• Some users have recently had their accounts hijacked. It seems that the now defunct EVGA forums might have compromised your password there and seems many are using the same PW here. We would suggest you UPDATE YOUR PASSWORD and TURN ON 2FA for your account here to further secure it. None of the compromised accounts had 2FA turned on.
    Once you have enabled 2FA, your account will be updated soon to show a badge, letting other members know that you use 2FA to protect your account. This should be beneficial for everyone that uses FSFT.

PS3 Linux Questions

G

Genjitsu

n00b
Joined
Aug 11, 2005
Messages
13
For those familiar with Linux, I understand that the official yellowdog package is a variant of fedora. So in theory, if we were to install this on the PS3, we would get all the functions of a regular Linux box (like the ability to install apache, php, mysql, etc)?

This will basically decide for me whether to keep or ebay the machine - I was one of the lucky few who snagged a preorder with minimal fuss, and while I was initially going to sell it, if I can get near complete Linux functionality out of it, it'd be a great way for me to get familiar with linux, as well as use it as a test server for my web apps.

And yes, I realize that I could've gotten a linux setup for cheaper, but I don't exactly have a spare computer, don't want to go through the hassles of a dual-boot setup, and hell, I'll eventually have a PS3 regardless, so this would kill two birds with one stone.

Thanks for any advice!
 
Genjitsu said:
For those familiar with Linux, I understand that the official yellowdog package is a variant of fedora. So in theory, if we were to install this on the PS3, we would get all the functions of a regular Linux box (like the ability to install apache, php, mysql, etc)?

This will basically decide for me whether to keep or ebay the machine - I was one of the lucky few who snagged a preorder with minimal fuss, and while I was initially going to sell it, if I can get near complete Linux functionality out of it, it'd be a great way for me to get familiar with linux, as well as use it as a test server for my web apps.

And yes, I realize that I could've gotten a linux setup for cheaper, but I don't exactly have a spare computer, don't want to go through the hassles of a dual-boot setup, and hell, I'll eventually have a PS3 regardless, so this would kill two birds with one stone.

Thanks for any advice!
Click to expand...


If all you want to use it for is to learn Linux, why not just snap up a cheapy $200 PC from around here? It's not as if Sony's going to let you have low level access to system hardware...
 
Well like I said, even if I sold the PS3 now, I'd get one eventually, whether it be a couple months or a even a year later. So if I can get some extra functionailty out of it immediately, then I'd rather keep it in case a game worth playing comes out soon, while at the same time using it to learn linux. Plus it's one less thing to crowd my room (PS3 only as opposed to ps3 + linux box).

I'm not expecting magic here - if it can act as a webserver with sql and php support, I'll be satisfied.
 
My main issue with "PS3 as desktop" is that it apparently only has 256mb of system RAM. It seems to me that running a decent desktop, Firefox, and Thunderbird (or Evolution) would be pretty close to the limits of what it could do.

OTOH, it'd be a reasonably efficient MythTV front-end.
 
Dude, you're going to pass up the opportunity to possibly make over a thousand dollars (selling the console on eBay), to mess around around with Linux on it?! Are you insane?! :p Just kidding. If it were me though I'd still sell it. They won't be in short supply forever, and waiting a few extra months isn't going to kill you. With the money you make selling it you could buy a new PS3 (a few months from now), and still have extra cash for other things.

But hey, if you keep it and mess around with it, let us know how it goes.
 
erwos said:
My main issue with "PS3 as desktop" is that it apparently only has 256mb of system RAM. It seems to me that running a decent desktop, Firefox, and Thunderbird (or Evolution) would be pretty close to the limits of what it could do.

OTOH, it'd be a reasonably efficient MythTV front-end.
Click to expand...
Linux isn't quite the ram hog windows is...
 
Yes, but when the system isn't using it it frees up a lot...

Also, it appears that there is some way to unify the "system" and video ram so you would have half a gig...
 
VoodooChi|d said:
Linux isn't quite the ram hog windows is...
Click to expand...
For server apps, that's true. For desktop apps, it's not. Like I said before, Firefox, GAIM, Thunderbird, and a modern desktop environment could _easily_ bring you to that 256mb limit.

(I've been doing system administration stuff on Linux for ~8 years now. I have a Linux box in front of me, and two at home. I used to admin ~40 Linux boxes at work.)

As for "unifying" the memory, I doubt it. Didn't you guys see the slides where the PPE only had 16mb/s read to the graphics RAM?
 
VoodooChi|d said:
Yes, but when the system isn't using it it frees up a lot...

Also, it appears that there is some way to unify the "system" and video ram so you would have half a gig...
Click to expand...

Are you sure? I never heard that. I know the Xbox 360 uses unified memory (512mb worth), but I don't think the PS3 does... unless there's another way they are able to use video memory for main/system memory.

Either way I have Linux running on two older machines. One has 256mb of RAM, the other is 192mb! Even the 256mb one is noticably slow. Certain programs are very slow to load, and with a couple things open it really bogs down. Works fine if you just use it for something simple, like a web-server, but not for every day desktop use.... that's for sure.
 
It isn't unified but there is a way to unify it... make sense?

I read it somewhere but I have no idea where now...


Edit: I don't think 256mb would be that bad... On my parents computer they only have 256mb and a Ti4600... and I could play CS:Source on it without much trouble...
 
VoodooChi|d said:
It isn't unified but there is a way to unify it... make sense?
Click to expand...
It doesn't. At all. There's no mechanism for using video RAM as system RAM in Linux. There's no known hardware capability to do this - don't you remember the criticisms of the PS3 being inflexible in terms of memory usage?

And, again, 256mb would suck in Linux. Your experiences with CS:S are totally irrelevant.
 
Well the thing I read wasn't talking specifically about linux... It basically said "with some clever coding" or something, it was possible...
 
erwos said:
And, again, 256mb would suck in Linux. Your experiences with CS:S are totally irrelevant.
Click to expand...
Well it runs XP with Photoshop completely fine as well...

In fact it runs everything fine with 256mb...
 
VoodooChi|d said:
Well the thing I read wasn't talking specifically about linux... It basically said "with some clever coding" or something, it was possible...
Click to expand...
I think the "clever coding" you were referring to was this:
http://playstation3.geekyblogs.com/2006/06/08/playstation-3-not-slow-and-not-broken/

Essentially, the hack is "write into video RAM, make RSX copy video RAM into system RAM, so the Cell can read it". There's no support at all for doing this in Linux right now. Maybe Sony's got patches they'd like to share? (don't expect it to happen)

You aren't doing anything particularly interesting with Photoshop if it doesn't run out of RAM with 256mb. Or you're swapping heavily. Again, stop with the Windows comparisons. Totally different OS.
 
BTW after digging around on that site it says it comes with apache, php, and supports minisql...
 
erwos said:
I think the "clever coding" you were referring to was this:
http://playstation3.geekyblogs.com/2006/06/08/playstation-3-not-slow-and-not-broken/

Essentially, the hack is "write into video RAM, make RSX copy video RAM into system RAM, so the Cell can read it". There's no support at all for doing this in Linux right now. Maybe Sony's got patches they'd like to share? (don't expect it to happen)

You aren't doing anything particularly interesting with Photoshop if it doesn't run out of RAM with 256mb. Or you're swapping heavily. Again, stop with the Windows comparisons. Totally different OS.
Click to expand...
It's possible... It wasn't that specific site but I remember something similar being said...

I realize it's a different OS... but as the site says, it supports all those things and I don't think it would support something that couldn't run well on it... 256mb of memory is fine for a stripped down linux OS and most apps that would run on it...
 
erwos said:
For server apps, that's true. For desktop apps, it's not. Like I said before, Firefox, GAIM, Thunderbird, and a modern desktop environment could _easily_ bring you to that 256mb limit.

(I've been doing system administration stuff on Linux for ~8 years now. I have a Linux box in front of me, and two at home. I used to admin ~40 Linux boxes at work.)

As for "unifying" the memory, I doubt it. Didn't you guys see the slides where the PPE only had 16mb/s read to the graphics RAM?
Click to expand...


I dissagree!
PS3-YellowDog comes with the E17 desktop which is very light on RAM and CPU and is one flashy desktop as well
GAIM takes 3meg of RAM (on my system) Firefox atm is taking 80meg (3tabs) and is the biggest eater (bar emerge atm) and then thunderbird is taking 30meg

way under teh 256meg of RAM, don't forget swap as well (not ideal but...)
yes a "modern linux desktop" *could* easily take you over 256Meg of RAM, but equally it can easily stay under that limit
 
My linux box generally takes ~170MB of ram during use (1 or 2 apps open). While that is under 256, it would be nice to have at least 512MB to go with the cell (unless the thing preforms like a p3 which I see as unlikely).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top