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In 5 years it will be an 11+ year old CPU running on 7+ year old servers. These are enterprise database servers sitting in data centers not embedded machines s

In 5 years it will be an 11+ year old CPU running on 7+ year old servers. These are enterprise database servers sitting in data centers not embedded machines sitting on a factory floor. The few still out there will be replaced over the next 2 years.

chasil 3y ago
We are still running Oracle Rdb on a VAX. I wish that I could remove unsupported systems after two years. That must be a nice place. I have kept one Itanium server, just in case.
- sillywalk 3y ago
  Interesting, like real hardware VAX, not something like Charon? What's it used for?
yjftsjthsd-h 3y ago
> In 5 years it will be an 11+ year old CPU running on 7+ year old servers. My desktop is 12 years old and works completely fine. The major difference being that it's x86_64 so it keeps getting current software.
- chasil 3y ago
  You will not be able to run rhel9 on this platform, as it requires V2 or above. You can't run Windows 11 either. Under Linux, you can check with this script: #!/usr/bin/awk -f BEGIN { while (!/flags/) if (getline < "/proc/cpuinfo" != 1) exit 1 if(/lm/&&/cmov/&&/cx8/&&/fpu/&&/fxsr/&&/mmx/&&/syscall/&&/sse2/) l = 1 if(l==1 &&/cx16/&&/lahf/&&/popcnt/&&/sse4_1/&&/sse4_2/&&/ssse3/) l = 2 if(l==2 &&/avx/&&/avx2/&&/bmi1/&&/bmi2/&&/f16c/&&/fma/&&/abm/&&/movbe/&&/xsave/) l = 3 if(l==3 &&/avx512f/&&/avx512bw/&&/avx512cd/&&/avx512dq/&&/avx512vl/) l = 4 if(l > 0) { print "CPU supports x86-64-v" l; exit l + 1 } exit 1 }
  - yjftsjthsd-h 3y ago
    Thankfully, I am not running NT or RHEL. Edit: I should say, I suppose it's a fair point that some distributions might eventually drop support for the exact CPU or hardware I have, but I expect this hardware to retain some level of support for a much longer period, especially from a kernel that hasn't even dropped 32 bit x86. It helps that if necessary I'm not above just going full Gentoo on it.
    - chasil 3y ago
      I would expect that Fedora has done the same as rhel. I am certain that Intel Clear Linux requires at least v2. "Clear Linux OS supports 2nd generation Intel Core (Sandy Bridge) CPUs and later, Xeon E3 and later, and Silvermont-based Intel Atom C2000 and E3800 processors... Minimum system requirements are SSE4 and CLMUL (carry-less multiplication), as well as UEFI." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clear_Linux_OS https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clear_Linux_OS This will probably creep into more distros. I know that rhel8 clones are supported until 2028; that will probably be the time to retire my own Core 2 Duos/Quads.
      - yjftsjthsd-h 3y ago
        Yeah, I would expect Fedora to be more aggressive about it than RHEL. IIRC SUSE was also talking about doing something similar. And sure, it's likely to be more common with time, but I expect some of the major distros to hold out for quite a long time - Debian and Slackware, in particular - but even if the big players all start requiring newer hardware there will be a long tail of distros like puppy linux to support old machines so long as the kernel and core software keep working.
  - yjftsjthsd-h 3y ago
    Er, that script says my CPU is v2. Maybe because it's a Xeon? (It's ancient now, but this thing was a beast when it was made)
    - chasil 3y ago

chasil 3y ago

We are still running Oracle Rdb on a VAX. I wish that I could remove unsupported systems after two years. That must be a nice place. I have kept one Itanium server, just in case.

sillywalk 3y ago
Interesting, like real hardware VAX, not something like Charon? What's it used for?

yjftsjthsd-h 3y ago

> In 5 years it will be an 11+ year old CPU running on 7+ year old servers. My desktop is 12 years old and works completely fine. The major difference being that it's x86_64 so it keeps getting current software.

chasil 3y ago
You will not be able to run rhel9 on this platform, as it requires V2 or above. You can't run Windows 11 either. Under Linux, you can check with this script: #!/usr/bin/awk -f BEGIN { while (!/flags/) if (getline < "/proc/cpuinfo" != 1) exit 1 if(/lm/&&/cmov/&&/cx8/&&/fpu/&&/fxsr/&&/mmx/&&/syscall/&&/sse2/) l = 1 if(l==1 &&/cx16/&&/lahf/&&/popcnt/&&/sse4_1/&&/sse4_2/&&/ssse3/) l = 2 if(l==2 &&/avx/&&/avx2/&&/bmi1/&&/bmi2/&&/f16c/&&/fma/&&/abm/&&/movbe/&&/xsave/) l = 3 if(l==3 &&/avx512f/&&/avx512bw/&&/avx512cd/&&/avx512dq/&&/avx512vl/) l = 4 if(l > 0) { print "CPU supports x86-64-v" l; exit l + 1 } exit 1 }
- yjftsjthsd-h 3y ago
  Thankfully, I am not running NT or RHEL. Edit: I should say, I suppose it's a fair point that some distributions might eventually drop support for the exact CPU or hardware I have, but I expect this hardware to retain some level of support for a much longer period, especially from a kernel that hasn't even dropped 32 bit x86. It helps that if necessary I'm not above just going full Gentoo on it.
  - chasil 3y ago
    I would expect that Fedora has done the same as rhel. I am certain that Intel Clear Linux requires at least v2. "Clear Linux OS supports 2nd generation Intel Core (Sandy Bridge) CPUs and later, Xeon E3 and later, and Silvermont-based Intel Atom C2000 and E3800 processors... Minimum system requirements are SSE4 and CLMUL (carry-less multiplication), as well as UEFI." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clear_Linux_OS https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clear_Linux_OS This will probably creep into more distros. I know that rhel8 clones are supported until 2028; that will probably be the time to retire my own Core 2 Duos/Quads.
    - yjftsjthsd-h 3y ago
      Yeah, I would expect Fedora to be more aggressive about it than RHEL. IIRC SUSE was also talking about doing something similar. And sure, it's likely to be more common with time, but I expect some of the major distros to hold out for quite a long time - Debian and Slackware, in particular - but even if the big players all start requiring newer hardware there will be a long tail of distros like puppy linux to support old machines so long as the kernel and core software keep working.
- yjftsjthsd-h 3y ago
  Er, that script says my CPU is v2. Maybe because it's a Xeon? (It's ancient now, but this thing was a beast when it was made)
  - chasil 3y ago