[poky] requesting input on specs for a new Poky build server

[Tom Rini]

On 04/11/2011 02:50 PM, Joe Sauer wrote:
> I have the pleasure of spec'ing out a new server for doing Poky builds
> (we are at Green 3.3.1).  As a reference point, my desktop machine is a
> quad-Xeon @ 2.5 GHz with 4GB of RAM and SATA disk.  I can do a full
> "clean" build for our LabQuest (armv5te) in 2 hours.
> 
> Here are some questions I would like to get feedback on regarding a
> build server:
> 
> 1.  Would I get better build time going with more procs (8?) or faster
> procs (3+ GHz)?
> 
> 2.  Are SATA drives OK, or should I go with RAID to get better R/W
> performance?
> 
> 3.  If I have to choose one or the other, should I go with faster procs
> or faster disk I/O?

If you're on somewhat of a budget, the general rule of thumb about going
for last months fastest processor (as opposed to the one just released)
is probably a wise bet.  And you probably want 8-12GB ram if you can fit it.

The only real and not always obvious trick is if you can afford an SSD
(and afford to kill it and replace it every so often) doing your builds
there is a real big win.

-- 
Tom Rini
Mentor Graphics Corporation