Bij ZDNet hebben ze een artikel in elkaar geknalt waarin de verbeteringen in de Linux 2.2 kernel worden gesproken. Her er der wordt er een vergelijking getrokken met WinNT. Hier krijgt je een stuk over SMP support:
The 2.2 kernel offers a number of improvements over earlier versions. First and foremost, its cross-platform support is far more extensive. The new kernel will run on x86 machines with 386 or higher processors, the Apple PowerPC line, SGI Virtual Workstations, Alpha and SPARC systems, and even Amigas and older (68K) Macs. Windows NT, by comparison, runs on 486 or higher systems, Alpha stations, and SGI Virtual Workstations. In the case of Alpha and SPARC, the Linux 2.2 kernel supports 64 bits, so if Intel ever releases the 64-bit Merced, Linux will be ready with a native 64-bit kernel.Many of these platforms--Intel (PII and higher), Alpha, SPARC, and SGI--support multiple CPUs, and 2.2 offers improved support for symmetric multiprocessor architectures. Though the same 16-processor limit supported in the 2.0 kernel still holds, 2.2 enhances the feature dramatically.
The earlier version prevented two or more processors from accessing the kernel's services simultaneously, by locking the kernel as soon as one processor requested a service (global lock). By contrast, 2.2 supports multiple locks (they're called spin locks), and this feature allows multiprocessor access to the kernel as long as no two CPUs request precisely the same service. The result is a faster multiprocessing system with less idle time, and this speed pays off with, for example, large-scale Web servers handling simultaneous requests from many users. Win NT allows up to 32-way symmetric multiprocessing but works best with a maximum of four processors.
Even off topic: wat ik me afvraag is hoe goed een dual Celeron systeem presteert als webserver (inc. PHP en MySQL toestanden). Veel L2 cache schijnt nogal belangrijk te zijn bij dit soort werk, maar de lage prijs van een dual Celeron systeem (tov een single of dual PII'tje) is wel erg aantrekkelijk. Iemand een idee?