Re: MultiCPU Sparcs Boot

[Tom Kyle <tom@eos.umsl.edu>]

> Well, just for kicks, I put a floppy28.fs in a multi-CPU Sparc20 that
> I was going to be putting a new OS on anyway. Well, not only did it
> boot, but I did a full install and it seemed to be working great.

OpenBSD on sun4m machines is great.  Check the list archives for Theo's
opinion of Sun hardware vs. x86 hardware.

> Unfortunately, although it does work, it only actually uses one
> CPU. Leaving the other three idle seems like too much of a waste so I
> won't be keeping OpenBSD on it.
> 
> IIRC, I tried to install 2.7 on a multiprocessor machine once ('cause
> I didn't realize the machine had dual processors), and it didn't work
> at all. Or was that just coincidence?

Coincidence.  We've got a Sparc10 with two dual-CPU HYPERsparc modules running
2.7.  It just runs off the first CPU, but the sysadmin needed a workstation he 
could install and not have to worry about securing after his second Ultra5 CPU 
died.  OpenBSD to the rescue!

It's good having people run down to my office asking for the OpenBSD CDs
when something goes wrong, as I think it's a good sign for the project.

> The http://www.openbsd.org/smp.html does not give much of an idea of
> where SMP support is and I could not find archives for an
> smp@openbsd.org at the mail archives. The existing information, like
> the example above, might be out of date. Is there someplace to find
> out more on the status of this project?

I think the SMP project may have been put on the back burner as a result of 
lack of hardware, or that there were more important things that cropped up.

Tom

Thomas A. Kyle
Network Security Administrator
University of Missouri-St. Louis
tkyle@jinx.umsl.edu
(314) 516-6012