I just installed Linux for the 1st time (Caldera esever 2.3.1 all packages) on a compaq proliant 2500. 300meg ram, 4gig scsi with 128M swap, dual ppro 200. I got both processors working per /proc/cpuinfo. I want to replace my file/web server on my Win98 peer to peer with Linux.

Here's what I don't understand. It takes 5-8 MINUTES just to launch netscape from KDE. Once up and running the LAN speed is very slow (I have fast DSL). I was expecting the system to FLY. My currnet server is a pentium pro with 1 processor, 128 MB ram that works fine with Win98. I expected Linux to scream on this PC.

Am I missing something? Could the 1 meg video be the culprit? (running 800x600 256). I haven't had a chance to guage it as a file/web server but from what I've seen I'm nervous.

thk

if this is a server machine then you don't really need the kde desktop (it is notoriously the most slow out of all of them). use the console instead. it maybe less user friendly but it is more powerful and takes less resources.if you desperatly need a gui system then use window make or afterstep or fvwm (or whatever its called). these are much faster!

to increase the speed there are several things you can do.

1.) and most important RECOMPILE YOUR KERNEL!!! this is necessary to get it working with dual processors (and the pentium pro) which will kick up the speed

2.) make sure that when recompiling you get rid of the load of crap you don;t need (like amature radio etc). also load all non essentials not needed for initial boot as modules.

3.)make sure that no non-essential programs are runnoing. you can check what's running by typing 'ps -e'. if you don't need apache then kill it (by using the pid [displayed when using the above command] and type 'kill pid'). if you need to stop it starting permanantly then disable it from the start up scripts (the caldera book should tell you how). you may want to uninstall it while you're at it. you may also want to get rid of the following services (since it is eServer it might have them set going already):

sendmail (unless you need to transfer mails accross this machine)
apache
httpd
fetchmail (unless you want to download mail with this machine)
SQL server of some kind (unlikely that this is already running)

there may be many others but with out knowing what you have going already i can;t tell you what you won;t need. :-)

the video card won't make a difference unless you try to run KDE. run windowmaker and also make sure that it only runs at ,say, 640x480? or just run it in the console :-)

need any more help then post away!!!

Alex

[Edited by webtoe on 05-01-2001 at 01:05 PM]

Thanks for the info. I will ditch the KDE since it will become a file/web server only.

I did recompile the kernel with pentium pro support (set in lisa) and both processors are working but it compiled in all kinds of drivers I probably don't need. It took 1.5 hours to compile. I also found out that I had to set the Compaq bios OS = unixware to pickup both processors from a HOWTO link.

How do I remove what I don't need from the kernel compile? do I delete the source or is there a configuration manager of some type?

thanks again.

you need to recompile the kernel (quite a daunting task if you haven't done it before). well i shall give a brief account of what to do then point you to the how-to which is probably the better source.

1.) make sure that the source files are installed. most distros don;t since they take up a bit of space (it should be on your disks [or you can get the latest version. don;t forget the other updates needed that are stated in the CHANGES file]).

2.)once it is installed, go to the /usr/src folder (this is from a console [either use it from X of press ctrl-alt-F1 to get to pure console mode]).

3.)there type 'ls -l'. you will notice that there is a folder called linux that has a little arrow after it pointing to another folder in the same directory called linux-2.x.x (whatever the kernel version is). this so called 'linux' folder is a symbolic link to the proper folder.

4.) create a new folder called 'newkernel' by typing 'mkdir newkernel' . copy the contents of the 'linux-2.x.x' to this new folder with 'cp ./linux-2.x.x/* ./newkernel' .this makes sure that you have the original docs and sources etc incase you ever need them for some reason. also if you have a totally new kernel to compile (such as the new kernels) then the source for them should be in 'newfolder' instead so that you have the sources for the old kernel and also for the new one (in case things get seriously screwed).

5.) right you should have a nice new folder with the nifty kernel sources to make your nifty kernel. move into this new directory with 'cd ./newkernel' and type make menuconfig.

6.) you should be looking at a nice pretty screen with loads of menus, reminiscent of the tacky dos programs that never did quite what you wanted. you need to go through all the menus checking whether you need and option or not. the one that says something about what cpu you have running in your box is important. in your case you need to change it to pentium pro and also to smp. plus some of the other jobbies there might be useful. if in doubt check the help and if you understand what its talking about and you don;t need it then type n to discard it (it'll say an 'N' next to the option now). if you don;t know what the hell its on about then you have two options, do what it tells you most people want to do (it should be near the bottom of the help screen) or you could just leave it alone and hope it doesn;t matter.

7.)once you are finished then go to the end of the main menu and press enter on the exit bit. it'll say 'do you want to save your configuration and exit?'. save and then you'll be at the prompt again.

8.) now for the final step. type the following at the prompt and then press enter. sit back and make a cup a tea while you wait for it to finish.

excluding ''

'make dep; make clean; make bzImage; make modules; make modules_install'

that should be it. you;ll have your kernel image in /newkernel/arch/i386/boot (or something like that). you need to stay as root and open up lilo.conf in your favourite editor and create a new section in it (copy the normal linux section) but alter it in the following way. change it so the label is equal to 'newkernel' and that the image is equal to '/bzImage' and then save it and exit.
then go to the boot directory and rename the old System.map file by typing 'mv System.map System.map.backup'
copy the newkernel in the /usr/src/newkernel/arch/i386/boot directory to the / directory and the System.map file in the /usr/src/newkernel/ directory to the /boot directoy in the root directory.

finally type lilo at the prompt. it should say the original 'linux' and also 'newkernel'. if that works you're done.

restart and everything should be working all fine on your new kernel.

hope that is what you wanted. there;s also the kernel how-to that should help. otherwise go to http://www.linuxnewbie.org and see if one of their newbeixed help files are what you're looking for.

Alex