为什么我喜欢 ARM 和 PowerPC？
ARM PowerPC

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> 一个学生在搜寻强劲而节能的工作站的历程中怎样对开源系统的热情与日俱增的。
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![](/data/attachment/album/201805/07/225612x088kg5dr5du15rd.jpg)


最近我被问起为什么在博客和推特里经常提到 [ARM](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARM_architecture) 和 [PowerPC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PowerPC)。我有两个答案：一个是个人原因，另一个是技术上的。


### 个人原因


从前，我是学环境保护的。在我读博的时候，我准备买个新电脑。作为一个环保人士，我需要一台强劲且节能的电脑。这就是我开始对 PowerPC 感兴趣的原因，我找到了 [Pegasos](https://genesi.company/products/opendesktop)，这是一台 [Genesi](https://genesi.company/) 公司制造的 PowerPC 工作站。


我还用过 [RS/6000](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RS/6000) （PowerPC）、 [SGI](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silicon_Graphics#Workstations) （MIPS）、 [HP-UX](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HP-UX) （PA-RISC）和 [VMS](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenVMS#Port_to_DEC_Alpha) （Alpha）的服务器和工作站，由于我的 PC 使用 Linux 而非 Windows，所以使用不同的 CPU 架构对我来说并没有什么区别。 [Pegasos](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pegasos) 是我第一台工作站，它小型而节能而且对家用来说性能足够。


很快我就开始为 Genesi 工作，为 Pegasos 移植 [openSUSE](https://www.opensuse.org/)、 Ubuntu 和其他 Linux 发行版，并提供质量保证和社区支持。继 Pegasos 之后是 [EFIKA](https://genesi.company/products/efika/5200b)，这是另一款基于 PowerPC 的开发板。在用过工作站之后，刚开始使用嵌入式系统会感觉有点奇怪。但是作为第一代普及价位的开发板，这是一场革命的开端。


我工作于一个大规模的服务器项目时，我收到 Genesi 的另一块有趣的开发板：基于 ARM 的 [Smarttop](https://genesi.company/products/efika) 和 [Smartbook](https://genesi.company/products/smartbook)。我最喜欢的 Linux 发行版——openSUSE，也收到了一打这种机器。这在当时 ARM 电脑非常稀缺的情况下，极大地促进了 ARM 版 openSUSE 项目的开发。


尽管最近我很忙，我尽量保持对 ARM 和 PowerPC 新闻的关注。这有助于我支持非 x86 平台上的 syslog-ng 用户。只要有半个小时的空，我就会去捣鼓一下 ARM 机器。我在[树莓派2](https://www.raspberrypi.org/products/raspberry-pi-2-model-b/)上做了很多 [syslog-ng](https://syslog-ng.com/open-source-log-management) 的测试，结果令人振奋。我最近在树莓派上做了个音乐播放器，用了一块 USB 声卡和[音乐播放守护进程](https://www.musicpd.org/)，我经常使用它。


### 技术方面


美好的多样性：它创造了竞争，而竞争创造了更好的产品。虽然 x86 是一款强劲的通用处理器，但 ARM 和 PowerPC （以及许多其他）这样的芯片在多种特定场景下显得更适合。


如果你有一部运行[安卓](https://www.android.com/)的移动设备或者[苹果](http://www.apple.com/)的 iPhone 或 iPad，极有可能它使用的就是基于ARM 的 SoC (片上系统)。网络存储服务器也一样。原因很简单：省电。你不会希望手机一直在充电，也不想为你的路由器付更多的电费。


ARM 亦在使用 64 位 ARMv8 芯片征战企业级服务器市场。很多任务只需要极少的计算能力，另一方面省电和快速 IO 才是关键，想想存储、静态网页服务器、电子邮件和其他网络/存储相关的功能。一个最好的例子就是 [Ceph](http://ceph.com/)，一个分布式的面向对象文件系统。[SoftIron](http://softiron.co.uk/) 就是一个基于 ARMv8 开发版，使用 CentOS 作为基准软件，运行在 Ceph 上的完整存储应用。


众所周知 PowerPC 是旧版苹果 [Mac](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_Macintosh) 电脑上的 CPU。虽然它不再作为通用桌面电脑的 CPU ，它依然在路由器和电信设备里发挥作用。而且 [IBM](https://www.ibm.com/us-en/) 仍在为高端服务器制造芯片。几年前，随着 Power8 的引入， IBM 在 [OpenPower 基金会](http://openpowerfoundation.org/) 的支持下开放了架构。 Power8 对于关心内存带宽的设备，比如 HPC 、大数据、数据挖掘来说，是非常理想的平台。目前，Power9 也正呼之欲出。


这些都是服务器应用，但也有计划用于终端用户。猛禽工程团队正在开发一款基于 [Power9 的工作站](https://www.raptorcs.com/TALOSII/)，也有一个基于飞思卡尔/恩智浦 QORIQ E6500 芯片[制造笔记本](http://www.powerpc-notebook.org/en/)的倡议。当然，这些电脑并不适合所有人，你不能在它们上面安装 Windows 游戏或者商业应用。但它们对于 PowerPC 开发人员和爱好者，或者任何想要完全开放系统的人来说是理想的选择，因为从硬件到固件到应用程序都是开放的。


### 梦想


我的梦想是完全没有 x86 的环境，不是因为我讨厌 x86 ，而是因为我喜欢多样化而且总是希望使用最适合工作的工具。如果你看看猛禽工程网页上的[图](https://secure.raptorengineering.com/TALOS/power_advantages.php)，根据不同的使用情景， ARM 和 POWER 完全可以代替 x86 。现在，我在笔记本的 x86 虚拟机上编译、打包和测试 syslog-ng。如果能用上足够强劲的 ARMv8 或者 PowerPC 电脑，无论工作站还是服务器，我就能避免在 x86 上做这些事。


现在我正在等待下一代[菠萝本](https://www.pine64.org/?page_id=3707)的到来，就像我在二月份 [FOSDEM](https://fosdem.org/2018/) 上说的，下一代有望提供更高的性能。和 Chrome 本不同的是，这个 ARM 笔记本设计用于运行 Linux 而非仅是个客户端（LCTT 译注：Chrome 笔记本只提供基于网页的应用）。作为桌面系统，我在寻找 ARMv8 工作站级别的硬件。有些已经接近完成——就像 Avantek 公司的 [雷神 X 台式机](https://www.avantek.co.uk/store/avantek-32-core-cavium-thunderx-arm-desktop.html)——不过他们还没有装备最新最快最重要也最节能的 ARMv8 CPU。当这些都实现了，我将用我的 Pixel C 笔记本运行安卓。它不像 Linux 那样简单灵活，但它以强大的 ARM SoC 和 Linux 内核为基础。




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via: <https://opensource.com/article/18/4/why-i-love-arm-and-powerpc>


作者：[Peter Czanik](https://opensource.com/users/czanik) 译者：[kennethXia](https://github.com/kennethXia) 校对：[wxy](https://github.com/wxy)


本文由 [LCTT](https://github.com/LCTT/TranslateProject) 原创编译，[Linux中国](https://linux.cn/) 荣誉推出


OK
Recently I've been asked why I mention [ARM](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARM_architecture) and [PowerPC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PowerPC) so often on my blogs and in my tweets. I have two answers: one is personal, the other technical.

## The personal

Once upon a time, I studied environmental protection. While working on my PhD, I was looking for a new computer. As an environmentally aware person, I wanted a high-performing computer that was also efficient. That is how I first became interested in the PowerPC and discovered [Pegasos](https://genesi.company/products/opendesktop), a PowerPC workstation created by [Genesi](https://genesi.company/).

I had already used [RS/6000](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RS/6000) (PowerPC), [SGI](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silicon_Graphics#Workstations) (MIPS), [HP-UX](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HP-UX) (PA-RISC), and [VMS](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenVMS#Port_to_DEC_Alpha) (Alpha) both as a server and a workstation, and on my PC I used Linux, not Windows, so using a different CPU architecture was not a barrier. [Pegasos](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pegasos), which was small and efficient enough for home use, was my first workstation.

Soon I was working for Genesi, enabling [openSUSE](https://www.opensuse.org/), Ubuntu, and various other Linux distributions on Pegasos and providing quality assurance and community support. Pegasos was followed by [EFIKA](https://genesi.company/products/efika/5200b), another PowerPC board. It felt strange at first to use an embedded system after using workstations. But as one of the first affordable developer boards, it was the start of a revolution.

I was working on some large-scale server projects when I received another interesting piece of hardware from Genesi: a [Smarttop](https://genesi.company/products/efika) and a [Smartbook](https://genesi.company/products/smartbook) based on ARM. My then-favorite Linux distribution, openSUSE, also received a dozen of these machines. This gave a big boost to ARM-related openSUSE developments at a time when very few ARM machines were available.

Although I have less time available these days, I try to stay up-to-date on ARM and PowerPC news. This helps me support syslog-ng users on non-x86 platforms. And when I have half an hour free, I hack one of my ARM machines. I did some benchmarks on the [Raspberry Pi 2](https://www.raspberrypi.org/products/raspberry-pi-2-model-b/) with [syslog-ng](https://syslog-ng.com/open-source-log-management), and the [results were quite surprising](https://syslog-ng.com/blog/syslog-ng-raspberry-pi-2/). Recently, I built a music player using a Raspberry Pi, a USB sound card, and the [Music Player Daemon](https://www.musicpd.org/), and I use it regularly.

## The technical

Diversity is good: It creates competition, and competition creates better products. While x86 is a solid generic workhorse, chips like ARM and PowerPC (and many others) are better suited in various situations.

If you have an [Android](https://www.android.com/) mobile device or an [Apple](http://www.apple.com/) iPhone or iPad, there's a good chance it is running on an ARM SoC (system on chip). Same with a network-attached storage server. The reason is quite simple: power efficiency. You don't want to constantly recharge batteries or pay more for electricity than you did for your router.

ARM is also conquering the enterprise server world with its 64-bit ARMv8 chips. Many tasks require minimal computing capacity; on the other hand, power efficiency and fast I/O are key— think storage, static web content, email, and other storage- and network-intensive functions. A prime example is [Ceph](http://ceph.com/), a distributed object storage and file system. [SoftIron](http://softiron.co.uk/), which uses CentOS as reference software on its ARMv8 developer hardware, is working on Ceph-based turnkey storage appliances.

Most people know PowerPC as the former CPU of [Apple Mac](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_Macintosh) machines. While it is no longer used as a generic desktop CPU, it still functions in routers, telecommunications equipment. And [IBM](https://www.ibm.com/us-en/) continued to produce chips for high-performance servers. A few years ago, with the introduction of POWER8, IBM opened up the architecture under the aegis of the [OpenPOWER Foundation](http://openpowerfoundation.org/). POWER8 is an ideal platform for HPC, big data, and analytics, where memory bandwidth is key. POWER9 is right around the corner.

These are all server applications, but there are plans for end-user devices. Raptor Engineering is working on a [POWER9 workstation](https://www.raptorcs.com/TALOSII/), and there is also an initiative to [create a notebook](http://www.powerpc-notebook.org/en/) based on a Freescale/NXP QorIQ e6500 chip. Of course, these machines are not for everybody—you can't install your favorite Windows game or commercial application on them. But they are great for PowerPC developers and enthusiasts, or anyone wanting a fully open system, from hardware to firmware to applications.

## The dream

My dream is a completely x86-free environment—not because I don't like x86, but because I like diversity and always use the most suitable tool for the job. If you look at the [graph](https://secure.raptorengineering.com/TALOS/power_advantages.php) on Raptor Engineering's page, you will see that, depending on your use case, ARM and POWER can replace most of x86. Right now I compile, package, and test syslog-ng in x86 virtual machines running on my laptop. Using a strong enough ARMv8 or PowerPC machine, either as a workstation or a server, I could avoid x86 for this kind of tasks.

Right now I am waiting for the next generation of [Pinebook](https://www.pine64.org/?page_id=3707) to arrive, as I was told at [FOSDEM](https://fosdem.org/2018/) in February that the next version is expected to offer much higher performance. Unlike Chromebooks, this ARM-powered laptop runs Linux by design, not as a hack. For a desktop, I am looking for ARMv8 workstation-class hardware. Some are already available—like the [ThunderX Desktop](https://www.avantek.co.uk/store/avantek-32-core-cavium-thunderx-arm-desktop.html) from Avantek—but they do not yet feature the latest, fastest, and more importantly, most energy-efficient ARMv8 CPU generations. Until these arrive, I'll use my Pixel C laptop running Android. It's not as easy and flexible as Linux, but it has a powerful ARM SoC and a Linux kernel at its heart.

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