Can a 2001 Sun SPARC server host a website in 2026?
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Can a 2001 Sun SPARC server host a website in 2026?
Spoiler: Yes. Yes it can.

I got my Sun Netra X1 running OpenBSD + httpd serving actual web traffic.
Full writeup: https://rup12.net/posts/can-my-sparc-server-host-my-website/
#homelab #SPARC #retro #selfhosted #OpenBSD #Cloudflare #vintagecomputing #sysadmin #Sun
@darkosubotica I love it!
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@darkosubotica I love it!
@_davd it was so fun to build!

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@darkosubotica Oh we used one of those back in the late 90's to run a Marconi Satellite tracking system for trucks with high value cargos, used to freeze up all the time and do random stuff. Well technically a Sun Sparc
@humanhorseshoes yeah these are not that great compared to the rest of the Sun stuff. They pretty much use commodity hardware (IDE drives for example). But a fun box to play with!
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@humanhorseshoes yeah these are not that great compared to the rest of the Sun stuff. They pretty much use commodity hardware (IDE drives for example). But a fun box to play with!
@darkosubotica Not at 4am when a truck load of pentium chips has vanished off the system and you had to reboot it and it does some weird shit. Hated that machine
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@humanhorseshoes yeah these are not that great compared to the rest of the Sun stuff. They pretty much use commodity hardware (IDE drives for example). But a fun box to play with!
@darkosubotica it was a one of a kind machine in constant use in an awkward secure area miles from my desk so we could never play with it to learn about it, it was just panic when it shit the bed and learn as you go
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@darkosubotica Not at 4am when a truck load of pentium chips has vanished off the system and you had to reboot it and it does some weird shit. Hated that machine
@humanhorseshoes oh my! How do Pentium chips vanish?

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@humanhorseshoes oh my! How do Pentium chips vanish?

@darkosubotica the truck SIM card sending SMS messages either went out of coverage, the unit in the machine failed or needed a reboot etc
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Can a 2001 Sun SPARC server host a website in 2026?
Spoiler: Yes. Yes it can.

I got my Sun Netra X1 running OpenBSD + httpd serving actual web traffic.
Full writeup: https://rup12.net/posts/can-my-sparc-server-host-my-website/
#homelab #SPARC #retro #selfhosted #OpenBSD #Cloudflare #vintagecomputing #sysadmin #Sun
@darkosubotica I see what you did here

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Can a 2001 Sun SPARC server host a website in 2026?
Spoiler: Yes. Yes it can.

I got my Sun Netra X1 running OpenBSD + httpd serving actual web traffic.
Full writeup: https://rup12.net/posts/can-my-sparc-server-host-my-website/
#homelab #SPARC #retro #selfhosted #OpenBSD #Cloudflare #vintagecomputing #sysadmin #Sun
@darkosubotica It's literally called a "server" and it's from 2001, in time for the first dot com crash. I'd be more surprised if it COULDN'T host a website!
These were the halcyon days for web servers that probably cost $30,000 brand new.
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@darkosubotica I see what you did here

@steffeng We're all 486
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@darkosubotica It's literally called a "server" and it's from 2001, in time for the first dot com crash. I'd be more surprised if it COULDN'T host a website!
These were the halcyon days for web servers that probably cost $30,000 brand new.
@soviut the challenge here is making sure the OS and the stack is new enough to be exposed to the scary portion of the internet!
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@soviut the challenge here is making sure the OS and the stack is new enough to be exposed to the scary portion of the internet!
@darkosubotica Yeah, great article!
By the way, you left some PII on the one chip

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@darkosubotica Yeah, great article!
By the way, you left some PII on the one chip

@soviut that must be from the previous owners!
Oddly the chip had no thermal paste once I opened it up! -
@humanhorseshoes oh my! How do Pentium chips vanish?

@darkosubotica @humanhorseshoes Like a truckload of clogs vanish. https://www.outsideonline.com/culture/essays-culture/bedrock-sandals-stolen/
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@darkosubotica @humanhorseshoes Like a truckload of clogs vanish. https://www.outsideonline.com/culture/essays-culture/bedrock-sandals-stolen/
@markstos @darkosubotica more useful than a pile of intel crap
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Can a 2001 Sun SPARC server host a website in 2026?
Spoiler: Yes. Yes it can.

I got my Sun Netra X1 running OpenBSD + httpd serving actual web traffic.
Full writeup: https://rup12.net/posts/can-my-sparc-server-host-my-website/
#homelab #SPARC #retro #selfhosted #OpenBSD #Cloudflare #vintagecomputing #sysadmin #Sun
@darkosubotica reminds me, I have a SPARC stored in the attic. Should try this

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@darkosubotica reminds me, I have a SPARC stored in the attic. Should try this

@collectifission yes you should!

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