[rescue] Just a thought - what would be a good starter SAPRC system these days?

[Al Potter]

> I was wondering what folks suggest to frineds interested in getting a SPARC
> system at home "to learn Solaris".

I universally recommend (now, while Sol8 runs on them) LXen.

Rational:

	small  (won't piss off wife)
	cheap		"
	common ram
	runs current solaris
	uses cheapass 50 pin scsi drives
	25 pin serial for console
	tp ether on board

I recommend snapping up a sun bootable CDROM at the same time.

I also recommend text mode install, and setting up remote X to a linux box 
first, then ssh to secure it.  This keeps most newbies (even linux savy one) 
busy for a WHILE, and teaches a lot of important fundamentals.


> SS/10s and SS/20s are just too slow, but after you drop a VSIMM or two
> inside, they become great workstations, but even dual SM71s seem pokey
> compared to current Celeron 500 MHz boxes.

You have a funny idea of slow.

A 20 is the step up from the LX, 24 bit graphics and dual capable w/ builtin 
CD.  10s are almost as good and much cheaper.

4c's are still fine, but will not run current solaris.  So if the goal is 
learning, a 4m or ultra system is a must, and the LX is the cheapest/best 
compromise.

If you want to learn sun big iron, and current solaris is not a resuirement, 
the best deal running is 4/600 systems.  Basically, a SS10 w/ a VME 
interface, they run 2.5.1 OOTB, and the archive will detail how to hach 
later versions to run.  Drop a board in an x/110 chassis, connect an 
external scsi bay and you are up and running CHEAP (sometimes close to free).

I have three of these up and running now.

I personally will jump on an Ultra2 as the "upgrade" to my dual SM71 20 in 
the not too distant future.  it will have to be CHEAP, and I like the U2 
because it allows me to use all my Sbus cards, and some of the stuff out of 
the 20.





AL