Date: Thu, 12 Apr 2001 08:02:50 +0100 (GMT/BST)
From: Digby Tarvin <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: X on Libretto (OS=Linux)
I am more familiar with BSD than Linux, but I would have thought
idle services would only effect swap utilization and not memory?
That was certainly how it was intended to function. Any running
but inactive program (such as a getty than has not been logged in
on) gets 'swapped', and so only consumes disk space and a process
table entry.
Inetd is even more efficient, in that services it provides do not
even take up swap space unless invoked by a client. And by using
tcpd as a wrapped around services, you get better security than
just running the service directly. As far as I know, the only
real cost is a slight increase in latency in responding to
requests, and the fact that inetd itself must take up some
swap space or memory.
Of course where inetd is a security concern is where people use
default configurations that leave un-necessary or poorly configured
services enabled.
I run Linux on a 100CT with 64 Mb of ram, using the Accelerated-X
XServer, and it runs fine. I even ran for a couple of months on
32Mb when my ram expansion came loose, and didn't notice.
As far as I can see, if the machine can run Windows, then any reasonable
version of Unix should run fine. The only resource that I am constantly
short of is disk space, but that is partly because there is so much free
software out there, and my desire to hold all the source.
For the record, the machine I am typing at now, which is my main BSD
multi-user office machine, is a 66MHz 486 with 32MB ram - and about
80GB of disk:
BSDI BSD/OS 3.1 Kernel #0: Thu Sep 24 12:59:15 GMT/BST 1998
[EMAIL PROTECTED]:/usr/src/sys/compile/LOCALSCON
cpu = 80486 (about 50 MHz) model 3, stepping 5, type 0, features 3
delay multiplier 848
real mem = 33554432 (32.00 MB)
avail mem = 31154176 (29.71 MB)
buffer cache = 3190784 (3.04 MB)
Regards,
DigbyT
> I have found that I am able to run Mozilla, and a fair amount of GNOME
> software on my 32Mb Libretto 50 (with a pretty sizeable swap partition,
> admittedly) with pretty good performance. So, I wouldn't say that you
> have to be _too_ minimal to run Linux on a Libby. I do try and save
> memory by running only one or two gettys, and _very_ few network servers
> (asmutils httpd, runs in 16kb; sshd; very little else).
>
> Linux is surprisingly lean when you trim the amount of crap it runs.
> Beware default installs of RedHat, SuSE, maybe other distros which run a
> whole bunch of unnecessary services. Also note that super-servers such
> as inetd which run other services are pretty much frowned-upon
> security-wise nowadays, so by not running them you are both saving
> memory and plugging security holes.
>
--
Digby R. S. Tarvin [EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.cthulhu.dircon.co.uk
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