# Current hardware configuration of SDMB? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [September 21, 2003, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/current-hardware-configuration-of-sdmb/202881 "2003-09-21T00:49:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pestie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e5b9ba/32.png) [@pestie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pestie)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2003, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/current-hardware-configuration-of-sdmb/202881/1 "2003-09-21T00:49:11Z")
I’ve been wondering this for a long time - what’s the hardware configuration of the machine(s) the SDMB runs on? I’m just looking for general specs (processor(s), RAM, storage space, operating system, web/database server software). ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2003, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/current-hardware-configuration-of-sdmb/202881/2 "2003-09-21T01:28:48Z")
1 VIC 20, a couple of old C64s and an Apple ][e, half a dozen hamsters, a goat, old shoe boxes, some tin cans, and some string. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2003, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/current-hardware-configuration-of-sdmb/202881/3 "2003-09-21T01:30:31Z")
Seriously, I haven’t the foggiest idea. That sort of information is usually only given out on a need-to-know basis, and I don’t need to know. Neither do you. No offense, but we just don’t like exposing any potential weaknesses to crackers or other people with nefarious intentions. ---
**Author:** ![Tusculan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecd19e/32.png) [@Tusculan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tusculan)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2003, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/current-hardware-configuration-of-sdmb/202881/4 "2003-09-21T07:53:10Z")
I thought they had **TVeblen** chained to an old-fashioned terminal, surrounded by lots of paper printouts of threads, the new posts tacked to the end with scotch tape. Whenever a request for a new page flashes up, she has to type the HTML-code _by hand_. She’s sleeping during the one-hour stop each night. And when the board is slow, that’s because she’s off to the euphemism. I stopped doing searches when I realized the frantic leafing through old threads I was putting her through (not to mention the paper cuts). ---
**Author:** ![Noone\_Special](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noone_special/32/2863_2.png) [@Noone\_Special](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noone_Special)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2003, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/current-hardware-configuration-of-sdmb/202881/5 "2003-09-21T10:33:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lynn Bodoni \* > \*\*1 VIC 20, a couple of old C64s and an Apple ][e, half a dozen hamsters, a goat, old shoe boxes, some tin cans, and some string. \*\* It wouldn’t be complete without some **duct-tape** thrown in!😃 [serious] Well, since they’re using PHP, I’d assume some kind of UNIX box (probably linux) up front; to go from there to the assumption of Apache and MySQL would be just that - an assumption - but one with reasonable odds of being correct. No Idea (and as **Lynn** said - they won’t and shouldn’t divulge) about configuration (Load Sharing? Cluster? DB on same or separate Disk/CPU/Machine/Network? etc…) or hardware [/serious] Dan Abarbanel ---
**Author:** ![Nobody\_s\_Fool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ba8739/32.png) [@Nobody\_s\_Fool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody_s_Fool)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2003, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/current-hardware-configuration-of-sdmb/202881/6 "2003-09-21T13:31:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Noone Special \* > \*\*It wouldn’t be complete without some **duct-tape** thrown in!😃 > > \*\* And a hairpin or two. ---
**Author:** ![pestie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e5b9ba/32.png) [@pestie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pestie)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2003, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/current-hardware-configuration-of-sdmb/202881/7 "2003-09-21T14:24:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lynn Bodoni \* > \*\*Seriously, I haven’t the foggiest idea. That sort of information is usually only given out on a need-to-know basis, and I don’t need to know. Neither do you. No offense, but we just don’t like exposing any potential weaknesses to crackers or other people with nefarious intentions. \*\* I was afraid I’d get an answer like this. If that’s what you’re worried about, don’t tell the operating system or server software (which I think I know anyway now, unless the web server is configured to lie, which some are) That’s what might give useful clues to a cracker. I’m just curious to know what kind of hardware it takes to run a message board of this magnitude, that’s all. Knowing how much storage space or RAM or processor speed the machine has isn’t going to give any information a cracker could possibly use. At certain times I’m inclined to believe that bit about the VIC-20’s… ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2003, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/current-hardware-configuration-of-sdmb/202881/8 "2003-09-21T15:04:19Z")
All of the pertinent information on the software and hardware has been posted here before, by both **jdavis** and others. The software and hardware is not a secret. No “real” “cracker” is going to gain anything useful from it. Of course it uses MySQL - that’s currently the only database which is supported by vBulletin 2.x. And it’s simple to tell what server its using. However, php is intended to be _cross platform_ - that’s one of the reasons it exists like it does. Thus you can make no assumptions whatsoever on the OS from the fact php is used. My Board uses NT 4, for example. A board I run at work uses Win2000. My laptop #3 uses WinXP for its web server with php. I believe you can run php on OS/2 Warp, although I haven’t tried yet… I’d like to respectfully suggest that it be considered that the info on hardware/software be added to the FAQ, since this question gets asked about every 3 weeks. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2003, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/current-hardware-configuration-of-sdmb/202881/9 "2003-09-21T15:11:16Z")
I apologize to **Lynn** if it looks like I’m contradicting her, as it’s not my intention to do so nor to speak for the SDMB. Lynn’s word far overrides any half-assed thing I would post here. For some reason I read Lynn’s first funny post about Vic-20’s but not her second. Forgiveness, please? The policy of the Board may be not to advertise the configuration; all I was saying is that it has been posted here before, although those posts may not exist any more here. If the SDMB does not want to give the details out, then that’s their right and privledge to do so. ---
**Author:** ![pestie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e5b9ba/32.png) [@pestie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pestie)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2003, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/current-hardware-configuration-of-sdmb/202881/10 "2003-09-22T17:06:07Z")
Sorry if I’m asking a FAQ, but I checked the FAQ first - I probably should have done some searching. I’ll drop this whole subject now. Thanks for any and all responses.