Stable on Blade server

[Tom Samplonius]

----- "Marko Lerota" <mlerota at iskon.hr> wrote:
> Martin <list at manuelmartini.it> writes:
> 
> > We're 100% FreeBSD-only and i was looking to buy IBM blade servers:
> can
> > anyone reccomend any of them? models? particular hw/firmware/misc
> 
> If you use FreeBSD don't look upon IBM blades at all. I've installed
> few 
> freebsd 5.4 on IBM HS20 blades. If you need console, the only way to 
> get there is through java web interface that sucks, brakes and crashes
> 
> constantly. Because the keyboard is not supported you have to use it.
> 
> Everything else also sucked. We had two blade chassis with 28 blade
> servers
> and I have never been so frustrated like I was with them and IBM
> people 
> that did not solve our problem. 

  FreeBSD gets confused on IBM BladeCenter's and attaches to the PS/2 controller, while the actual keyboard is on USB.  This is also a problem on many desktop systems, where users only have a USB keyboard.  Anyways, FreeBSD is slowly growing a working keyboard mux, so FreeBSD will attach to all available keyboard controllers, and accept input for any attached keyboards.  Linux and Windows have this ability already.

  In the mean time, it is possible to use device hints, and convince FreeBSD to attach the USB keyboard only.

  I quite like the IBM BladeCenter's.  Way better than Dell blades for sure.


Tom