Dual LAN motherboard, AMD fusion, mITX or mATX?

lifespeed

You've got to have a bit more understanding to troubleshoot if the switch doesn't do its job properly right out the box (Or network drivers are an issue)

Thanks for all the info. I do have a good switch that can do the job. It also sounds like it requires more familiarity with both pfSense and the VLAN configuration in my switch to setup. I'll have to decide if the extra pain is worth the added performance from an AMD Fusion vs Intel Atom which is easily available dual Intel LAN.

thermo

Jetway have a dual NIC AMD fusion mITX:
http://www.jetway.com.tw/jw/ipcboard_view.asp?productid=822&proname=NF81-T56N-LF
and has a Mini PciE where you can probably add another NIC or wlan.

I got mine from linitx, and there is someone selling them on ebay. You can find them if you look hard enough.
Can't really comment on it as I ordered one a week ago to build a NAS, but still waiting for it to be delivered to Middle East.

JaY_III

@thermo:

Jetway have a dual NIC AMD fusion mITX:
http://www.jetway.com.tw/jw/ipcboard_view.asp?productid=822&proname=NF81-T56N-LF
and has a Mini PciE where you can probably add another NIC or wlan.

I got mine from linitx, and there is someone selling them on ebay. You can find them if you look hard enough.
Can't really comment on it as I ordered one a week ago to build a NAS, but still waiting for it to be delivered to Middle East.

That is interesting
The actual model number for the CPU is :G-T56N
So we have AMD E-350's and AMD G-T56N
Both appear to be identical products, the only difference i see is for market they are aimed at.
The E-350 is amid at mobile devices
the G-T56N is amid at Embedded devices.

I also can't seem to find any power usage info for the G-T56N
I wonder if it will have a higher TDP than the E-350 (18Watts)
Atom 525 (1.8 GHz) is listed at 13 Watts
-> edit: looks like they are both the same @ 18 watts

Either way, nice find and will be keeping an eye on this.
My Via C3 (Nehemiah) is getting a little light for my 25/2.5 connection i now have.

Also for you guys that want to see what atom option was talked about by the OP:
http://www.supermicro.com/products/motherboard/ATOM/ICH9/X7SPA-H-D525.cfm

Lastly we also should keep our eyes out for the Via Nano X2.
This chip should be showing up any time now and I believe be the fastest of the bunch.

thermo

Just in case anyone else is looking for these motherboards, there are a few -though not all- listed on AMD's product catalog page:

http://wwwd.amd.com/catalog/salescat.nsf/shopsearchview?SearchView&Query=[processor=AMD+Embedded%20G-Series%20Platform]%20and%20[form_factor=Mini-ITX]&SearchOrder=4

lifespeed

I'm going to go for the Supermicro X7SPE-HF-D525. Won't need the IPMI interface at the moment as a monitor (HDTV) with multiple inputs is nearby, but it could prove useful when I rearrange all the equipment into a closet.

Basically, I decided the 2x Intel 82574L Gigabit LAN ports, together with the length of experience with this Atom board in pfSense use are likely to result in a more trouble-free implementation. I really need a good altQ driver implementation for stellar traffic shaping that will allow my Asterisk PBX to operate stutter-free with other traffic on the network.

This will go in a Norco RPC-170 1U rack mount chassis. Will the non-standard flexATX form factor present any issues?

http://www.supermicro.com/products/motherboard/ATOM/ICH9/X7SPE-HF-D525.cfm
http://www.norcotek.com/RPC-170.php

JaY_III

They do make the board in Mini-ITX
More case options as mini-ITX has much more support than FlexATX

lifespeed

The larger size is only an issue for mini-ITX cases, correct? I will be using a 19" rackmount 1U case.

JaY_III

Yes and no
Your case also has to have the mounting option for that standard.
Does the case have mounts for the bottom of the board? I cant see any docs for it in the link you supplied

lifespeed

My assumption was the mounts were miniITX, it would be hard to sell an mboard that was not compatible with standard cases.

JaY_III

FlexATX has slightly different mount spots. you have a few lower ones by the expansion slot that worry me.
I dont see the lower row (3rd row) from the pic
http://www.norcotek.com/product_images/flyer/rpc170_5.jpg

And What is a standard case?
Many form factors around
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_form_factor
With the most common being ATX and Micro ATX

And based on what i have found here:
http://www.norcotek.com/item_detail.php?categoryid=1&modelno=RPC-170
Its does look in fact to be a ATX / Mirco ATX only case (EEB too, but good luck finding a board like that)

I think if you keep looking at 1U server cases you are going to have a hard time getting FlexATX support.
Server cases tend to not favor Flex ATX

lifespeed

OK, I already have the RPC170 case housing a blu-ray drive for my Norco 4220 RAID storage server. I want to use the otherwise wasted space in the 1U for the router.

Guess I need to look at mATX boards. Any suggestions that are low power consumption with dual Intel NICs?

dreamslacker

The FlexATX board will fit into any case that would fit a MicroATX board. It's like a slightly longer version of the MiniATX standard (or shorter M-ATX for that matter).

If your case would support a Full ATX board, you can fit the FlexATX board in it.