From owner-freebsd-arm@FreeBSD.ORG Tue Mar 2 16:14:48 2010 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-arm@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 1DC97106564A for ; Tue, 2 Mar 2010 16:14:48 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from ticso@cicely7.cicely.de) Received: from raven.bwct.de (raven.bwct.de [85.159.14.73]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 9CAF28FC0C for ; Tue, 2 Mar 2010 16:14:47 +0000 (UTC) Received: from mail.cicely.de ([10.1.1.37]) by raven.bwct.de (8.13.4/8.13.4) with ESMTP id o22GE8AG046036 (version=TLSv1/SSLv3 cipher=DHE-RSA-AES256-SHA bits=256 verify=OK); Tue, 2 Mar 2010 17:14:22 +0100 (CET) (envelope-from ticso@cicely7.cicely.de) Received: from cicely7.cicely.de (cicely7.cicely.de [10.1.1.9]) by mail.cicely.de (8.14.3/8.14.3) with ESMTP id o22GE6YU055676 (version=TLSv1/SSLv3 cipher=DHE-RSA-AES256-SHA bits=256 verify=NO); Tue, 2 Mar 2010 17:14:06 +0100 (CET) (envelope-from ticso@cicely7.cicely.de) Received: from cicely7.cicely.de (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by cicely7.cicely.de (8.14.2/8.14.2) with ESMTP id o22GE56u077540; Tue, 2 Mar 2010 17:14:05 +0100 (CET) (envelope-from ticso@cicely7.cicely.de) Received: (from ticso@localhost) by cicely7.cicely.de (8.14.2/8.14.2/Submit) id o22GE5M5077539; Tue, 2 Mar 2010 17:14:05 +0100 (CET) (envelope-from ticso) Date: Tue, 2 Mar 2010 17:14:05 +0100 From: Bernd Walter To: Anton Shterenlikht Message-ID: <20100302161405.GG58319@cicely7.cicely.de> References: <20100302145729.GL63564@mech-cluster241.men.bris.ac.uk> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: <20100302145729.GL63564@mech-cluster241.men.bris.ac.uk> X-Operating-System: FreeBSD cicely7.cicely.de 7.0-STABLE i386 User-Agent: Mutt/1.5.11 X-Spam-Status: No, score=-4.4 required=5.0 tests=ALL_TRUSTED=-1.8, AWL=0.000, BAYES_00=-2.599 autolearn=ham version=3.2.5 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.2.5 (2008-06-10) on spamd.cicely.de Cc: freebsd-arm@freebsd.org Subject: Re: where to start? X-BeenThere: freebsd-arm@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list Reply-To: ticso@cicely.de List-Id: Porting FreeBSD to the StrongARM Processor List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Tue, 02 Mar 2010 16:14:48 -0000 On Tue, Mar 02, 2010 at 02:57:29PM +0000, Anton Shterenlikht wrote: > I've been using fbsd on i386, alpha, ia64 and sparc64. > I'd like to see what fbsd ARM can do for me. A very good question. I don't know every available arm board, so other may want to corrrect me here. > I can see some systems here http://www.simtec.co.uk/, > but not sure what is possible to do with those. > > For example, can I have a graphical thin client > built on ARM? This would be a box with some keyboard > and a mouse, with full ports tree on some disk, and with > X server running. Of course there must be a good > ethernet connection to the server. Does this make > sense at all? I pesonally would just take an Atom based system. Atom Systems are widely supported and easily available with many different feature sets. There are arm systems with VGA headers, but my impression is that those are just more exotic than existing x86 hardware. > Or what about a portable ARM computer to be used > for making presentations, something one can use > instead of a laptop? There are many PDA classed arm systems. I don't know which of them (if any) we support. The main problem with them is that you spend a lot of time to get them running, just to see that the vendor has upgraded to a new hardware release. I personally see arm as a good architecture for home automation controllers, small routers and such. Using self build hardware or hardware which is available over years without major changes, so you are not wasting time to get everything running. At least some of them are less power hungry than x86 alternatives. My own boards for example include an ethernet switch and take power in the 1.5W to 2.6W range, while small x86 systems typically are in the 5W to 20W range. I've build my boards exactly to the features I needed and if I need something else I can produce a new PCB on the existing design, e.g. add an FPGA for special purpose, or high speed ADC with special sensors. If you are not into self building boards you can easily source one of those many arm systems which have almost every pin routed to a header. If you want mainstream features then it is probably best to stay with mainstream hardware, since it has better availability and support. -- B.Walter http://www.bwct.de Modbus/TCP Ethernet I/O Baugruppen, ARM basierte FreeBSD Rechner uvm.