Dell PowerEdge 1855 servers

[Eric Anderson]

Robert Blayzor wrote:
> I'd like to know if anyone has experience with the Dell PowerEdge 1855
> blade servers running on either FreeBSD_4 or FreeBSD_5.
> 
> I'm looking to deploy several servers and I know that the 1850's will
> run just fine.
> 
> I have concerns over the PERC4/im and the ethernet controllers on the
> 1855's.  I assume since the 1855's have Intel Gig-E controllers they use
> the em driver, which I've had good luck with in the past.
> 
> Apparently the 1855's integrated RAID uses the LSI (mpt) driver.  I've
> heard mixed results on this with earlier versions of 4.x and 5.x, but
> nothing in the latest releases, 4.10+ and 5.3.
> 
> Can anyone share their experiences with performance and stability on
> these machines?

I can tell you that on my current 1850's, FreeBSD 5.3 is rock solid (with Perc 4's, which are LSI chips).  I have used Perc's for a long time with FreeBSD, and have always liked them.  

I will warn you about Perc 4e/Di controllers - supposedly they are different, and are not completely compatible with the other Perc 4's (I know this because SLES8 does not support the 4e, but does support the 4).  I can also tell you that a RAID disk from a Perc 4 won't work in a Perc 4e.   

As for specifically the 1855's, I can't comment.

Eric



-- 
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Eric Anderson        Sr. Systems Administrator        Centaur Technology
I have seen the future and it is just like the present, only longer.
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