fit-PC2
Last year I bought a fit-PC in order to replace my old router (which was a desktop PC). This year I bought a fit-PC2 to replace my home server (which was a big fat computer).
Requirements
This time my needs were a bit different than the ones for my router. I was looking for a low power consumption device with at least 512 MB of RAM, fast enough to read videos (I may use it as a HTPC in the future), fan-less and of course, it must work with Linux.
fit-PC2 specifications
So I end up with Compulab's fit-PC2. Here are the official specs:
- CPU: Intel Atom Z530 1.6 GHz
- RAM: 1 GB DDR2-533
- HDD: 160 GB SATA 2.5"
- 1 Gigabit ethernet port
- 4 USB 2.0 ports
- 2 mini-USB 2.0 ports
- 1 mini-SD socket
- 1 IR receiver (infra-red, for remote control)
- DVI output (using a HDMI connector, HDMI to DVI cable provided)
- Power consumption: 6 W idle, 7 W reading H.264 videos, 8 W at full load
- Shipped with Ubuntu
Several flavors are available (with Wi-Fi, without hard drive, with an Atom Z510 CPU…).
Pictures
Usage
I tried the pre-installed Ubuntu but it's an old version (8.04). Anyway, it was working quite fine. For video playback only MPlayer was using hardware acceleration provided in fit-PC2. I played Sita Sings The Blues on it, it works wonderfully (the movie is a Full HD (1920×1080), 4.12 GB file (I was hardly able to read it on my MacBook)).
But I don't really want to use Ubuntu. If I want a *buntu linux I would install Kubuntu instead, anyway I installed Debian. Here is the beginning of my troubles.
First, I'm using Debian's "testing" version, which proved to be quite stable so far. Except with the new 2.6.30 Linux kernel which froze my VIA C7 powered Dedibox and is behaving weirdly on the fit-pc2. I don't know if the problem is in linux kernel, gcc, debian… but installing 2.6.30 kernel was not a good thing on my debian boxes. I'm using the fit-pc2 remotely (ssh, music streaming, time machine backups…) and from time to time it stops to respond, but if I hit a key on the keyboard, network operations resume… very weird. A problem in power saving code? A deadlock which resolved itself when a new interruption is raised? No idea, I'm clearly not competent in that domain. Easy solution: revert to 2.6.26 kernel.
Second problem: drivers. The graphic chipset used is an Intel GMA500. Even if Intel recently helped the Open Source community by giving specifications of its chipsets, they didn't for that one (because it's not really an Intel one, it was developed by PowerVR (and they are much less cooperative)). Somehow Compulab/DeLL/Ubuntu managed to get a partly open source driver with hardware acceleration (that part is still proprietary), but according to various websites, the driver is crappy and not well maintained (but it looks like some people are trying to make that better). So, for now, hardware acceleration does not work easily on Debian. I hope it will work soon.
Power consumption
- Off: 0.3 W
- Idle: 9 W
- H.264 playback: < 10 W
- Full load: < 11 W
It seems that it consume a bit more than expected (my watt-meter is a cheap one, I'm not sure how reliable it is), or maybe figures on fit-pc2 website were given for an Atom Z510.
Note: the case can be very hot.
Conclusion
fit-PC2 is a nice bit of hardware, but if you are going to install an alternative BSD/Linux operating system, you have to know that you may get some troubles with video drivers (if you need nice graphical interface).
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Nice hardware.
What can we expect from it in Server mode ?
It depends what you want to do with it. For my usage it's good enough (SVN, HTTP, music streaming, file sharing (AFP), TimeMachine server).
Of course if you need high CPU power or a lot of RAM, you are going to have some troubles with it.
Mostly I would like to discover OpenBSD.
Next : storage, little FTP, host websites that no one will watch, router/wifi access point...
Little needs. Just to tinker and make girls dreaming.
It will be enough ?
I haven't tried to install OpenBSD on fit-PC2 (only on fit-PC1, it works wonderfully). So I think the only problem you may encounter when installing OpenBSD on a fit-PC2 is the Wi-Fi driver (check first that fit-PC2 Wi-Fi chipset is supported) and the video driver (but obviously you don't care if you want to use it as a router/server).
For a bit of storage, FTP, web server (maybe not big Java webapps), router, Wi-Fi access point… I think fit-PC2 is more than enough.
Wifi chipset not supported yet :(
Use a dongle ?
The main issue is : routers dont have hdd or sufficient cpu/RAM to be a server ; or servers dont have more than one Lan Port, so cant be a router...
Buy two different machines maybe ?
I found that : http://www.lex.com.tw/product/chassis.htm and that : https://www.soekris.com/net5501.htm
Adapted ?
Less than 20W for server + router its not bad... and the Soekris is 100% compatible with OpenBSD :D (but maybe too weak for a server)
What kind of external storage do you have with your Fit-Pc2 ?
On my router, which is a fit-PC1, I indeed use a Wi-Fi dongle.
I have too machines, a fit-PC1 (smaller CPU, less RAM, 2 ethernet ports) as router and a fit-PC2 (bigger CPU, more RAM) as server. If you want to do both in the same machine, it's going to be hard. If your server needs (webserver, ftp) are quite small, a fit-PC1 would be a good choice (if you can't find one, the soekris is also a valid option (in fact, for a long time I wanted to buy a soekris, but in the end I choose a fit-PC1 (I think my final decision was about power consumption))). I don't know for the "lex" computers, it looks "too big" for me ;-).
So yes, a fit-PC1 (dual ethernet, 500 MHz CPU, 256 MB of RAM) with a Wi-Fi dongle might do the trick (but it's certainly much slower than a fit-PC2). At least for router only, OpenBSD on mine is using less than 10 MB of active memory (around 60 MB in total) and use nearly no CPU. I can't really help you, I don't know your server needs enough and I haven't tested fit-PC1 (which is quite similar to soekris net5501) with that configuration.
As external storage on fit-PC2 I'm using some hard drives plugged in USB. It's not extremely fast, but it's fast enough. For the moment I use my old regular 3.5 inches HDDs but I may switch to laptop HDDs in order to reduce power consumption (from 10 W per disk to ~1.5 W).