Sealing a 6BXE as a file/internet server

[tpjmcguigan]

I have an old Gigabyte 6BXE (supports uo to 650MHz
Celeron/P3) and am going to move on. So I'd like to upgrade
it so its suitable as a file/internet server (Linux, Samba,
Squid, etc). Bear in mind I enjoy this sort of thing, and
will do it as much for the experience as the
functionality

1. I was thinking of replacing its Celeron400 with a Cyrix3
650Mhz Socket 370 100MHz CPU (£30/$40). I have 1x128Mb
100MHz SDRAM and would complement it with another
3x128Mb. P3/650s are hard to track down, and it looks as
if the Cyrix is better than a 650MHz Celeron.
=> Is this sensible? Will I have any unforseen probs
with the Cyrix (e.g heating)?

2. For filespace I was going to boot off the build-in EIDE
controller (primary, leaving the secondary for my CD),
then add 2 33MHz Promise PCI EIDEs, each with 2 IBM
drives (software RAID0+1). I'd mirror/stripe like this:

Promise#1 Promise#2

Disk1 Disk3 (mirror of Disk1)
Disk2 Disk4 (mirror of Disk2)

(Disk1&2 striped, Disk2&3 striped)

Again, is this sensible?

3. I have a Motorola SURFboard for cable access. Would I
have to buy a 2nd NIC for my 6BXE? And put one NIC to
the SURFboard and the other to the switch. Or do
I connect the SURFboard and any other PCs to the switch,
configuring my 6BXE to pick up the DHCP address offered
to it by the SURFboard, then have the 6BXE offer DHCP/NAT
to the remaining PCs?

Thanks for any input or fun suggestions!

 

[Crashman]

Haven't you been reading? If your board supports Coppermines (the PIII 650E is a Coppermine), it supports ALL 100MHz FSB (E series) Coppermines, due to their internal multiplier. Further, if their is any way to get it to 133FSB, it will support the 133FSB Coppermines (EB series)

Cast not thine pearls before the swine

 

[Crashman]

I just looked up your motherboard <A HREF="http://www.giga-byte.com/products/ga6bxe.htm" target="_new">HERE</A>. It will support ALL PIII CPU's. I suggest, bang for the buck, get a PIII 700E, and set the bus speed to 133, overclocking it to 933. This gives you exactly 933EB performance for under $100. I would use the FC-PGA CPU with an Abit Slotket III ($9 at <A HREF="http://www.googlegear.com" target="_new">http://www.googlegear.com</A>), and an Evercool ND-8 cooler (<A HREF="http://www.nexfan.com" target="_new">http://www.nexfan.com</A>). The Slotket III gives you manual voltage control, I suggest 1.75v to 1.80v for the 700@933.

Cast not thine pearls before the swine

 

[Guest]

1) on the processor upgrade, i have to agree with Crashman. jesus, stay away from Cyrix! The PIII 700E is an excellent choice. you dont really need much more than that for a file/internet server. However, i wouldnt recommend overclocking a servers chip. the number one rule for servers is stability and reliability, not performance.

2) as far as the cable modem hookup you can do it a number of ways depending on what you want to accomplish. I would recommend the following setup for reasons ill explain:

setup the server with two NIC cards and run the initial cable modem connection into the server. this will allow you to run NAT and DHCP for the rest of you pcs \, thereby saving you the cost of additional IP addresses from your cable provider and protecting your pcs (other than the server) behind an NAT firewall. Then, run an internal connection out from the other NIC to the switch, thereby connecting your other pcs to the server.

If you go the other way and connect the cable modem to the switch, then each pc will have to have a unique ip address and each will be exposed to the internet, thereby creating an expensive an unprotected network.



ignore everything i say

 

[tpjmcguigan]

It looks that way at first. But unfortunately I have an old rev 1.9 of the 6BXE. From <http://www.giga-byte.com/support/intel440bx.htm#link6bxe> I think I need 2.0B for Coppermines?

PS: This is my first post concerning my first PC, so please
forgive (but correct) anything stupid I say

 

[tpjmcguigan]

Hi antivirus, and thanks for the attention.

(1) I'm not fussed on overclocking this machine.
(2) I'm going to be taking your advice and going with the
two NIC solution.

Cheers,
Tee.

 

[Gog]

I'm pretty sure you'll find that if you flash the Bios you can support the higher rate processors.

--------------------------------

Look at the size of that thing!

 

[girish]

its not just the bios issues, there are voltage issues too.
the slotket should allow coppermines to use as katmais in slots

<font color=blue>die-hard fans don't have heat-sinks!</font color=blue>

 

[Crashman]

Yes, it does look as though Coppermines are excluded, doesn't it? Hey, the Katmai 600 is down to $109 on Pricewatch.

Cast not thine pearls before the swine