Re: installing emc on a server questions

[eric <eek105-at-psu.edu>]

> --- "Terry L. Ridder" <terrylr-at-blauedonau.com> wrote:
> >
> > hello;
> >
> > i have a few questions concerning emc.
> >
> > the project i am doing involves converting 6
> > bridgeport
> > boss machines to rtlinux, emc, and an external magic
> > box.
> > instead of installing emc on 6 computers i was
> > thinking
> > of networking them all and have a server. 
This is expressly a barely informed opinion, but i see no
problem given the following hardware:
6 identical $1000 _new_ computers, price not including motion control
hardware.
Actually, you also need a soundproof room so you don't hear the
screaming.
This will also help the machinists so they don't hear you screaming
during setup.
I can't see how the network is going to cause you any problems, emc
isn't going to page out over the network.
You have to boot the rtlinux kernel, and you are really asking for work
if you want to boot it off of the network share, although i guess it can
be done.  the $1000 computer has at least a 15gig harddrive so you might
as well copy the whole thing and be done with it, but it is up to you. 
We drive our real time system using an x interface over the network and
there ain't no problems that don't happen anyway without the network.
The only thing i can see that would justify this is that if you were
going to boot off of the network because you liked the idea of diskless
workstations, then it makes all the sense in the world.  I get computers
for free out of the hallway around here (free for my lab not my
basement) because everyone thinks that a 200 mhz computer is worthless,
but, as they say "386, great for linux!" They are all networked up, but
they all have a hard drive and most of the software is distributed.  I
do have some soft real-time code i run over the network on a smb share
on winnt.  Works fine, no bsod:)  Right now for my experiments i have 2
real time linux and 3 winnt working together on the network.  
eric