Hi, I've been a member for a while but have never posted. I have a Sun Blade 100 desktop and I just installed Solaris 10 and it is unbearably slow. I only have 128 Meg of RAM and need to upgrade. I have searched and found many online resources that have RAM, but I was wondering if anyone has any recommendations for a reputable site with reasonable prices.
Thanks in advance.
I got mine on e-bay.
Disclosure: I work for AnySystem.com (a Sun hardware vendor)
To be completely honest, no one beats ebay on prices.
However, be VERY careful about who you buy from, taking care to check their rating and their recent feedback.
[FLUFF]
I once heard someone say (regarding ebay sellers) "eBay only works for people who don't understand what their true costs are." -- and he was right - the cost savings a consumer can find on eBay comes at a price: To run a reputable, reliable company that can consistently warrantee the products it sells takes money. If a company is continually selling things on eBay at razor thin (or non existent) margins, the only adaptation they can make is to become "hit and run" sellers - sell to someone, run away if any support issues come up.
I've had more than a few customers buy something on ebay after I had quoted them a higher price only to regret it after realizing
a) the item does not show up,
b) the item shows up, but is broken and the seller won't fix/replace it,
c) the item shows up with a different (usually lesser) config than what was advertised, or
d) the item shows up, works fine, is configured as advertised, but at some point the hardware fails and the seller is nowhere to be found.
[/FLUFF]
I've purchased stuff (even Sun stuff) on eBay, but I always thoroughly research the seller first.
Anyway, just my $0.02, but of course, I'm biased. . . 
You'll have to take what I say with a grain of salt.
... if it is for a Blade 100, I have in the past used generic RAM that came in PCs of friends who upgraded their PCs and had no use for the old RAM. Just match the specs and it should work.
Got 4 of these for $34.85 each.
Premium 256MB ECC PC-133 DIMM for Sun OEM# X6992A Memory
These are $89.00 each:
Sun / X6992A / 370-4150 / 256MB SDRAM DIMM -- Sun Parts from AnySystem.com
you guys at AnySystem sure ain't cheap.
BrewDudeBob,
I was very impressed with their RAM price as well, so I wrote to them to ask if the RAM is Sun Original or Third Party. (see their reply at the end of this post)
Turns out the RAM in the first link you sent is for Third Party memory, which is fine to use as long as your machine is not under a Sun maintenance contract.
Also, for stability reasons, make sure you don't mix it with Sun Original Memory (i.e. don't use Sun Memory and Third Party Memory in the same system)
Please see the email I got from support@premiummemory.com:
===========================
Hello David,
We do not supply any Sun original modules so these will definitely be 3rd party.
...
The memory module you asked about is made by EDGETechCorp
...
Thanks
.
.
.
David,
This is my personal Sun Blade and I am using it as a sandbox. So no worries about warranty. I know better than to mix memory.
Excellent. That's exactly what Third Party should be used for.
Just had to make sure to set the record straight that AnySystem isn't by any means overpriced.
You can mix the sticks as long as they have the same specs.
I have a Blade 100 that has a Mushkin stick, a Kingston stick, and the original stick that came with the box, all working fine. And it is not like Sun manufactures its own sticks. They are just branded.
I don't think the owner of this website appreciates free site advertising, so I won't mention the site, but you are $10.00 too high.
No, $10 too high.
Well...The Memory finally arrived today and my drives arrived last week. I just completed the memory upgrade, replaced the original 20 GIG hard drive with two 80 GIG drives, and installed Solaris 10 8/07. I got it on the network and I am composing this message from the new install. WooHoo!
# /usr/platform/`arch -k`/sbin/prtdiag -v
System Configuration: Sun Microsystems sun4u Sun Blade 100 (UltraSPARC-IIe)
System clock frequency: 84 MHZ
Memory size: 1GB <-------------------------- Ding! Ding! Ding!
============================ Memory Configuration ============================
Segment Table:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Base Address Size Interleave Factor Contains
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
0x0 256MB 1 chassis/system-board/DIMM0
0x20000000 256MB 1 chassis/system-board/DIMM1
0x40000000 256MB 1 chassis/system-board/DIMM2
0x60000000 256MB 1 chassis/system-board/DIMM3
AVAILABLE DISK SELECTIONS:
0. c0t0d0 <DEFAULT cyl 38307 alt 2 hd 16 sec 255>
/pci@1f,0/ide@d/dad@0,0
1. c0t2d0 <DEFAULT cyl 38307 alt 2 hd 16 sec 255>
/pci@1f,0/ide@d/dad@2,0
Specify disk (enter its number): ^D
I found a pretty nifty step-by-step installation guide here:
I didn't really need to use it, but it was fun to play along and see how Dennis clarke did his. He had an X86 box, so mine was slightly different. his method gets you familiar with /etc/inet/resolv.conf and /etc/nsswitch.conf. If I had done the install with pre-configured DNS, I'd have missed the opportunity to re-acquaint myself with those settings.
So now it is on to the RTFM stage of my quest to get as much out of this as I can: http://dlc.sun.com/pdf/816-4520/816-4520.pdf (Solaris Volume Manager Administration Guide)
I want to mirror my two drives, then on to figuring out Apache and making my first web page. I will check back in from time to time and let you know my progress.
Meanwhile, if anyone has any Solaris Volume Manager tips and tricks, I am all Ears. Here are my current slice configs:
# prtvtoc -s /dev/rdsk/c0t0d0s2
First Sector Last
First Sector Last
From various sources it looks like the generic spec for X6992A (370-4150) is:
PC133, CL=2, unbuffered, ECC, 133MHz, 3.3V, 168-pin, 10ns, 256MB SDRAM
Does that sound right to people who bought generic memory?
And people currently shopping for Blade 100 memory should note that although this thread talks about 256MB modules there is also this Sun part: X6993A (370-4151) which is 512MB giving you a max of 2048MB total on a Blade 100. You might be able to save a few bucks by going with 512MB instead.
Memory modules can be installed one at a time with mixed sizes.