UltraLinux (was: [rescue] web server loadbalancing...)

[Loomis, Rip]

Bill--
If you're going to run Linux, run Debian--
just installed it on a Tatung SS10 clone for
a co-worker, it works fine on UltraSPARC
hardware, and it's being actively maintained.
(Actually, I recommend Debian for practically
any hardware, since it's the closest thing
to NetBSD on the Linux side with 6 rather-well-
supported ports and another 6-8 in devel.
Debian is also much more secure by default
than most other distros in my experience, and
you can typically use "alien" to install
RPM packages if that's how your software
is avaiable).

Note that you *will* want to run the "woody"
testing distribution--it's more stable than
most RedHat release versions, though...and
DaveM also recommends the 2.4.7 kernel (which
is available as a precompiled and tested
Debian package for sun4u and sun4u-smp,
with DaveM's latest Ultra patches already
included.)  The best way to get to woody, though,
is to install stable "potato" first and then
upgrade--which worked seamlessly when I recently
did it.

http://www.debian.org/ports/sparc/ - there is
a separate "everything 64-bit" port to sparc64,
but that's not really what you want IMHO.

Let me know if you have any problems--the two
most likely ones are getting used to the
Debian install routines and dpkg, and then
getting graphics/GUI browser working if
desired.

And chalk me up for one of those free BigIP
or Foundry boxes if someone's giving them
away.

  --Rip

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Bill Bradford [mailto:mrbill at mrbill.net]
> Sent: Thursday, 02 August, 2001 10:33
> To: geeks at sunhelp.org; rescue at sunhelp.org; sunhelp at sunhelp.org
> Subject: [rescue] web server loadbalancing...
> 
> 
> Anybody know of a Linux distribution for UltraSPARC that's 
> currently being maintained?  I'm trying to build a software-based
> load balancer, and so far the only decent software solution looks
> to be the LinuxVirtualServer stuff.  I'd prefer not to have to run
> Linux, but if its the only thing that does what I want for the 
> price I want...
> 
> If anybody has suggestions for something that would run on Solaris
> (preferred), please let me know, or if anybody has a LocalDirector,
> BigIP, Foundry ServerIron, etc, that they want to get rid of, let me 
> know. 8-)
> 
> I'm currently using balance (http://balance.sourceforge.net) 
> but running
> into some issues with it.
> 
> Bill
> 
> -- 
> Bill Bradford
> mrbill at mrbill.net
> Austin, TX
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