[K12OSN] 8 GB RAM on 32-bit Edubuntu with AMD 64 processors

[Tom Wolfe]

OK Thanks Jim K! My experience with Edubuntu/AMD64/Flash no sound is the 
same as yours: fruitless frustration. As for my K12LTSP experience -- with 
only minor struggling it all works fine.

I look forward to seeing what comes of the flash/local apps thing. 
Although who knows, maybe Flash will be availalbe in 64-bit linux build by 
then!

I'll let everyone know how it goes with my considerably less powerful 
server (it's dull black, no custom paint or mag wheels at all I'm afraid).

Regards,
Tom Wolfe

---
 	Tom Wolfe, IT Specialist 	twolfe at sawback.com
 	Stoney Educational Authority	tel: (403) 881-2650
 	Box 238, Morley AB, T0L 1N0	fax: (403) 881-2793
Morley Community School | Chief Jacob Bearspaw School | Ta-otha School


On Tue, 27 Nov 2007, Jim Kronebusch wrote:

> On Mon, 26 Nov 2007 13:46:55 -0500 (EST), Tom Wolfe wrote
>> .... So Jim what do you have to say about this?? From what I recall you
>> report good performance with PAE/LTSP and 16 GB RAM with 100+ users.
>>
>> Regards,
>> Tom Wolfe
>
> Sorry for the slow reply.
>
> I server 108 terminals from my single LTSP server running Edubuntu 7.04 and the
> linux-image-server kernel version 2.6.20.16.28.1.  I have seen 75 concurrent users all
> running Firefox with Adobe Flash and OpenOffice and have seen max processor usage at
> less than 25% and RAM at I believe 6GB or so.  Whether or not PAE takes a performance
> hit over 64-bit, I'm sure that it true, how much, nobody seems to know for sure.  But I
> assure my setup is running great, and the screen resolutions are at 1280x1024.  Sound
> works great.  I did try all the tricks with K12LTSP based LTSP, all the 32-bit firefox
> tricks or using nspluginwrapper to tie 64-bit firefox with 32-bit supporting apps worked
> flawlessly.  However under Ubuntu this was not the case.  The only way I was able to get
> working sound in flash 9 on the thin clients under Firefox was with 32-bit OS and 32-bit
> apps, nothing else worked.  I had all tricks for libflashsupport, nspluginwrapper, you
> name it, no sound in flash 9.  This is why I went the way of PAE to support my RAM and
> processors with the linux-image-server kernel.  Everything worked, and all RAM available.
>
> Now, it isn't like I'm running this many users on a dual PIII box with 16GB RAM.  I'm
> running a Dual Quad Core 2.66Ghz Xeon box (a total of eight 2.66Ghz cores).  I also run
> 6 300GB 3Gbps SAS drives in RAID 10 and 6 GB NICs teamed in alb for network throughput.
> And 16GB RAM.  So if there is a performance hit, this might be why I don't see it.
>
> So to enable PAE in your 32-bit Edubuntu server, "sudo apt-get install
> linux-image-server", when finished reboot and be sure it grabs your new kernel.  Then
> verify all processors and RAM show up.  If the performance isn't good enough, then scrap
> flash and go 64-bit.  Hopefully as the new local app support develops this will become a
> non-issue.  I plan on moving Firefox, flash, java and any other possible 32-bit apps
> local in the future, then run a strict 64-bit server.
>
> Hope this helps.
>
> Jim
>
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