returning results. There's no equivalent
function for the BOINC approach.
The linux kernel comes with powerful traffic management controls that
can prioritise what data gets out at what rate over a limited link. Look
up "wondershaper". I've done a good few tweaks myself to be able to surf
uninterrupted despite multiple concurrent uploads and downloads.
Speed and traffic management aren't the issues; direct connectivity to
the Berkeley SSL servers for each of the nodes is the issue. The increase
in cost is higher for me because I'm getting a small-business grade line
with a static IP address and having my Class-C address block routed into
the new network. Along with all this I'll get my domain set up and start
posting pictures of my antique computer collection.
Gary