Thank you for all your time om your most detailed response. It is extremely helpful.
The vendor's web page is http://www.penguincomputing.com/index.php?option=com_content&id=170&Itemid=209&task=view&sysid=10007609 *PCI EXPANSION SLOTS* Number of Slots 5 Slot Speed PCI Express: two x8 slots, two x8 low profile slots; PCI-X: 64-bit/100MHz or if that doesn't display > *PCI EXPANSION SLOTS* > Number of Slots 5 > Slot Speed PCI Express: two x8 slots, two x8 low profile slots; > PCI-X: 64-bit/100MHz > or PCI EXPANSION SLOTS Number of Slots 5 Slot Speed PCI Express: two x8 slots, two x8 low profile slots; PCI-X: 64-bit/100MHz Nick Seraphin wrote: > On Sat, 29 Mar 2008, Al Baker wrote: > > >> Detailed specs for the "types" of PCI slots on the system were posted >> each and every time I posted int the line >> > > Actually, your description wasn't 100% clear at all. > > >> _PCI Express_*: _two x8 slots*_, _two x8 low profile slots*_; *_PCI-X: >> 64-bit/100MHz_* " >> > > 1) This description seems to IMPLY that there are 5 slots total. Do you > know if this is in fact correct? It implies there are 2 PCI-E x8 slots, 2 > PCI-E x8 low profile slots, and 1 PCI-X slot. I wouldn't rely on that > however without talking to the vendor. > > 2) The first "PCI Express:" heading would normally imply that the slots > listed afterwards are ALL PCI Express slots, however PCI-X is not PCI > Express, so the vendor's description is confusing and misleading. > > 3) All these damn *'s you keep inserting, are those all done by you, or > are some of them from the web page description? Most of the time when > something has a * by it that means it's conditional on a footnote that > appears at the bottom of the section or page. Are there footnotes we need > to know about to clarify this? > > 4) Is this a rackmount server or a tower case? If rackmount, is it a 1u > server or a 2u server or a 4u server? Just because the motherboard has 5 > slots doesn't mean the case it is installed in will support 5 cards. A 1u > case rarely supports more than 1 or 2 cards, and always requires a riser > card. A 2u server rarely supports more than 2 cards unless they are > low-profile. A 4u server might allow 5 cards, IF the case is designed > with 5 slot openings in the back. > > 5) Are all the card slots open and available to you at time of shipping? > Many options a customer orders with a server, such as a RAID controller or > additional network ports will fill one or more of the available slots. > You need to be sure all the slots you need are available to you when you > get the server. > > As for types of cards. As others have already said, PCI-X is not > PCI-Express and they are not interchangeable. > > A PCI-Express card slot can accomodate any PCI-Express card with the same > number of lanes or less. So an x8 slot (8 lanes) will support an x1, x2, > x4, or x8 card, but not an x16 card. I believe the Digium PCI Express > cards are only x1 (one lane) so they should fit in any PCI Express slot, > but you should check with Digium's web site to be 100% sure the card you > are buying is a x1 card. > > Unless you specifically buy a low-pofile card, a normal PCI or PCI Express > Card will NOT fit in a low-profile slot. So assuming Digium's cards are > full height, you only have 3 possible options. The 2 PCI Express full > height slots, and the 1 PCI-X slot, assuming all those slots are open and > will be available with the case you're using. > > I would NOT base my purchasing decision on that vague description given by > the vendor that you have listed in your messages. I would contact the > vendor and clarify the total number of slots, types of slots, whether they > are open or not, and whether the case will support them all. > > Many vendors will use a motherboard with 3-5 slots on the board, in a 1u > rackmount case that only supports 1 physical card. > > One final word of warning... don't try to stick too many cards in one box > without double checking with someone who can tell you if it will handle > that capacity or not. There were a lot of problems with early Digium > 4-port T1 cards where you couldn't use more than 1 or 2 cards at a time > because of the interrupts. The newer cards, especially PCI Express, may > not have that problem anymore... but I would double check before > proceeding with more than 2 cards in one box. > > Can anyone out there clarify (for me as well) whether you can put, say, 4 > or 5 4-port T1 cards in a single box now and have it work ok? Assuming > enough RAM and a fast enough CPU of course. > > -- Nick > > > > _______________________________________________ > -- Bandwidth and Colocation Provided by http://www.api-digital.com -- > > asterisk-users mailing list > To UNSUBSCRIBE or update options visit: > http://lists.digium.com/mailman/listinfo/asterisk-users > > > _______________________________________________ -- Bandwidth and Colocation Provided by http://www.api-digital.com -- asterisk-users mailing list To UNSUBSCRIBE or update options visit: http://lists.digium.com/mailman/listinfo/asterisk-users
