Finally there is another provider of AMD Geode machines for low-power networking equipment besides PC Engines and Soekris. PC Engines and Soekris make great hardware, but when they run out of stock or raise prices, what are we to do?
Grrr, though I just checked the HeroLogic website and their device uses Realtek network chipsets. Ugh.
Grrr, though I just checked the HeroLogic website and their device uses Realtek network chipsets. Ugh.
Not sure what Ugh means when it comes to Realtek Ethernet phys. Realtek has nearly 80% of the phy business world wide and is very well supported, which is why we use them. Could you help us by explaining your distaste for the Realtek parts? It would help us understand what problems you have had with these parts. We have not had any problems with them, either in hardware or software.
Regards,
Doug
www.herologic.com
Hi Doug! Thanks for commenting. The "Ugh" represents discomfort - I don't like to use realtek chipsets. I have always felt that realtek chips were common because they were the most affordable, and that is fine for desktop networking.
I should clarify my distaste for realtek, its not specifically the hardware itself - I'm not technically qualified to comment on that. However, the current state of open source drivers for realtek hardware, is not the greatest out there. Again, it may be fine for desktop networking, but when it comes to infrastructure, I would prefer a chipset with better relationships with the open source community. I realize that realtek does have drivers for open source operating systems, but I prefer to use ones that have solid support, like intel, 3com, and natsemi.
Have you used realtek chipsets extensively with freebsd or linux?