Alix 2D3 vs 2D13?
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What is the advantage of the 2D13 board Netgate sells (but is backordered) vs 2D3 board like mini-box.com sells? I see the battery, which I assume means it will keep time through a power loss, but I've got it on a big UPS and have it set to time-sync off the 'net anyway. Still, it could be briefly wrong. Other than that, is there any advantage to the internal headers?
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From the homepage of https://pcengines.ch (the developer of the ALIX)
alix2d3 = 3 LAN / 1 miniPCI / LX800 / 256 MB / USB
alix2d13 = same, added battery, I2C header, COM2 header, internal USB headerSo basically you only need it if you want to use the additional I/Os.
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Am I missing anything on my thought's on the importance of the battery?
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The battery will keep the clock going when powered off. Until the ALIX 2D3 boots all the way up and is fully on the network, so it can sync its clock, it does not have the correct time.
For most people this doesn't mean much since it corrects itself after it boots up and gets online, but some environments require more strict logging or have other needs that require the clock be accurate at all times. (Also, if there is a loss of connectivity to the ISP and the ALIX 2D3 is rebooted, the time would be incorrect until connectivity is restored, which could make diagnosis a little more difficult, though not impossible.)
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Thanks. I ended up ordering one of the Jetway mini-ITX boards with an Atom, 1GB RAM and the 3-port NIC. mini-box.com has a nice looking case with a front mounted bootable CF slot. All of that cost me only about $100 more than buying an Alix from Netgate. I figure this is more future-proof
