US Army Needs Linux Workstation Advice

Shawn wrote in asking for suggestions on high-end Linux Workstation configurations for the US Army. Aparently, they are looking at replacing some SGIs with cheaper PCs, and this being Slashdot, I'm sure some of you might be able to make some improvements to their suggested configuration. I can't tell you how glad I am to see the US Army giving Linux a chance. The US Navy could probably learn a thing or two from this. Click below for the full text.

Shawn asks: "The US Army is looking for advice on purchasing several high-end Linux workstations. These systems will be used in a post-flight processing environment. We routinely process raw data measurements in excess of 1 million samples/second. This processing can utilize several GB of disk space and up to and exceeding 1GB of RAM. We are currently using SGI Octane systems but need to switch to the lower cost PC environment. This will allow less costly while still providing excellent performance. Let us know any advice you may have or insights we may not have thought of.

Here are the specifications we are currently considering:

Motherboard

• Intel® 840 chipset
• RIMM slots for at least 1GB dual-channel Rambus® memory
• Integrated dual ATA-66 EIDE controllers
• Ports: USB (2), serial (2), Parallel, PS/2
• Integrated Ultra 160/M SCSI and Ultra/Wide SCSI Controllers
• NO INTEGRATED VIDEO

CPUs (2)

• Intel® Pentium® III 733Mhz (slot 1)
• .18-micron Coppermine architecture
• 256K cache
• 133MHz FSB

Memory

• 1GB Rambus® memory

Case

• Full tower
• 300W or greater power supply
• 4 or more 5.25" exposed drive bays
• 1 or more 3.5" exposed drive bay(s)
• Two or more small fans blowing air directly across the drive bays

Storage

• 9GB Ultra 160/M SCSI (7200 rpm) hard drive (internal)
• 36GB (or larger) Ultra 160/M SCSI (10000 rpm) hard drive (internal)
• LS-120 internal superfloppy (IDE)
• 5X (or faster) DVD drive (internal - IDE or SCSI)

Video Card

• Diamond Viper V770 Ultra 32 (AGP 2X/4X)

Monitor

• Viewsonic P815 21" monitor

Network

• 3Com 3C905B-TX ethernet card (PCI)

Sound

• SoundBlaster PCI128 (PCI)
• Powered speakers with wall adapter

Keyboard

• Soft-touch keyboard (no keyclick)

Mouse

• Microsoft Intellimouse

OS

• Red Hat Linux 6.x

Warranty

• 3 year parts and labor

Thanks,
US Army Test Facility."