On Fri, 30 Oct 1998 11:08:07 +0200
Vadim Vygonets<vadik@???> wrote:
> Quoth J C Lawrence on Thu, Oct 29, 1998:
>> For those interested I'e found that an i486-33 with 8Meg of RAM
>> and a Gig or so of disk (a box generally purchasable for about
>> US$50 on the second hand market) can easily handle the mail losd
>> from a mid-size (few hundred employees == <100,000 messages per
>> day).
> A sysadmin's hint: RAM is more important than processor speed.
True. However its pretty tough now to get a commodity box that's
physically capable of running *nix+Exim that has less CPU than an
i496-33 and which is cheaper. In the US a whole lot of corporations
standardised their desktops on i486-33's with the result that the
second hand market is rapidly becoming flooded as they trickle down
the junk chain.
<<Aside: Locally (and this is a very local phenomena) at last Apollo
400t's are finally getting almost as cheap as i486 boxen. Throw
OpenBSD on 'em and they make a fine small server box. Now if only I
could find Domain/OS media...>>
>> Heck -- I've also run leafnode news servers on the same box along
>> with Exim and had them work fine.
> You need a lot of disk space.
Depends on the loading. In a lot of cases I've found that they only
want a very small subset of the total news heirarchy, say less than
100 groups, and if you get suitably draconian on the expire rules it
will work just fine on low-disk machines. (remember: leafnode only
populates actually read groups).
In my own case for the home LAN I threw a $60 2Gig SCSI II drive in
the mailserver box (in this case an i486-50), installed leafnode,
set up suck under a cronjob to hit every group under leafnode that I
always wanted populated (ie the things I want carried even if I
don't always read them), and never looked back. That little puppy
has an uptime right now of just under a year and has never even
burped once.
>> One ruse it to run X, and use a GIF'ed version of winnt.bmp as
>> the root image. Rumour has it that it will fool most managers...
> See my other post for reasons why not to do it.
Yes, job security and "more than my job's worth". As I replied to
there:
"I am. I have a simple contract requirement for everywhere I work:
"I will not work on or with any Microsoft products or with any
products that runs on or depends on a Microsoft product."
Works for me just fine, and yes, I regularly turn down jobs because
they involve MS work, and have walked off other jobs because of
their MS aspect. However this is getting pretty off topic for the
list. Replies to direct email please.
--
J C Lawrence Internet: claw@???
(Contractor) Internet: coder@???
---------(*) Internet: claw@???
...Honourary Member of Clan McFud -- Teamer's Avenging Monolith...
--
*** Exim information can be found at
http://www.exim.org/ ***
%20can%20easily%20handle%20the%20mail%20losd%0A>%20>>%20from%20a%20mid-size%20(few%20hundred%20employees%20==%20<100,000%20messages%20per%0A>%20>>%20day).%0A>%20%0A>%20>%20A%20sysadmin's%20hint:%20RAM%20is%20more%20important%20than%20processor%20speed.%0A>%20%0A>%20True.%20%20However%20its%20pretty%20tough%20now%20to%20get%20a%20commodity%20box%20that's%0A>%20physically%20capable%20of%20running%20*nix+Exim%20that%20has%20less%20CPU%20than%20an%0A>%20i496-33%20and%20which%20is%20cheaper.%20%20In%20the%20US%20a%20whole%20lot%20of%20corporations%0A>%20standardised%20their%20desktops%20on%20i486-33's%20with%20the%20result%20that%20the%0A>%20second%20hand%20market%20is%20rapidly%20becoming%20flooded%20as%20they%20trickle%20down%0A>%20the%20junk%20chain.%0A>%20%0A>%20<<Aside:%20Locally%20(and%20this%20is%20a%20very%20local%20phenomena)%20at%20last%20Apollo%0A>%20400t's%20are%20finally%20getting%20almost%20as%20cheap%20as%20i486%20boxen.%20%20Throw%0A>%20OpenBSD%20on%20'em%20and%20they%20make%20a%20fine%20small%20server%20box.%20%20Now%20if%20only%20I%20%0A>%20could%20find%20Domain/OS%20media...>>%0A>%20%0A>%20>>%20Heck%20--%20I've%20also%20run%20leafnode%20news%20servers%20on%20the%20same%20box%20along%0A>%20>>%20with%20Exim%20and%20had%20them%20work%20fine.%0A>%20%0A>%20>%20You%20need%20a%20lot%20of%20disk%20space.%0A>%20%0A>%20Depends%20on%20the%20loading.%20%20In%20a%20lot%20of%20cases%20I've%20found%20that%20they%20only%0A>%20want%20a%20very%20small%20subset%20of%20the%20total%20news%20heirarchy,%20say%20less%20than%0A>%20100%20groups,%20and%20if%20you%20get%20suitably%20draconian%20on%20the%20expire%20rules%20it%0A>%20will%20work%20just%20fine%20on%20low-disk%20machines.%20%20(remember:%20leafnode%20only%0A>%20populates%20actually%20read%20groups).%0A>%20%0A>%20In%20my%20own%20case%20for%20the%20home%20LAN%20I%20threw%20a%20%2460%202Gig%20SCSI%20II%20drive%20in%0A>%20the%20mailserver%20box%20(in%20this%20case%20an%20i486-50),%20installed%20leafnode,%0A>%20set%20up%20suck%20under%20a%20cronjob%20to%20hit%20every%20group%20under%20leafnode%20that%20I%0A>%20always%20wanted%20populated%20(ie%20the%20things%20I%20want%20carried%20even%20if%20I%0A>%20don't%20always%20read%20them),%20and%20never%20looked%20back.%20%20That%20little%20puppy%0A>%20has%20an%20uptime%20right%20now%20of%20just%20under%20a%20year%20and%20has%20never%20even%0A>%20burped%20once.%0A>%20%0A>%20>>%20One%20ruse%20it%20to%20run%20X,%20and%20use%20a%20GIF'ed%20version%20of%20winnt.bmp%20as%0A>%20>>%20the%20root%20image.%20%20Rumour%20has%20it%20that%20it%20will%20fool%20most%20managers...%0A>%20%0A>%20>%20See%20my%20other%20post%20for%20reasons%20why%20not%20to%20do%20it.%0A>%20%0A>%20Yes,%20job%20security%20and%20%22more%20than%20my%20job's%20worth%22.%20%20As%20I%20replied%20to%0A>%20there:%0A>%20%0A>%20%20%20%22I%20am.%20%20I%20have%20a%20simple%20contract%20requirement%20for%20everywhere%20I%20work:%0A>%20%0A>%20%0A>%20Works%20for%20me%20just%20fine,%20and%20yes,%20I%20regularly%20turn%20down%20jobs%20because%0A>%20they%20involve%20MS%20work,%20and%20have%20walked%20off%20other%20jobs%20because%20of%0A>%20their%20MS%20aspect.%20%20However%20this%20is%20getting%20pretty%20off%20topic%20for%20the%0A>%20list.%20%20Replies%20to%20direct%20email%20please.%0A>%20%0A>%20%0A>%20--%20%0A>%20***%20%20Exim%20information%20can%20be%20found%20at%20http://www.exim.org/%20%20***%0A>%20%0A>%20%0A>%20 "Reply to this message")