[H-GEN] linux x86-64 distro for AMD64

[Tony Nugent]

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On Wed Jun 04 2003 at 12:59, Robert Kearey wrote:

> Tony Nugent wrote:
>
> I'm about to upgrade a server box to a dual AMD64 (my first look at
> these new processors).
> 
> Groovy things they are, indeed. I've heard that the next iteration of 
> ia64 will be the ducks guts, but I've heard that a couple of times before.

Haven't we all heard these things from/about intel? :-)

At least compared to the (current) 32bit-incompatable intel itanium,
it is looking like a logical and cost-effective upgrade step for
servers (and eventually, workstations-with-lotsa-oompha :) It'll all
go 64bit within a few years anyway, and amd's backward compatability
solution is sure to be a popular choice... "users can switch to
Opteron immediately and the absolute worst-case senario is that
they'll continue to run their 32-bit systems and therefore only get
a particularly powerful 32-bit CPU"[1].

  [1] "Hammer Time!" - review of AMD64 Opteron, Linux Format, June 2003

> > I am initially planning to set it up running a standard 32bit
> > athlon/i686 kernel/OS, but I'm wondering if anyone has a copy of an
> > AMD64 linux distro that I can use to evaluate its 64bit native mode
> > (and 32bit compatability, etc).
> 
> ftp://ftp.planetmirror.com.au/pub/redhat/releases/preview/gingin64/en/iso/x86_64/
> 
> Thar she blows, go nuts.

Thanks.  Ouch: six isos, total over 3Gb... how to blow my monthly
download quota in one easy hit :-)

Perhaps on Saturday someone will turn up with a copy?  <hint,hint>

But (looking at longer term) it's very beta and unsupported:
  http://www.redhat.com/archives/redhat-watch-list/2003-May/msg00001.html
Interestingly, it's based on the rh9 phoebe beta:
  http://www.redhat.com/archives/amd64-list/2003-May/msg00003.html
And the redhat amd64 distros only appear to be slotted for
commercial releases, eg:
  http://www.amd.com/us-en/Weblets/0,,7832_8366_7595~41287,00.html
  http://www.redhat.com/archives/amd64-list/2003-May/msg00026.html
  http://www.redhat.com/archives/amd64-list/2003-May/msg00027.html

> > Are there any other x86-64 distros available?
> 
> SuSE has one, I believe, but you may need to pay up for it.

Yes, I did notice this[1] ($us450/cpu/yr[2]).  Mandrake[3]
also has a commercial x86-64 release ($us1500/unlimited[4]).
Debian[5] is only just starting to move on it, and microsoft[6]
appears to be ignoring that fact that the amd64 even exists[7] :)

 [1] http://www.suse.com/us/business/products/server/sles/amd64.html
 [2] http://www.suse.com/us/business/products/server/sles/amd64.html
 [3] http://www.mandrakesoft.com/company/press/pr?n=/pr/products/2418&wslang=en
 [4] http://www2.mandrakestore.com/mdkworld/index.php?MDK_STORE_REFERER=&LANG=fr&UID=&CUSTID=&origin_=
 [5] http://lists.debian.org/debian-x86-64/2003/debian-x86-64-200305/msg00000.html
 [6] http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/evaluation/features/compareeditions.mspx
 [7] although all 32bit versions are known to happily run on it.

One question that my reading hasn't answered for me... will the
opteron natively run ia64-compiled code?  (ie: is the opteron in its
64bit mode compatable with the itanium's architecture?)

Cheers
Tony

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