CentOS - Aug 2018 - OT: Linux recommendations for old Pentium PC

I've got a very small footprint rack server with a 4TB drive in that I wish
to
be a Bacula storeage device. However, it's got an old board / processor in 
it.

Can anyone recommend a Dist that would work on it?

On 8/31/18 9:29 AM, Gary Stainburn wrote:
> I've got a very small footprint rack server with a 4TB drive in that I
wish to
> be a Bacula storeage device. However, it's got an old board / processor
in
> it.
> 
> Can anyone recommend a Dist that would work on it?
I would use FreeBSD (and I do use FreeBSD for bacula, now bareos backup 
server and storage hosts), it has really small "footprint", and it is 
quite widespread.

Incidentally, I was using bacula for very long time, but recently I 
switched to bacula's fork: bareos. You may want to consider the 
differences before you finalized everything in stone.

Valeri
> _______________________________________________
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> https://lists.centos.org/mailman/listinfo/centos
> 
-- 
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Valeri Galtsev
Sr System Administrator
Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics
Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics
University of Chicago
Phone: 773-702-4247
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

On Friday 31 August 2018 15:44:53 Valeri Galtsev wrote:
>
> I would use FreeBSD (and I do use FreeBSD for bacula, now bareos backup
> server and storage hosts), it has really small "footprint", and
it is
> quite widespread.
>
> Incidentally, I was using bacula for very long time, but recently I
> switched to bacula's fork: bareos. You may want to consider the
> differences before you finalized everything in stone.
>
> Valeri
Hi Valeri,

Thanks for this. I haven't looked at FreeBSD since the 1990's or there
abouts,
but I'll give it a look.  

I'm also looking at lubuntu, but was hoping that there was a lcentos. We
tend
to like what we're used to.

I'd be interested in your views on the differences between bacula and
Bareos.
I do have one Bareos storeage device but that's just in Bacula compat mode.

Gary

Gary Stainburn wrote:
> I've got a very small footprint rack server with a 4TB drive in that I
> wish to be a Bacula storeage device. However, it's got an old board /
> processor in it.
>
> Can anyone recommend a Dist that would work on it?
CentOS will work, but you might start with minimal (but make sure it
includes networking).

Please note that I installed CentOS 6, just a few months ago, on an HP
Netbook from '09, and it runs perfectly well.

      mark "see? I didn't say anything about systemd...."

On Fri, 31 Aug 2018, mark wrote:
> CentOS will work, but you might start with minimal (but make sure it
> includes networking).
>
> Please note that I installed CentOS 6, just a few months ago, on an HP
> Netbook from '09, and it runs perfectly well.
>
>      mark "see? I didn't say anything about systemd...."
CentOS 6 requires a PAE supporting CPU.  Subject referenced Pentium CPU.

Pentiums do not support PAE, and so would not run CentOS 6 without fun and
games and an alternative kernel.

I previously had a Dell X1 with a Pentium M CPU, which also didn't advertise
PAE support, so couldn't run the stock CentOS 6 kernel, which made
installation a little more interesting.

If you're really stubborn, there are options for mashing it on anyway, but
I'm
not sure I'd bother.  In my case I think I just ran anaconda within C5 to
install C6 onto another LV, put a non-PAE kernel on, then booted into the C6
install.

jh

Gary Stainburn <gary at ringways.co.uk> wrote:
> I've got a very small footprint rack server with a 4TB drive in that I
> wish to be a Bacula storeage device. However, it's got an old board /
> processor in it.
"Old Pentium" isn't very precise; the first Pentiums were in 1993!

The least demanding distributions I know are Bodhi,
https://www.bodhilinux.com/ , and, even less demanding, but wonky,
SliTaz, http://www.slitaz.org/ .

Among major distributions, I think that Debian would probably be the
least demanding.

-- 
Yves Bellefeuille
<yan at storm.ca>

On Friday 31 August 2018 16:35:54 mark wrote:
> Gary Stainburn wrote:
> > I've got a very small footprint rack server with a 4TB drive in
that I
> > wish to be a Bacula storeage device. However, it's got an old
board /
> > processor in it.
> >
> > Can anyone recommend a Dist that would work on it?
>
> CentOS will work, but you might start with minimal (but make sure it
> includes networking).
>
> Please note that I installed CentOS 6, just a few months ago, on an HP
> Netbook from '09, and it runs perfectly well.
>
>       mark "see? I didn't say anything about systemd...."
I did try Centos 6 32-bit because I believe that was what was on it last time. 
Unfortunately this time it refused to see the install image on the DVD

I did also wonder about repositories and how long they'll be available for
it.

Gary

On 31/08/18 16:47, Yves Bellefeuille wrote:
> Gary Stainburn <gary at ringways.co.uk> wrote:
<snip>
> "Old Pentium" isn't very precise; the first Pentiums were in
1993!
They were the ones nicknamed "i586.01" see
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentium_FDIV_bug

-- 
J Martin Rushton MBCS

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> Am 31.08.2018 um 16:29 schrieb Gary Stainburn <gary at
ringways.co.uk>:
> 
> I've got a very small footprint rack server with a 4TB drive in that I
wish to
> be a Bacula storeage device. However, it's got an old board / processor
in
> it.
We use mysql as database backend for bacula, and it becomes heavy loaded,
over time especially wenn restoring respectively generating filelists. So, 
not sure if such old CPU provides enough compute power ...

--
LF

On Aug 31, 2018, at 8:29 AM, Gary Stainburn <gary at ringways.co.uk>
wrote:
> 
> I've got a very small footprint rack server with a 4TB drive in that I
wish to
> be a Bacula storeage device. However, it's got an old board / processor
in
> it.
You?re giving two very mixed signals here.

?Old Pentium,? as someone else said, can mean anything back to 1993, but ?4 TB
drive? suggests something far newer than that.

I ask because that affects the expected energy draw of the server.  If it?s old,
it could be 200 W or so.  If you?re using ?old? rather loosely, then it could be
down in the double digits.

Here?s why it matters:

   https://www.rapidtables.com/calc/electric/energy-cost-calculator.html

At 12 pence per kWh ? typical for power in some places in your country, based on
your TLD ? it?s going to cost you about 1 pound per watt consumed if it runs all
day every day.  If it draws 35 W, that?s ?35/yr.  If it draws 200 W, that?s
?200/yr.

If the cost is high enough, then it?s probably cheaper to buy a new
energy-efficient server, which then lets you buy something that will run any
Linux distro you want.

On 8/31/18 12:09 PM, Leon Fauster via CentOS wrote:
> 
>> Am 31.08.2018 um 16:29 schrieb Gary Stainburn <gary at
ringways.co.uk>:
>>
>> I've got a very small footprint rack server with a 4TB drive in
that I wish to
>> be a Bacula storeage device. However, it's got an old board /
processor in
>> it.
> 
> We use mysql as database backend for bacula, and it becomes heavy loaded,
> over time especially wenn restoring respectively generating filelists. So,
> not sure if such old CPU provides enough compute power ...
> 
This is important for the machine hosting director. If database is 
hosted on different machine even that shouldn't be awfully loaded in my 
opinion. As far as the box hosting storage daemon is concerned, that 
dosn't need much of resources (like CPU or RAM - unless one uses NFS 
which I wouldn't), the only things to pay attention for that box would 
be network connection capacity and/or filesystem speed, whichever 
becomes a bottleneck.

I hope, this helps.

Valeri
> --
> LF
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> CentOS mailing list
> CentOS at centos.org
> https://lists.centos.org/mailman/listinfo/centos
> 
-- 
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Valeri Galtsev
Sr System Administrator
Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics
Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics
University of Chicago
Phone: 773-702-4247
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Warren Young wrote:
> On Aug 31, 2018, at 8:29 AM, Gary Stainburn <gary at ringways.co.uk>
wrote:
>
>>
>> I've got a very small footprint rack server with a 4TB drive in
that I
>> wish to be a Bacula storeage device. However, it's got an old board
/
>> processor in it.
>
> You?re giving two very mixed signals here.
>
> ?Old Pentium,? as someone else said, can mean anything back to 1993, but
> ?4 TB drive? suggests something far newer than that.
Good point. If it recognizes a 4TB drive, then it has to have a controller
card from around '10 or newer. I don't know that an "old
Pentium" can
address that.

Don't they also call 686's Pentiums?

     mark

Le 31/08/2018 ? 16:29, Gary Stainburn a ?crit?:
> Can anyone recommend a Dist that would work on it?
I'd say whatever bone-headed distro you're comfortable with.

Personally, I'd use 32-bit Slackware 14.2 without even giving it a
second thought.

Cheers,

Niki

-- 
Microlinux - Solutions informatiques durables
7, place de l'?glise - 30730 Montpezat
Site : https://www.microlinux.fr
Blog : https://blog.microlinux.fr
Mail : info at microlinux.fr
T?l. : 04 66 63 10 32

My recommendation, take it for what its worth:

32-bit distros to me are a short lived proposition IMO.

Example: I'm running Centos 6, 32-bit version. I recently ran into an issue
where a package
(clamav) started using a 64-bit library for decompression of files. End result,
end of scanning
for email viruses as this lib won't run on 32-bit AND, the lib hasn't
been updated for 32-bits in
6 years.

Forced to move to Centos 7 to get 64-bit libs.  Centos 6 is still a viable
supported OS until end
of 2019 or 2020.

So, ditch the box and get something that runs 64-bit..Your time will be better
spent!!!

Jay
> Le 31/08/2018 ?? 16:29, Gary Stainburn a ??crit??:
>> Can anyone recommend a Dist that would work on it?
>
> I'd say whatever bone-headed distro you're comfortable with.
>
> Personally, I'd use 32-bit Slackware 14.2 without even giving it a
> second thought.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Niki
>
> --
> Microlinux - Solutions informatiques durables
> 7, place de l'??glise - 30730 Montpezat
> Site : https://www.microlinux.fr
> Blog : https://blog.microlinux.fr
> Mail : info at microlinux.fr
> T??l. : 04 66 63 10 32
> _______________________________________________
> CentOS mailing list
> CentOS at centos.org
> https://lists.centos.org/mailman/listinfo/centos
>

On Friday 31 August 2018 18:09:13 Leon Fauster via CentOS
wrote:
> We use mysql as database backend for bacula, and it becomes heavy loaded,
> over time especially wenn restoring respectively generating filelists. So,
> not sure if such old CPU provides enough compute power ...
This isn't the director, it's just a remote storeage device.  All it has
to do
is talk network and HDD.  Why is why I've retained it as it's a 1U half
depth
rack server and fits into my already overcrowded cabinet.

On Friday 31 August 2018 18:20:20 Warren Young wrote:
> You?re giving two very mixed signals here.
>
> ?Old Pentium,? as someone else said, can mean anything back to 1993, but ?4
> TB drive? suggests something far newer than that.
>
> I ask because that affects the expected energy draw of the server.  If it?s
> old, it could be 200 W or so.  If you?re using ?old? rather loosely, then
> it could be down in the double digits.
>
> Here?s why it matters:
>
>    https://www.rapidtables.com/calc/electric/energy-cost-calculator.html
>
> At 12 pence per kWh ? typical for power in some places in your country,
> based on your TLD ? it?s going to cost you about 1 pound per watt consumed
> if it runs all day every day.  If it draws 35 W, that?s ?35/yr.  If it
> draws 200 W, that?s ?200/yr.
Hi Warren,

I had considered power consumption but only with regard that it is a small 
footprint system, both physically and in terms of processing power etc. 

I had not considered the lack of energy efficiency. The server has a MSI 
MS-9628 board with a Pentium M processor, and the one modern 4TB HDD.

There is one tiny fan in the PSU and another tiny processor fan on the CPU.  
From this I (possibly wrongly) assumed power consumption would be low.

It used to have 2 x 1.5TB drivers with software RAID until that died. 

I am still in the process of installing lubuntu so I don't know how
effective
it will be. I had considered putting Centos6 32-bit back on, but has been 
said elsewhere that's very near EOL. Having said that, some of my (soon to
be
replaced) SAMBA boxes are still runnning F9.