works@ucbvax.UUCP (02/17/86)
Ok folks, I am not ready to make general recommendations yet but I do
believe that if you are planning on running SUN/3s as file servers
for NFS you want more than 4MB of memory, probably 8MB will do it,
especially if people will be logged in and working directly on the
server (say, thru dumb terminals.) Other than that my experiences
have all been quite positive (actually I'm tickled pink!)
Given the price of the added memory compared with the price of a
server plus volume discounts where applicable I see no reason to
hesitate. Probably less than 10% additional in price (and only that
much because the rest of the system is so inexpensive.) Sun has also
been reducing their memory prices I believe, ask your salesthing.
-Barry Shein, Boston Universityworks@ucbvax.UUCP (02/17/86)
Likewise, I would appreciate information/thoughts/etc on using a
3/160 or 3/180 "server" as a general-purpose time-sharing machine
(eventually part of a network of other machines, including
"traditional" Sun workstation configurations). Comparisons to
VAXen or multi-user HP9000 (series 500) would have the most meaning
for me.
Also: anyone have expereince networking Suns and HP9000's ??
thank you kindly,
greg pavlov, fstrf, amherst, ny
harvard!talcott!wjh12!hscfvax!pavlovworks@ucbvax.UUCP (02/19/86)
In article <176@hscfvax.UUCP> pavlov@hscfvax.UUCP writes: > Likewise, I would appreciate information/thoughts/etc on using a > 3/160 or 3/180 "server" as a general-purpose time-sharing machine > (eventually part of a network of other machines, including > "traditional" Sun workstation configurations). Comparisons to > VAXen or multi-user HP9000 (series 500) would have the most > meaning for me. > One problem with Suns as general time-sharing machines is relatively slow terminal i/o. I believe I read a Sun spec which only promised 4800 baud continuous output (9600 baud input). I can confirm that when my Sun is handling 4800 baud the number of interrupts shoots through the roof. Perhaps there are smarter boards on the way, but where our 780 supports 80 terminals, I wouldn't want to be on a sun-3 with 8, even though its cpu is theoretically faster. One the other hand, we routinely use Suns here with 1 or 2 terminals in addition to the hi-res console. This is how faculty (who mostly have the suns) get extra terminals to their students (who mostly don't). -mark -- Spoken: Mark Weiser ARPA: mark@maryland Phone: +1-301-454-7817 CSNet: mark@umcp-cs UUCP: {seismo,allegra}!umcp-cs!mark USPS: Computer Science Dept., University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742
bzs@BU-CS.UUCP (Barry Shein) (02/27/86)
At Boston University we are using two SUN/3s with a 16 port Systech
mux on each. We typically have 12-15 users on each system (almost all
on the terminal ports.) I have seen no performance problems, the
machine almost always appears lightly loaded at worst. I think those
of you familiar with vaxen can think of the systech as being similar
in this regard to a dmf32 or able (or, dh) mux.
-Barry Shein, Boston Universityjmoore@MIPS.UUCP (Jim Moore) (02/28/86)
Is the Systech serial mux card a vme card or does it sit on a Multibus-->vme adaptor? Jim Moore MIPS Computer Systems Sunnyvale, Ca ucbvax!decwrl!mips!jmoore