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    Kernel options

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    • M
      MrMoo
      last edited by

      Aya, too many kernel configs in CVS, I was looking here:

      http://cvstrac.pfsense.com/fileview?f=freesbie/files/pfSense_wrap.6&v=1.11

      Instead of here:

      http://pfsense.com/cgi-bin/cvsweb.cgi/tools/builder_scripts/conf/pfSense_wrap.6?rev=1.29

      :D

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      • M
        MrMoo
        last edited by

        Kernel packages:  I'm wondering through my directory server and covering all the options available, updating some details here, hopefully all on my own website when its working.  I think i'm repeating Manuel Kasper and working on a m0n0bsd core and building the application on top of that.  Currently after playing way too long on the kernel build options I am thinking from a user point of view these are nice packages:

        embedded
        generic
        enterprise

        embedded developer
        generic developer
        enterprise developer

        Where generic = embedded + VGA + IDE + CD-ROM + keyboard + USB + Firewire, enterprise = generic + scsi + raid, and developer += nfs + debug + ktrace.

        I'm working on the general developer options are 1)  chroot,  2)  vmware,  3)  pxe boot + nfs root,  and 4)  installed.

        I would imagine a lot of debate of options has preceeded similarly for any normal O/S distribution and that scsi/raid can easily be merged with the generic set.  For FreeBSD I could see this as more advantageous if the SCSI settle time wasn't mandatory even if you have no SCSI cards installed?

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        • S
          sullrich
          last edited by

          @MrMoo:

          Kernel packages:  I'm wondering through my directory server and covering all the options available, updating some details here, hopefully all on my own website when its working.  I think i'm repeating Manuel Kasper and working on a m0n0bsd core and building the application on top of that.  Currently after playing way too long on the kernel build options I am thinking from a user point of view these are nice packages:

          You may want to take a look at FreeSBIE 2 a little closer before making your decision.

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          • M
            MrMoo
            last edited by

            I'm working on FreeSBIE now, it appears you are not using ccache to help buildworld, do you have a really fast build machine?  I'm very tempted to setup distcc to help out too.

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            • S
              sullrich
              last edited by

              Make sure its FreeSBIE 2.  It's much better.

              My machine is modest, P4 3.2 with 3ware raid 10 (4 drives).

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              • B
                billm
                last edited by

                @MrMoo:

                I'm working on FreeSBIE now, it appears you are not using ccache to help buildworld, do you have a really fast build machine?  I'm very tempted to setup distcc to help out too.

                We tried out distcc across a three machine dual proc 3ghz xeon farm…it cut down the build from 50 minutes on the current hardware to around 20...wasn't worth the speed improvement (considering it added 20 minutes xfer time b4 it could be tested).

                --Bill

                pfSense core developer
                blog - http://www.ucsecurity.com/
                twitter - billmarquette

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                • M
                  MrMoo
                  last edited by

                  There appear to be no CFLAGS in the pfSense make.conf.embedded, would it be more adviseable to use the following:

                  
                  CPUTYPE?=i486
                  CFLAGS= -Os -pipe
                  
                  

                  That's optimising for smallest size and 486 architecture to help out the WRAP/Soekris boxes.  Its a bit tedious to prove one way or another I guess though  :(

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                  • S
                    sullrich
                    last edited by

                    Yes, I don't want my nexcom units that run embedded to be optimized in that fashion.  It's a hard balancing act unfortunately.

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                    • M
                      MrMoo
                      last edited by

                      And so the choices are either 1) default to pentium optimisations like a lot of commercial software, 2) default to a high cpu (pentium4) to tweak extra performance, 3) offer a lot more packages.

                      I think it all comes down to real world tests, I know from a highspeed messaging company they only recently moved from 486 to pentium optimisations, so that apart from the Gentoo fan set its not overly beneficial.  If the performance tweaks are needed to run your machines you are badly specifying your hardware.  The conclusion from that would be to run with the lowest common denominator for the supported hardware set which instead would be:

                      
                      CPUTYPE?=i486
                      CFLAGS= -O -pipe
                      
                      

                      One possble alternative is to merge alternative kernels into pfSenses package system, i.e. download an optimised kernel for your configuration option.

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                      • S
                        sullrich
                        last edited by

                        @MrMoo:

                        One possble alternative is to merge alternative kernels into pfSenses package system, i.e. download an optimised kernel for your configuration option.

                        We too can be ricers.  Not sure that I like this.

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