Looking for *reliable* low-power/heat solution with FBSD in mind

[J. Seth Henry]

Thanks for the info. I settled on a barebones system, the FIC Falcon CR51.
It has the older board style with the 933MHz C3 processor. This should be
fine for a HA controller. Combined with a 10Gb laptop hard disk, I'm
guessing runtime on a 650VA UPS should be considerable.

Now I have to find a FreeBSD supported USB-> serial adapter.

Thanks,
Seth Henry

On Wed, 16 Apr 2003, George Vagner wrote:

> I am using one of the VIA ITX formfactor mb's and it works
> very well. it is very small and uses only 28 watts of power.
>
> they have them up to 1Ghz or up to 600Mhz without a fan.
>
> check out lin-itx.com for some examples.
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "J. Seth Henry" <jshamlet at comcast.net>
> To: <questions at freebsd.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, April 16, 2003 9:53 AM
> Subject: Looking for *reliable* low-power/heat solution with FBSD in mind
>
>
> > This isn't strictly on-topic, but I am hoping a few readers of this list
> > may have some experience in this area.
> >
> > I currently have my home file server acting as a home automation system.
> > This works well, given the light load, but unfortunately the system has to
> > be physically located in a closet to perform this function. I have to take
> > great care, as the server is a dual P3 system, and gets quite warm. More
> > than once, I have been awaken by the thermal alarm system.
> >
> > I would like to install a low power, quiet system that is still capable of
> > playing MP3/OGG audio, while handling the home automation tasks. This
> > would allow me to move the server to a more cool location, avoiding risk
> > of it overheating. Space isn't an issue, but I would like to keep it
> > small. The ITX and FlexATX boards are about the size I'm interested in.
> >
> > The obvious thought was the VIA EPIA series mainboards. They are fanless
> > in many configurations, powerful enough to play MP3 audio, and some are
> > even capable of DVD video (though I'm not interested in that for this
> > system). They also use very little power, most being powered by laptop
> > style PSU's - which bodes well for UPS battery time.
> >
> > If those don't cut it, I'm also looking at the shuttle boxes, as they are
> > still small, but use more "standard" components. They are
> > vast overkill for this application, but reliability is key. Unfortunately,
> > they also draw more power, meaning a shorter UPS battery life.
> >
> > The question is, does anyone know how reliable these systems are under
> > FreeBSD, or even in general? I don't want my HA controller going down
> > randomly, for hopefully obvious reasons. Also, does anyone have any
> > recommendations for a similar system?
> >
> > I would prefer to stick with FreeBSD because I know the operating system
> > fairly well, and because all my other systems are running it. I'd prefer
> > to keep the network as homogenous as possible (with the only notable
> > exception being my "game" machine)
> >
> > I know that this may seem like a "google" question, but I am looking for
> > real-world thoughts, not sales pitches. This system will need to be up
> > 24x7 nearly all year (save for maintenance and patches). If anyone has, or
> > knows about, a favorite piece of gear that fits these requirements, I'd
> > love to hear about it.
> >
> > Any help or recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
> >
> > Thanks,
> > Seth Henry
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > freebsd-questions at freebsd.org mailing list
> > http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions
> > To unsubscribe, send any mail to
> "freebsd-questions-unsubscribe at freebsd.org"
> >
>
>
> ---
> Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
> Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
> Version: 6.0.471 / Virus Database: 269 - Release Date: 4/10/2003
>
>