BSD/OS Hardware Hints ===================== by Tony Sanders Last Updated: Tue Oct 1 09:43:57 MDT 1996 These specs are intended for users building a high-performance, Internet-ready PC fileserver or workstation class machines using BSD/OS from Berkeley Software Design, Inc. and, as such, only selected items are listed. Users building more typical configurations might also find this helpful as it lists resources for some of the harder to find items. *********************IMPORTANT NOTE*********************** * For a complete list of supported hardware for BSD/OS * * visit the BSDI web server -> http://www.bsdi.com/ * * * * Always check the current information there along with * * the recommendations here. * *********************IMPORTANT NOTE*********************** Please send comments/suggestions about this document to See also Paul Vixie's PC Hardware document at http://www.vix.com/pc-hw/ OS: BSD/OS V2.1 [or later] BSDI World Headquarters Berkeley Software Design, Inc. 5575 Tech Center Drive, #110 Colorado Springs, CO 80919 Pre-Sales Questions: +1 800 800 4BSD Orders: +1 800 776 BSDI Phone: +1 719 593 9445 Fax: +1 719 598 4238 Email: info@bsdi.com Web: http://www.bsdi.com/ BSD/OS User's Mailing List: This is a mailing list for people to discuss issues related to BSD/OS. It is wholly user owned and operated. EMail bsdi-users-request@bsdi.com with the word 'subscribe' in the body of the message to join the mailing list. There are also two BSDI related news groups: comp.unix.bsd.bsdi.announce comp.unix.bsd.bsdi.misc CPU: A single-CPU 386, 486, Pentium or Pentium Pro system. Pentium 133's are my recommended "best-buy" at this time. The newer Pentium Pro's are *very* fast [only 99 seconds to compile the entire BSD/OS kernel from source on a 200Mhz CPU]. However, your basic 133Mhz Pentium machine is really a great deal and plenty fast for most applications. My recommendation is to spend the money on memory unless you know that you need the extra CPU power. Billy Bath at Telenet System Solutions, Inc. is a good resource for all kinds of hardware: Telenet System Solutions, Inc. 2338 Kruse Drive San Jose, CA 95131 +1 408 383 0334 x102 (Billy Bath) +1 408 383 0335 (fax) bsdsales@tesys.com http://www.tesys.com/ MOTHERBOARD: WARNING: We have been seeing lots of mother boards lately that DO NOT have the 3.3V logic for the PCI bus. This means that things like Adaptec 27XX cards that require the 3.3V do not work (although most other things will in general be OK). Double check with your hardware vendor on this one. Billy Bath can help you if your current hardware vendor cannot (contact information above). BUS: PCI/ISA/EISA/VLB PCI bus is the fastest and seems to have outgrown most of it's original problems with reliability. I personally recommend the PCI/ISA bus combo over EISA. VLB is not recommended at all. Note: Newer PCI buses seem to consume an IRQ [usually 15]. Watch out for any cards you might have configured at IRQ 15, you'll need to configure them at some other IRQ when you install them in a PCI/ISA-bus system. Multi-Port Board: Digiboard PC/Xem, upto 64 ports per card. These are the top of the line and you pay for it. RISCom/8 is a good price/performance alternative for less demanding loads. Approx $525 list, BSDI customers get a discount. See SDL Communications Inc. listing below. The Usenet II 4 port serial card is also a nice option for smaller systems that just need more serial ports and don't need high performance IO. South Coast Computing Services, Inc. PO BOX 270355 Houston, TX 77277-0355 Email: info@sccsi.com +1 713 661 3301 +1 713 661 0633 (Fax) [Source for Usenet II Serial cards] Connecting to the Internet: To connect to the Internet you will need to interconnect your machine or network with an Internet Service Provider (ISP). For information on ISPs in your area (US only) email a request ``areacode XXX'' (where XXX is *your* area code) to isp-request@bsdi.com. See also Yahoo: Business/Corporations/Internet_Access_Providers/ BSD/OS can do full BGP routing. Our company router currently has 42,284 routes (that's up from 33,400 a few months ago!). Internet Access Providers Mailing List: If you are, or are going to be an Internet Service Provider (ISP) the ``inet-access'' mailing list is for people to discuss the technical and political issues about being an ISP. EMail ``subscribe'' to inet-access-request@earth.com to join. The inet-access FAQ contains a great deal of useful information: http://www.amazing.com/internet/faq.html Router Card: With the RISCom/N2 synchronous card you can connect your BSD/OS directly to your 56K or T1 line and avoid the extra cost of an router; possibly saving your company thousands of dollars! BSD/OS supports both CISCO HDLC and synchronous PPP framing for direct compatibility with most service providers. RISCom N1, single V.35 port at 56K RISCom H2, dual V.35 port at 56K RISCom N2, single or dual V.35 ports, speeds to E1 RISCom N2csu, integrated T1 CSU plus V.35 port RISCom N2dds, integrated 56K CSU plus V.35 port The cards with the integrated CSU do not require an external CSU/DSU and I would generally recommend them unless you have a specific reason not to use them (e.g., you might already have a CSU/DSU). Mention BSDI when ordering to recieve special rates for BSDI customers (last time I checked anyway). SDL Communications Inc. 46 Eastman Street Easton, MA 02334 +1 508 238 4490 (voice) +1 508 238 1053 (fax) http://www.sdlcomm.com/ ftp://ftp.sdlcomm.com/ CSU/DSU (Channel Service Unit / Data Service Unit): A CSU/DSU is the interface between your 56K or T1 line and your synchronous card. This is *NOT* needed on the SDL Communications cards with integrated CSU. Your Internet Access Provider will often be able to provide you with very attractive CSU/DSU pricing. Advanced Transmission Products is one supplier of CSU/DSUs. A 56K CSU/DSU lists for about $350, a T1 CSU/DSU is around $1300 (from a local ISP $250 and $950 respectively). Advanced Transmission Products / Adtran 901 Explorer Boulevard Huntsville, Alabama 35806 +1 205 971 8000 (voice) +1 205 971 8030 (fax) +1 800 827 0807 Frame Relay/X.25: Emerging Technologies, Inc. a Frame Relay card (also X.25): Emerging Technologies, Inc. 900 Walt Whitman Road Melville, NY 11747 +1 516 271 4525 +1 516 271 4814 (Fax) You can also connect to the Internet via Frame Relay using a device called a FRAD (Frame Relay Access Device). Your ISP may have them available or you can use FastComm. FRADs are available with both serial and ethernet interfaces. You almost certainly want the ethernet interface. List price is around $1300. FastComm +1 703 318 4337 +1 800 521 2496 ISDN: BSDI currently has no drivers for internal ISDN cards. I recommend one of the external ISDN routers. These ISDN routers communicate to your computer via Ethernet through a standard LAN adapter. Examples include products from Ascend or Cisco (contact info below). These allow you run fully bonded at 128K. Ascend Communications, Inc. 1275 Harbor Bay Parkway Alameda, CA 94502 +1 510 769 6001 (voice) +1 510 814 2300 (fax) http://www.ascend.com Cisco Systems, Inc. 170 West Tasman Drive San Jose, CA 95134-1706 +1 800 553 NETS (voice) +1 408 526 4000 (voice) +1 408 526 4100 (fax) http://www.cisco.com Another alternative is external ISDN adapters that use the standard "AT" modem command set and work by plugging into a serial port on your computer. However, many serial ports have a maximum throughput of 115 kilobits/second, while an external ISDN "modem" is capable of 128 kilobits/second. Caveat emptor. Also be aware that external ISDN adapters are often harder to configure than a regular modem. Higher level protocols like PPP or authentication are oftentimes implemented in the modem; these protocols are evolving quickly and can be difficult to update. In addition, local phone companies often struggle to get the lines "right". For more information about ISDN see: http://www.crimson.com/isdn/ http://www.crimson.com/isdn/vendorinfo.html http://www.icus.com/ http://alumni.caltech.edu/~dank/isdn/ Ethernet/FDDI/Token Ring: There are a number of fine options available in BSD/OS for high-speed networking, I've highlighted some of the choices here. See the web site for the complete list. 10 Mbps Ethernet: 3Com 3C509 (fast ISA card) 3Com 3C579 (fast EISA card) 3Com 3C590, 3C592 SMC/WD 8013, Ultra and EtherEZ series Transition Engineering TNIC 1500 ISA busmaster NIC 100 Mbps Ethernet: 3Com 3C595, 3C597 DEC DE434, DE435, DE450, DE500 SMC EtherPower 10/100, EtherPower2 FDDI: DEC DEFEA (EISA) DEC DEFPA (PCI) Token Ring: 3Com Token Link III IBM TRA 16/4 SMC Token Elite Transition Engineering (TNIC cards): +1 800 325 2725 Available from Billy Bath at Telenet System Solutions, Inc. (see contact information above). Firewalls: Setting up a firewall is recommended by many network experts for additional security for your site. The ``tcp_wrapper'' package available via anonymous ftp in madhaus.utcs.utoronto.ca:/pub/CERT_tools/tcp_wrappers/tcp_wrapper.6.3 [included in current BSD/OS distributions] allows you to monitor and filter incoming requests for the SYSTAT, FINGER, FTP, TELNET, RLOGIN, RSH, EXEC, TFTP, TALK, and other network services. The package also comes with a wealth of information on network security issues. The ``screend'' packet screening software package is available from ftp.vix.com:pub/vixie/screend*. This package can be used to build an IP firewall using your BSD/OS system. Or you can get ``fwtk'' (firewall toolkit) from ftp.tis.com:pub/firewalls. There are also some useful papers on the subject at the TIS ftp site. TIS makes a commercial version of their firewall software called Gauntlet: Trusted Information Systems 3060 Washington Road Glenwood, MD 21738 Email: info@tis.com +1 301 854 6889 MorningStar SLIP and PPP includes link-level packet filtering and intrusion logging (see the SLIP/PPP section for contact info). SCSI: Controllers: ----------- The NCR PCI SCSI host adapters are currently my top recommendation. BusLogic (BusTek) BT-946C PCI SCSI host adapter. BusLogic (BusTek) BT-747A EISA SCSI host adapter BusLogic Inc 4151 Burton Drive Santa Clara, CA 95054 +1 408 492 9090 +1 408 970 1414 (Support) +1 408 492 1984 (BBS) +1 800 707 7274 Adaptec 1740/1742 EISA SCSI host adapter (try Minimicro +1 800 275 4642) Misc: ---- Disk space as required (Fast SCSI-II for best performance). The fast, 2GB drives are a good deal these days. SCSI Bus problems? Try better cables and/or active termination. You can get SCSI equipment from: Granite D*I*G*I*T*A*L 3101 Whipple Road Union City, CA 94587 +1 510 471 6442 +1 510 471 6267 (Fax) http://www.scsipro.com A good resource for drives and other peripherals, new and refurb: Corporate Systems Center 1294 Hammerwood Ave. Sunnyvale, CA 94089 +1 408 734 DISK +1 408 745 1816 (fax) A full Usenet News feed will eat a *lot* of disk space (at the very least 2GB) as well as disk and system performance. You should use multiple smaller disks instead of one big disk to increase disk throughput and minimize seek times (probably 3-5 2GB disks depending on how long you want to keep stuff around). For help calculating the disk consumption of news see http://www.netpart.com/janus/usenet.html. The IDE ATAPI CDROM stuff seems to be the best deal these days, the CDROM drives are cheaper, they don't impact SCSI performance and you often don't even need a new controller, you can connect them directly to the IDE controller on many motherboards. And since they are cheap, you might as well go for the 6X CDROM drives. If you get a SCSI CDROM drive be sure to get one that supports "SCSI disconnect" or else it'll kill your disk performance when you are using the CDROM drive on the same SCSI bus as the disk. 8mm Exabyte or 4mm DAT Tape Backup. DAT seems to be the overall winner. But I personally use an 8mm drive because I have a bunch of stuff on 8mm tape. Video For Workstations: See the Xinside web site for specifics: http://www.xinside.com/os/bsdi.html The Matrox Millennium (4MB, PCI) is a good choice. BBS/Menuing Software: ftp.solinet.net:/pub/src/menu.tar.gz (src dist) ftp.solinet.net:/pub/src/unixmenu.SCO.tar.gz (BSD/OS src/bin dist) ftp.solinet.net:/pub/src/yum.tar.gz (BSD/OS src/bin dist) Other possible sources: Eric Raymond's? Menushell? UniBoard BBS by ?? TNSDrive by Vladimir Vorobyev : ftp.turbo.nsk.su:/pub/unix/drive045-BSDI.tgz News: INN is now bundled with BSD/OS. Looking for a newsfeed? You might consider offloading your primary network (and thereby improving latency on your network) and getting your newsfeed via satellite: PageSat (NetNews by Satellite) +1 800 227 6288 / +1 510 782 9301 http://www.ncit.net/ Service available in all of Europe approx: $795 for equipment, and $40/month for a 115Kbps feed [as always, check with the company for actual prices and please updated me if I'm wrong.] SLIP/PPP: SLIP/PPP client/server code is included with BSD/OS. Morning Star Technologies also offers SLIP and PPP for BSD/OS which includes features such as link-level packet filtering and intrusion logging. Morning Star Technologies Inc. 3518 Riverside Dr, Suite 101 Columbus, Ohio USA 43221-1754 Email: Marketing@MorningStar.Com (sales e-mail) Email: Support@MorningStar.Com (technical e-mail) FTP: ftp.MorningStar.Com:pub/ WWW: http://www.MorningStar.Com/ +1 614 451 1883 +1 800 558 7827 (Toll Free USA and Canada) +1 614 459 5054 (fax) Take Your BSD/OS On The Road: I've currently got my eye on the Gateway 2000 Solo 2100 Series S5-133 Notebook. Upgraded to a 150MHz Pentium and a few other nicities it's about $4600 ($4149 base price). My recommended configuration would be: 12.1" SVGA Active Matrix (w/Xaccel we can do 800x600 on it), 40MB EDO, 256K cache, 1.3GB disk, 3.5" modular floppy and modular 6X cdrom, 28.8 PCMCIA modem and 3COM TP/BNC. Oh yeah. Site Administration: Things to consider when setting up an Internet site, the larger your site the more you will need to split up functions across machines. Administration machine -- an extra secure place for running your site from, no user accounts, no unsecure services. Kerberos Server -- needs to be physically secured as well as secure from outside attacks. DNS, News, telnet, FTP, gopher, WWW -- basic Internet services Fileserver -- share common files across all/many systems Firewall -- make your site safer against hackers Modem Pool/Terminal Server -- so people can dial in from the outside for shell/SLIP/PPP access (telecommuting!) Redundancy -- key systems should be easily replicated Backups -- one of the most important things to do Configurations for Mac/DOS/Windows clients: Draper Kauffman, Ed.D. wrote on inet-access: :: The Internet Starter Kit for Macintosh, by Adam Engst :: Hayden Books, $29.95 (ISBN: 1-56830-064-6) :: The Internet Starter Kit for Windows, by Adam Engst, et al. :: Hayden Books, $29.95 (ISBN: 1-56830-094-8) :: :: Besides being excellent introductions to the Net, they include all the :: software a user needs to set up a SLIP or PPP account with email, news, :: ftp, telnet, gopher, web, finger, etc., etc., running as client software :: on a Mac or a WinPC. Books: The _Unix System Admistration Handbook_ Second Edition by Evi Nemeth (Prentice Hall Software Series) is an *excellent* book about running Unix systems. It is a must have for a system admin (new or old). O'Reilly & Associates, Inc. offers a wide selection of books that will be useful to administrators of BSD/OS machines. Get their catalog. O'Reilly & Associates, Inc 103 A Morris Street Sebastopol, CA 95472 +1 707 829 0515 (voice) +1 707 829 0104 (fax) +1 800 998 9938 order@ora.com O'Reilly titles of particular interest to BSD/OS sites: Networking: TCP/IP Network Administration Managing Internet Information Services (WWW, FTP, Gopher) DNS & BIND Sendmail User References: 4.4BSD Manual Set (5 volumes + CDROM, sold seperately or as set) Learning the Unix Operating System Learning the vi Editor The X Window System in a Nutshell X Window System User's Guide The USENET Handbook Using UUCP and Usenet System Administration: Learning Perl Programming Perl Essential System Administration Computer Security Basics Practical Unix Security X Window System Administrator's Guide Managing UUCP and Usenet ----------------------------------------------------------------------