Date: Fri, 26 Apr 1996 16:43:14 -0700 (MST) From: Terry Lambert <terry@lambert.org> To: gemohler@phoenix.net (Geoff Mohler) Cc: questions@FreeBSD.org Subject: Re: FreeBSD Development Message-ID: <199604262343.QAA28301@phaeton.artisoft.com> In-Reply-To: <3181354E.2781@phoenix.net> from "Geoff Mohler" at Apr 26, 96 03:42:54 pm
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> We use what is called Cubix equipment. Its is similar to rack mounted > PCs, but is built completely around redundancy, whether it be hardware > failures, or power events. We ship nearly $4million a year in this > hardware, and we see a huge market for FreeBSD as part of the > multiprotocol gateways we design with this equipment...mainly as > firewall hardware. > > Cubix is _very_ interested in seeing FreeBSD support for thier hardware, > and it would be a great boost to thier sales, which already reach > $300Mil a year. > > I have two people familiar with the FreeBSD development program, John > Perry, and Gary Clark within our staff. One as an employee, and the > other as contract. > > I want to know who I can talk to to get some solid resources on contract > to develop FreeBSD into Cubix hardware. > > Cubix hardware is a highly optimized PC, 486 or Pentium(tm) based. > > Our 486s work great, but the new P's have built in AMD SCSI and 10bT > controllers, which FreeBSD does not acknowledge. > > We are very serious about a team working with this hardware. We belive > in FreeBSD, and it is building a solid International presence with is > now. Hi. I've worked with the Cubix equipment in the past on commucations software applications under their SVR3 clone on their little Cubix cubes. Say "Hi" to Mike in developer relations, if he's still there from "Terry at Century Software". (I'm not still there 8-)). The hardware is not significantly different from most PC hardware, and what you are calling a port is probably more properly just a need for drivers to support some of their hardware. The "AMD SCSI and 10bT controllers", are these by chance the AMD PCNet (Am79C974) chips? The AMD PCNet chips "net" is a LANCE ethernet chip. The current ethernet drivers work with this chip without modification, as long as you pick the right IRQ and port addresses. The SCSI portion of this chip is an NCR 780(?) compatible chip... I remember reading a post on one of the lists about a driver being available for the SCSI portion, but I didn't save the thing. Most uncharacteristic of me. 8-(. I also remember that the thing wasn't a very good SCSI chip, according to several posters (sorry, it's what I heard). For embedded servers, you might be better sticking in a seperate controller. If you can't do that, you'll need to order one of the technical manuals on the AMD web page: http://www.amd.com/html/products/com/techdocs/techdocs.html Regards, Terry Lambert terry@lambert.org --- Any opinions in this posting are my own and not those of my present or previous employers.
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