[GTALUG] PC build recommendation

Lennart Sorensen lsorense at csclub.uwaterloo.ca
Wed Feb 28 13:49:54 EST 2018


On Wed, Feb 28, 2018 at 01:25:58PM -0500, D. Hugh Redelmeier via talk wrote:
> My zboxes use Realtek gigabit ethernet.
> 
> I know that those in the know prefer Intel but I'm not up to speed on
> why.
> 
> I'll give you a why not: Intel ethernet seems to collude with Intel
> Management Engine to provide "lights out management".  This works
> without involving the main processor and thus without involving your
> system's own firewall.  In other words, you have a big gaping security
> hole that is very hard to plug (or even assess).
> 
> Many years ago, DEC Tulip ethernet chips were considered a Good Thing.
> I think that Realtek's ethernet chips are descendants.

In the days of PCI 100Mbit cards, there was pretty much:

3c59x/905
Intel EE Pro 100
DEC 21x4x (tulip)
AMD PCnet32

I think out of those, the 3com was by far the best, and the intel second.

Tons of companies made clones of the DEC so it was very easy to find at
the time for cheap.

The AMD was OK.

And many people looking for really cheap just got PCI ne2000 clones that
were 10Mbit only.

So no, I don't recall the tulip being used for being good, just for
being easy to get a hold of and having a working driver for the most part.

In terms of features and performance, the intel gigabit chips are very
good, and the realtek ones are in my experience not good at all (and
can be a huge pain in the ass at times).  The intel chips are just
way more efficient to work with.  Of course if you have tons of CPU to
throw at the card anyhow you aren't using, and you don't need any of the
higher end features, and you don't have one of the buggy chip revisions,
then the realtek might work OK for you.

In the past you used to see marvell yukon/sysconnect gigabit chips too
which worked quite well too, but they seem to have disappeared.  3com had
cards based on those chips as did a number of other companies.

As for the intel SME, I don't think it works with all intel chips,
only specific ones, and usually only those built into the chipset,
not external ones.

-- 
Len Sorensen


More information about the talk mailing list