[Click] Click, Linux & HyperThreading

[Giorgio Calarco]

Hi all,

today I was installing a RedHatLinux 9 on a new Dell server 1600 SC
(which is based on a Xeon _monoprocessor_ ServerWorks GC-SL chipset),
that I'd like to use for a new Click-based testbed.

Surprisingly, RHLinux has choosed to install a SMP kernel....
... I was thinking that Dell has made some mistake (i.e. present ;-),
giving us a biprocessor motherboard instead of the requested
monoprocessor one... the more surprising thing is that
the SMP kernel effectively works like the motherboard
had got 2 CPUs.

After I opened the case, I've convinced myself
that it is a single CPU system (sig...).

Thus, the question(s):

- does this depend on HyperThreading ?
- since Click does not use multithreading (right?), I don't
expect any performance boost from this, can it be disabled ?
- do you think that installing Click-SMP on it would give me any
performance improvement ?
- if I can't disable it, when i'll compile the 2.4.18 kernel, which could be
the best thing
to do ? SMP or monoprocessor kernel ?
- in the near future, I should also install Click an a Xeon biprocessor
motherboard, which I bought to test Click-SMP on it...
should I expect to see the kernel working believing it's a quadriprocessor
system ? 8-/


1000 thx !

giorgio




Ing. Giorgio Calarco
DEIS - Università di Bologna
Viale Risorgimento, 2 40136 Bologna - Italy
Tel: 051 2093776 Fax: 051 2093073
E-mail: gcalarco at deis.unibo.it
PGP: http://www.deis.unibo.it/GCalarco/Giorgio_Calarco.asc