# please help me to choose a server running FreeBSD



## linux-fox (May 13, 2013)

Hello everyone. I am going to buy a IBM server as my webserver, pay for fifteen thousand. I am going to use FreeBSD. Please help me to choose a IBM server, it can support FreeBSD perfectly.
Now, I have chose a server:
http://detail.zol.com.cn/352/351413/param.shtml

Can it support FreeBSD?


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## Bunyan (May 13, 2013)

linux-fox said:
			
		

> Can it support FreeBSD?


Teach me how to read Chinese. 
Read the the HARDWARE LIST.


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## Terry_Kennedy (May 13, 2013)

Bunyan said:
			
		

> Teach me how to read Chinese.


Looks like the US English specs are here.



> Read the the HARDWARE LIST.


Unfortunately, FreeBSD documentation doesn't always keep up with actual hardware support. For example, the amd64 platform still had the caution about "not fully tested" up until the 8.4 release cycle becuase nobody took it out. The ixgbe(4) manpage makes no mention of the current generation (X520 / X540) of Intel 10 Gbit cards, though the driver has supported them for some time.

Unfortunately, for relatively new hardware that means the answer is "try it and see", unless another use has already tried that specific config and can answer the question.

In the particular case of this IBM system, nothing jumps out as being particularly problematic and the data sheet is nearly a year old, so the hardware has been out for some time. One possible issue is the "Feature on Demand", where hardware functions are apparently unlocked by entering license keys. If these are entered into the BIOS, that should be OK. If the licenses need to be registered by some application, it is unlikely that that application is available for / works with FreeBSD. You might be able to boot one of the IBM-supported operating systems and enter the license(s) that way. Another issue might be the IMM2 management functions - things of this type often require some support by the operating system (which FreeBSD probably lacks) for full functionality. The same is true of Dell systems with the DRAC option, though in that case most things can be done with the DRAC's web interface and sysutils/ipmitool.


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