PowerCenter running x.1.5 as file server = flakey |
October, 03, 2002 5:54 PM |
postfacto |
Thanks to Ryan's great app, I've got 10.1.5 on a PowerCenter Pro with 128MB of RAM and a 4GB harddrive that I believe came stock with the machine, I boot off of this drive. My intentions for this machine are simple, I want to run it as a file server that serves 60GB of MP3's off of an IBM ATA Deskstar running at 7200rpm. So... 1. I looted 7200's in my house (we have about 5 old ones) for memory and ending up getting it up to 128MB. 2. I installed the Sonnet Tempo PCI ATA controller card to connect to the Deskstar 3. I set up users and filesharing. Here are the results: Filesharing works! And then it doesn't work! And then it works! And then it doesn't work. It's really sporadic, I could log-on ok, then disconnect, then try again five minutes later and get nothing. Also, when I do connect, it is super slow to show directories and stuff. Basically it is SUPER flakey and unusable. Bummer. So, I'm trying to indentify the "weakest link". Please help me. Could it be: The NIC card? The hodge-podge of 16MB memory modules? The old 4GB drive that I installed OSX on? The processor? (Would an upgrade help?) Bus speed (would a processor upgrade help this?) Are there things running in OSX i could shut down, namely the GUI, to speed things up and increase stability? Any other thoughts? Right now I'm planning on buying the new 500mhz upgrade card from Sonnet for $150, then running 10.2 to see if it helps... Thanks, Stephen |
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RE: ATA Card = No NIC? |
October, 16, 2002 12:12 AM |
developer |
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yes, seems to be the case for some clones. ATA card and NIC could coexist in my case if Quartz could be running without any video card. Maybe we will have more luck using the Digital cards... |
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ATA Card = No NIC? |
October, 14, 2002 4:35 PM |
postfacto |
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So are you saying that if I have a PCI-based ATA card (I have the sonnet tempo), that I can't use an aftermarket NIC card? I'm still scouring the web for a Kingston KNE100-TX, but I can't find one anywhere... |
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Asante 690 - Answer from Asante... |
October, 13, 2002 11:55 PM |
developer |
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Well, they looked at the exception and said the problem is with the bus mastering. They wrote that I have to many cards using this in my machine (the VST UltraTek 66, the Asante and the TwinTurbo). This would explain why the IP stack shuts down randomly while doing AFP: thats disk access using the VST which means that the VST is bus master at that time and the ethernet cards can't be. |
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SMC card... |
October, 13, 2002 1:04 PM |
developer |
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The SMC 1244 chipset isn't supported by MacOS X. It won't work. Look for a Digital DE-500 or something similar. A Kingston KNE100-TX should also work (also based on a Digital 21x41x). My next try is the Adatpec ANA which looks like an Digital OEM (uses the same chip and even the layout looks like the DE-500). |
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RE: DEC 21041 |
October, 13, 2002 9:02 AM |
kronos |
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In my Powerbook G3 the built-in ethernet is a DEC 21041 card, and this card does not work neither with MacOS X (any version) nor with Xpostfacto (any version). During the boot up kernel splash is stated : 'DEC 21x4x chip not supported - Unable to parse SROM' I mean, if you are able to run onto a dec card, have you any tip to make it work, patch, trick or something else ? Thank you. macosclassic prisoner |
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would this card work? |
October, 13, 2002 1:41 AM |
postfacto |
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http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2060283528 if not, could somebody point out one on eBay that might? I'd like 100/10, but stability is priority #1. |
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PowerCenter running x.1.5 as file server = flakey |
October, 11, 2002 12:01 PM |
chad |
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I am using a Kingston KNE100-TX (with the DEC/Intel 21143) in my 9600 and it works great at all stress levels and including AFP. Unfortunately, Kingston no longer is in the NIC business. However, you may be able to find one somewhere. They work great. best Chad |
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Bummer... Is there a 10/100 DEC based card? |
October, 09, 2002 10:24 PM |
postfacto |
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Sorry to hear the Astante 690 didn't work... I guess now the hunt is on for a 10/ 100 DEC based card... Developer, you have a working 10base DEC card right? You are just trying to upgrade to 10/100??? Anyway, I think you are jumping the gun a bit mjoecups358, yes the built in NIC works for web browsing and such, but it is horriblly unreliable for File Sharing.... Any new ideas? |
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Adaptec sucks? |
October, 09, 2002 3:29 PM |
developer |
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Hmm. Sounds interesting. Don't know if the Umax S900 has a different 10MBit controller than the Apple machines. In any case: the described setup means, that you don't do any AFP over the build-in NIC. I have the problem that AFP traffic does shut down the IP stack of the machine. The problem is getting one of those DEC based cards. Maybe I have some luck on eBay. Why do the adaptec sucks? The ANA-6911A-TX(C) seems very similar to the Digital DE-500... BTW: 3 * 80 GB HD on ATA isn't beatable on price. UltraSCSI wouldn't be that faster because the Umax is going to be a file server :-) |
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PowerCenter running x.1.5 as file server = flakey |
October, 09, 2002 2:42 PM |
mjoecups358 |
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The built in ethernet is NOT unstable. I have run several older (8500,7500) macs as OSX Servers and in all cases I have been able to use the built in ethernet with extreme reliability. Usually I add a dec based 10/100 card which you can get from you local PC shop (with some digging). The intel pro cards also work but do not support Appletalk. Then I use the built in to hook to the Cable modem or DSL or router, and the 10/100 card to hook to the LAN. This works great and is not flaky and runs for months on end without any glitches or restarts. I do not like the IDE drives so much however... I tend to prefer the Ultra SCSI thing, although it is more $ it seems worth it to me. Avoid Adaptec however, they suck. Marty |
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Asante 690 |
October, 09, 2002 11:01 AM |
developer |
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Well, I received it yesterday and used it on my Umax S900, 604e, MacOS X Server 10.1.5 and the latest drivers from Asantes website. The card seemed to run fine, but then it did a kernel exception. I had the same with an old AsanteFast 10/100 card. Maybe they use still the same chipset and did only a new package. Will mail it Asante. Hope they could fix it - but as the moment we have to look for another one... |
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PowerCenter running x.1.5 as file server = flakey |
October, 06, 2002 8:20 PM |
developer |
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First of all. The DEC card is stable like rock. Runs 24/7 without any problems. The built in ethernet does not. I'm sorry, but I can't look at the OS 9 profiler (server is to busy to reboot... :-), but under OS X the profiler says: pci1011,14 as its card name. Where 1011 is the card vendor. So there seems to be a little OpenFirmware in there at least... I would guess the OS 9 would show similar results. BTW: 10 MBit is even fast enough to play copied DVDs right of the server, so MP3 etc. should be fine too. I doubt that the iPod could saturate the 400MBit FireWire anyway. I'm still waiting for the Asante card but will post if I have done some tests with it. |
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just a few more questions. |
October, 04, 2002 2:07 PM |
postfacto |
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Thanks for your help, I was really frustrated, but now I feel better about things... 1. Is your machine working reliably as a server now that you have the DEC2104x card instead of stock? 2. Are you upgrading to the Astante 690 for 100MB capabilities? I would probably want to do this also, since I'm going to be moving a lot of mp3's quite often (Think of the server as a networked iPod loading station...) 3. Is there anyway to know if some of the old macs I've got laying around have a DEC2104x card in them, would this be in system profiler? Thanks for your advice, I look forward to your answers and report on the 690. Stephen |
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PowerCenter running x.1.5 as file server = flakey |
October, 04, 2002 1:36 PM |
developer |
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Well, just look inside /System/Library/Extensions All stuff lying around there is directly supported by Apple (and should work). My advice: either go for a cheap DEC2104x card (mine is from SMC with a DEC21041 and does 10MBit which is fine for MP3 etc.). These should be cheap ones at eBay, or look for those cards which were build into Apple Server Hardware... The old AsanteFAST 10/100 will not work reliable unter OS X. It will be recognized by the 590 or 690 drivers, but it will do the same strange errors. I hope that the Asante 690 will work, but can't say this until it arraives hopefully within the next days... |
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NIC card |
October, 04, 2002 11:37 AM |
postfacto |
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I'm just using the built in one, so it looks like you are right, the card is incompatible... However, just looking at the back of the machine it looks like the NIC is built-in to the motherboard... Can I install a PCI based one? Are there any cards from Old macs that will work? Is there a cheap PC NIC that will work? Thanks for the advice, you people know a lot of stuff!!! |
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PowerCenter running x.1.5 as file server = flakey |
October, 04, 2002 11:17 AM |
developer |
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What NIC are you using? Build-In or RealTek 8139 based? Forget both of them! They ARE NOT STABLE. I've experienced the same on a Umax S900 running 10.1.5 server. The "funny" thing is: as long as you don't do AFP the TCP/IP stack is working, but after some AFP the whole IP stack goes down, not only the one used for the actual AFP traffic. Doing Apple Remote Desktop or FTP doesn't seem to affect the IP stack. This works stable... I'm running now my machine on a DEC2144 based card which is only 10MBit but stable. I did try to replace it with an Intel 82559 based card (Intel 10/100 Pro S), but this is recognized by the system. Either it is because the card has no OpenFirmware ROM or the card is faulty... (anyway: any hint how to get a card without OF ROM running is welcome. Some do - like the DEC based card - some don't. I know its a KEXT thing and that inside the bundles their is information how OS X matches devices and drivers, but I don't have the time to fiddle around myself...). I ordered now for Asante 690 card, hopefully this will work stable... Michael |
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RE: PowerCenter running x.1.5 as file server = fla |
October, 04, 2002 9:09 AM |
postfacto |
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Just file sharing, the machie itself is stable, although I don't really use it as a desktop client, just as a server. Thanks for any input... |
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RE: PowerCenter running x.1.5 as file server = fla |
October, 04, 2002 1:34 AM |
avit |
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Please clarify: Is the machine itself unstable, or just file sharing? |