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View Full Version : Gentoo first to work on Cell processor?

Rob Williams
08-10-2006, 01:54 PM
Just reading the latest GWN, and noticed this.

Gentoo is the first community Linux distribution to actively work on supporting the new CELL processor IBM has launched with Sony and Toshiba. This processor is used in the PlayStation 3, and in a number of other products. The CELL processor has a general purpose PowerPC core which runs at 3.2 GHz. It also has eight special purpose cores, which are basically cache-less processors that are great for processing streams and parallel work. The CELL is also called a 'broadband engine' and has a peak bandwidth of 204.8 GB/sec for intra-chip transfers (between cores, memory and I/O controllers).

Nice to see them on top of things... Would this even benefit the community short term though? I mean... we are not going to be able to pick up a Cell processor as easily as Sony, unless I am wrong.

Still good to see some devs thinking far ahead.
Svartalf
08-10-2006, 08:57 PM
Just reading the latest GWN, and noticed this.

Nice to see them on top of things... Would this even benefit the community short term though? I mean... we are not going to be able to pick up a Cell processor as easily as Sony, unless I am wrong.

Still good to see some devs thinking far ahead.

Well...

1) While I think a PS3 is going to be an insanely overpriced console, it still probably makes for an excellent Linux workstation, depending on how useable the CELL BBE is going to be.

2) It's my understanding IBM's looking to sell workstations based of the CELL design- not the same thing as what they sold to Lenovo, but more like the RS6000 machine. If they do this, it makes some sense- besides, it's not a hard thing to do to pick up the CELL's core CPU capabilities; it's little more than a PPC chip with 8 other specialized coprocessors working in unison.
smp-freak
08-13-2006, 04:23 PM
Mercury Systems does put out a Dual Proc Cell 1u server. and it looks pretty sweet. let me find that link. of Course there is no price listed on the site. so i am imagining I will have to wait a bit for Cell to become affordable. :(


here is the link...

http://www.mc.com/products/view/index.cfm?id=96&type=boards

Dont Drool too much ;)

Regards SMP-FREAK!
1c3d0g
08-14-2006, 06:34 AM
...so now compiling will take 2-3 times as long? :p
Rob Williams
08-14-2006, 09:42 AM
Half the fun of compiling is testing your patience :P