| name | cpu | ram | disk | os | purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| foc-gw-1 | Intel Pentium 133 MHz | 64 MB | 1 GB IDE | Linux | firewall/router |
| gamera | Alpha 21164 433 MHz | 256 MB | 6 GB SCSI | Linux | none |
| julie | MIPS R4400 200 MHz | 128 MB | 6 GB SCSI | IRIX | workstation |
| monolith | 2x(2.5 GHz dual core G5) | 512 MB | 250 GB SATA | Linux | workstation |
| mothra | Alpha 21164 433 MHz | 256 MB | none | none | none |
| obelisk | Motorola 68040 33 MHz | 128 MB | 420 MB SCSI | NEXTSTEP | print server |
| pyramid | Intel Pentium II 400 MHz | 128 MB | 126 GB IDE | Linux | NIS/NFS server |
| rodan | Intel Pentium II 366 MHz | 128 MB | 20 GB IDE | Linux | laptop |
| torgo | Intel 486 DX2 66 MHz | 16 MB | 420 MB IDE | none | development |
| unit | 2x(Alpha 21264 500 MHz) | 512 MB | 9.1 GB SCSI | Linux | development |
| ziggurat | Intel Intel Pentium 4 2.8 GHz | 512 MB | 160 GB SATA | Linux | mail/DNS server |
This is the router for everything at my house. I bought it from a physics grad student and wasn't even sure it would work but sure enough, it goes. Attached is one of those old crummy AT keyboards, with the keys rearranged into the Dvorak layout. It came like that. I swear.
This machine is set to be replaced by a single board computer that can do this same job without producing heat or noise, and without consuming tons of power to run disks.
gamera is an Alpha PWS500au donated for work on the Slackware Alpha port. After I stopped working on that, it then saw use in the Peachtree Linux Alpha port and as my web server. It is not currently doing anything, however.
gamera is not scheduled for any upgrades.
This machine is an SGI Indy with some really nice specs. I believe it was also saved from certain destruction in a dumpster and eventually wound up in my house. julie has recently had its network problems figured out but due to a lack of table space, it is currently shelved. I've run IRIX on it, but I don't like using it. I've also tried NetBSD but that's not very useful, so julie is currently in the "off" position pending a better operating system.
julie is not scheduled for any upgrades.
monolith is my workstation. It is the computer I sit in front of at home and do all the work. Its original hardware was the current pyramid when I was in college. After going to work at Slackware, I put together a new-to-me computer out of some Pentium 2 Xeons, miscellaneous new hardware, and a gigantic case. This was reasonably fast and got me by for several years. I tried out using multiple monitors for a while. I made some minor upgrades to it.
However, the biggest problems with the current setup were overall slowness, heat, noise, and power consumption. It became obvious that the best thing to do would be to just replace the computer. Luckily, I got a new job and was able to make enough money to afford my first new computer since the 90s. Since I like obsolete hardware, I went with the newest and shiniest PowerMac they sell. It's running Fedora, since that's the thing I work on, but with a little Mac OS X partition around just in case I need that. It's sitting on top of unit for now, which is a great use for a big huge Alpha.
monolith could use some more memory, but nothing is pressing right now.
This is a rack-mount Alpha machine donated for use on the Slackware Alpha port. I am no longer working on the Slackware port but am still active in Alpha Linux work, so mothra is going to get some use there. It's currently in pieces since I threw out the bulky rack mount case and ripped some of the parts out for other homes.
Where did I get the name for this machine? Well, I was playing around inside the case and removed a metal plate from over the top of the CD drive. Attached to the drive was a piece of tape with the name "mothra" on it. The computer pretty much named itself.
obelisk is my color turbo NeXTstation. It was rescued from a dumpster somewhere by a friend of mine during my freshman year. For a long time, it sat on the floor because it had no monitor. Once I moved to CA and had a job, I was able to buy a monitor and printer off ebay and get the thing up and running. While it may not be the zippiest machine I've got, it still gets the job done and is an interesting platform.
obelisk is maxed out on ram and has plenty of disk, so I consider it finshed from an upgrade standpoint.
This machine does all the NIS and NFS activities for the house, it being properly firewalled and everything. While it does not have the gigantic redundant disks and gigabit ethernet connections I'd like, it is doing its job quite well. pyramid used to be running Solaris Intel but since I didn't really know enough about that operating system, I decided to move back to Slackware. pyramid is almost never used directly and that's the way a system like this should be.
pyramid is scheduled for an upgrade of about 128 megs of ram and a gigantic RAID setup just as soon as I get around to dealing with it.
rodan is my Sony Z505R laptop. This machine was purchased for me while I was out in California doing Slackware. After a year or so of taking my abuse, its hard drive died. I attempted to fix it with a replacement drive but succeeded in breaking things further. It went into its carrying bag and was put away on the shelf until I could figure out what to do next. Several moves later, I had it repaired by Emperor Linux and used it all the time while I lived on Logan's couch and worked at Emperor. rodan has also served as Manos development central from time to time. Currently, it is donated to a friend of mine and I am using another company laptop instead.
unit is a beast of an Alpha machine, both in specs and in physical size. It weighs roughly 95 pounds and is full of parts. It was the primary machine for Slackware Alpha development until I stopped working on that. It was then used for development of Peachtree Linux, but is currently serving as a stand for my Mac.
ziggurat used to be a Pentium 90 that served as the bangmoney.org server. When I moved out of the dorms, it found a home with Ted. He kept it until I went to California, at which time he boxed it up and sent it out here. After transferring all its data to zuul (the new bangmoney.org server, and apartment point of presence), I put it on the shelves until I found something better to do with it.
While trying to upgrade ziggy's processor one day, I accidentally cut a big chunk of the motherboard and killed it. I tried some new motherboards, but nothing worked. I put most of ziggy's parts into storage, tossed the case, and basically retired it.
However, I took zuul with me back to Atlanta. After a quick reinstall of Slackware 8.0 and a bunch of data restoration, I had a server set back up and ready to run. Since it needed a name, I decided to bring back the prestigous name of ziggurat (though it responds to zuul as well).
Once I got a better job, I was able to think about how much the hardware sucked and how I could use a better machine for my server. This was in combination with wanting to upgrade the software, but the software not liking my old crappy hardware. So I bought the next-to-cheapest Dell computer and it even came with a free flat panel for my Mac. So now I have new, shiny, and fast hardware for the server. It should last several years before I get frustrated with it again.