Has anybody tried any Linux specifically redhat 5 with the new core i7 arch?

also if anybody has anything to say about multithreading java applications with this new architecture, i'd like to hear it.

Thanks

Seems hard to get any information about this. I'm getting anxious to get a new system, and i may jump in and test it out. My main concern is that there may be kernel issues with the elimination of the front side bus. I understand that AMD Opteron processors have been using similar technology for some time (no FSB) and run linux with no problem. Anybody have any idea if i could expect similar results from the core i7/x58 arch out of the box?

As i have very little understanding of the kernel->memory control->processor core process, any info would help.

thanks

andy

Why don't you ask RedHat?

Why would you get an X58? It is a dead-end as Intel will be introducing a new socket some time Q1 2009. You'd be stuck with a 300$ mobo that hasn't any upgrade path.

I spoke with redhat and intel. neither do nor plan to offer any specific linux support for the x58.

doing some more digging it seems that people have had no problems getting ubuntu running out of the box.

--
jay73 Why would you get an X58? It is a dead-end as Intel will be introducing a new socket some time Q1 2009. You'd be stuck with a 300$ mobo that hasn't any upgrade path.
--

do you have any more info on this?

P55 - the consumer line of i7 mobos - will have an 1160 socket (recent news suggests that it may actually be an 1156 socket by the time p55 is released). X58 seems to be a server socket that is likely to go the same way as AMD socket 940: a transitional one that is silently dropped shortly after its release. Intel, by the way, have already stated that they do not expect their X58 to become a success any time soon.
http://www.fudzilla.com/index.php?op...9974&Itemid=35

thanks jay73,
that looks like a mess. Do you take that to mean that the Socket Bs will not support the next generation nehalems (beyond the current Bloomfield) to be released.

Thanks for your help.

Yes, I do. I see little point in having two different sockets that support the same range of products. And I think it can also be read between the lines if you look at the article I posted.
We had something similar when Core 2 Duo was released. There was a small set of older motherboards that, as a transitional measure, could run C2D after a BIOS update. Right now, because of some fundamental innovations (most notably the on-die memory controller), a simple BIOS update will not do so an entirely new type of motherboard is required to make the transition. Once Intel have figured out all the details, they are almost bound to abandon X58 and settle on the more reasonably priced P55.

thanks again for the help. I've decided to give it a shot since i need a new machine now, and cant wait until intel gets their shit together. I'll post the results

Fianally got this machine up, and have to say that I'm pleased.:

Dell Studio XPS:
intel DX58SO board
core i7 940
ATI Radeon HD 4850
Hauppauage HVR1250
RHEL5 with 2.6.18-92.1.22.el5xen kernel
Gnome Desktop



Installed pretty well out of the box with RHEL5 with the exception of the onboard Intel ethernet port. easily configured using the intel e1000e driver (which i think restricts it to 100Base-t instead of its 1000Base-t capability).

off the bat positive:
-------------------------
The Kernel recognizes 8 Cpus
audio works out of the box
All DVD drives working properly out of the box
USB ports working well out of the box


off the bat negative:
-------------------------
X seems a bit flakey:
-- cant get dual monitors configured easily
-- windows are not as fluid in their dragging/opening/closing as i would have liked to see
sun java 1.6.0_11 64 bit applications are not stable as well (having just instatlled it im starting to notice problems like windows not resizing properly.) I haven't tested any multithreaded for smp applications yet.

the problems that im having are likely configuration issues, and this is my first 64 bit machine so I'm not experienced with some of the nuances of 32 v 64 bit applications.

all in all im pretty happy with it so far.

any insight would be appreciated.

Edit:
Dell studio XPS does not use the intel DX58SO board rather some watered down custom made version specifically manufactured for dell. While this board made the system affordable for me, it severely limits expansion capabilities having only 3 pci-e x1 slots and one pci-e x16 slot.

This might be worth browsing if anyone else is interested in one of these i7 systems..

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?pag...item&px=NjkxOA

SuSe 11.0 runs great out of the box with this board and the Intel 920 chip. I purchased a Radeon 4870 2G card and had no issues with it either. My TV tuner card a pinnacle 800i even worked as well.. or as well as it did in XP. Not bad at all.

A recent Kernel update from redhat to the 2.6.18-128.el5 kernel has specific support for the core i7 processors:

https://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2009-0225.html

so I guess that red hat officially supports them now.

As well the problems that I was having with X cleared up after getting the fglrx driver installed for my Radeon 4850 card. something that I couldn't do with the XEN kernel. I'm pretty sure that its just the name of the kernel in the make install script, so at some point i expect to be able to get this up.