tlug: Sparc/Linux speedup hints?

["Stephen J. Turnbull" <turnbull@example.com>]

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tlug note from "Stephen J. Turnbull" <turnbull@example.com>
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Hey all---

I'm running one of the "original" TLUG Sparc/Linux Installfest boxes.
This means I've got Redhat 4.1, kernel 2.0.27, and the no-restart-bug
SILO :-) running on a 16MB Sparc ELC with the "boat-anchor" 340MB hard 
drive.  Some questions:

(1) Does it help to upgrade to the development (2.1) kernel series?
    If so, which version is stablest on the Sparc architecture?
(2) Memory upgrades?  What am I looking for?  Just the next size up 
    same speed of the current SIMMs?
(3) Hard drive upgrades.
    (a) I've got the boat anchor drive and a CD-ROM hanging off the
        external drive enclosure.  There's space for at least one more 
        drive and two free power lines.  But John Little's article
        stated buying a Seagate Barracuda (or the like) was a bad idea 
        for the "pizza-box" enclosures.  I assuem this doesn't apply
        to the separate drive enclosure, but let's not destroy any
        drives here....
    (b) If that's OK, I suppose I can just get a 3 or 4 drive ribbon
        cable?
(4) Sound.  Is there sound support?  XEmacs detects "soundcard.h" but
    evidently there is no real sound device driver in the kernel.
    True?  False?  (I can always look at the source, but the source by 
    definition is useless for hardware questions like (1-3), so as
    long as I'm here :-)

T'anks in advance.

Steve

-- 
                            Stephen J. Turnbull
Institute of Policy and Planning Sciences                    Yaseppochi-Gumi
University of Tsukuba                      http://turnbull.sk.tsukuba.ac.jp/
Tel: +81 (298) 53-5091;  Fax: 55-3849              turnbull@example.com
Next TLUG meeting is Saturday October 11, 1997
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