[xubuntu-users] New user

[Mike Squires]

I've just moved from Ubuntu Studio 20.04 (the last version using X11) to 
Xubuntu 22.04 for production, 23.04 for testing.

I've been using UN*X at home since 1986, starting with a Radio Shack 16 
running MS's version of v7.

I have been using FreeBSD,now at 13.2, on my home server, since the 
FreeBSD 1 days, but have been using Studio on desktops for some time.

I've just switched from a Dell T7600 with a single 2.4 Ghz Xeon (quad 
core) to another T7600 with a pair of 2.7 Ghz 16 core Xeons.  Xubuntu 
22.04 is running with no glitches, so far, as did Studio 20.04.

The T7600 does not use the on-board LSI SATA controller but instead an 
LSI/3ware 9750-4i SATA/SAS controller.  Drives are 2 TB Seagate 
Constellation drives, purchased used.  I am not a serious gamer so I'm 
currently using and older nVidia Quadro K2000 card but will be upgrading 
to a more modern Quadro card soon.

I've found that I can buy used 4TB 3.5 inch Seagate Constellation SAS 
drives much mroe cheaply than the 4 TB SATA drives, so I'm planning on 
updating the T7600 not currently in use to use SAS drives.  The cabling 
provided by Dell does not seem to support SAS (I tried), but at worst 
the upgrade would involve replacing the controller to drive cabling to 
support SAS signalling and power requirements.  I had to do that with 
the server as the drive backplane had failed and I had to wire up the 
drives directly.

The main problem I've had with the T7600 is that the BIOS does not seem 
to have a fully implemented UEFI option.  This is not a problem as far 
as I can tell as long as I don't try to use 4TB drives, no problems with 
2TB.  I was able to install MS Windows 10 x64 when I purchased the 
original unit but after a few years of use the UEFI options seem limited 
to booting from a previously prepared UEFI drive.  This was OK as long 
as booting from a USB stick worked reliably, but recently that has been 
an unsolved problem (I tried various LINUX and MS Windows USB software; 
this may be due to my incomplete knowledge of UEFI