[Samba] Bit OT - Re: exam projects

[Robert Moskowitz]

On 09/24/2015 01:16 PM, buhorojo wrote:
> On 24/09/15 15:44, Rowland Penny wrote:
>> On 24/09/15 14:18, Robert Moskowitz wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>> On 09/23/2015 03:30 PM, buhorojo wrote:
>>>> Hi
>>>> A question came today about appliances. We had a look here:
>>>> https://wiki.samba.org/index.php/Samba4/VirtualMachines
>>>> but that seems to be for setting up a machine. We would still need 
>>>> to install it. What we want to do is have an appliance so we don't 
>>>> have to install to just play around to see if we can get a project 
>>>> out of it. We don't know if it's possible to have a AD setup as an 
>>>> appliance. Lots of other unknowns too such as how would we change 
>>>> the domain name and ips. Anyway, if anyone has any experience of 
>>>> this that would be great. Thanks.
>>>
>>> For an appliance, consider an armv7 board.  Some like Raspberry, I 
>>> do not.  I use the Cubieboards.  The Cubieboard2 can be had for $65 
>>> and is better than a RPi2.  With Sata etc. Fedora22 is available; 
>>> F23 in beta as is Centos7.
>>>
>>> I have a Cubieboard with the Centos7-arm beta.  I have a special 
>>> build of the sernet 4.2 for it.
>>>
>>> You can run your armv7 completely on a 16Gb mSD card.  With the 
>>> Cubieboards, you can easily use sata by putting all your partitions 
>>> on the sata (connect it to your installation system with a USB/sata 
>>> adapter to do this), and ONLY have uboot on a 4Gb cheap mSD (do the 
>>> install on the mSD, then delete all partitions).
>>>
>>> Have fun!  I am.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>> Seeing as he was trying to get someone to do half his home work for 
>> him, I don't think he will want to spend money buying something. I 
>> also don't think he has realised that he will probably lose marks, by 
>> not being able to show how and why he decided to go the way he did.
>> Rowland
>>
> Hi
> We are supposed to be catering for a computer room with data shared 
> between windows and Linux machines. Well, that's one of the projects 
> anyway. We tried a DC on a pi but 24 hours later it still hadn't 
> installed on their version of ubuntu(?). Does the Cubie go any faster 
> I wonder? If we go ahead the posts here will be used as a feasibility 
> study. Cost is important but not the deciding factor.

The Pi is an armv5 and limited in a number of ways.  The RPi2 is a duo 
core armv7 that does better, but is still short of memory and I believe 
only has USB for a HD attachment.

The Cubieboard2 and Cubietruck are both Allwinner A20 duo core armv7.  
The C2 has 1GB and the CT 2 GB memory.  C2 has a 100Mb and CT a gig 
ethernet.  Both have a sata interface.  Both can easily handle a 2.5" 
HD, the CT can handle a 3.5" HD (with the addition of 12V).  Go look at 
the specs.  And look for a source near you.

There is also the Wandboards and the BananaPi to look at.  I have heard 
problems with the OrangePi.

But an armv7 duo core beats a single core armv5 hands down.  Add a HD 
over an mSD and you have a real appliance server.  Not a DIY hobby 
machine (My personal observation).

Oh, and the quad cores are coming out.  Both Wandboard and BananaPi have 
them.  Cubie has theirs in final build design.

Then you can go the the armv8 which are 64 bit and more of a data center 
server platform and pull typically 18W instead of the 2-4W of the 
armv7...  Oh and COST a lot more!