[comp.os.vms] LAT vs. any other kind of terminal connection

west%etd1.DECnet@AFWAL-AAA.ARPA ("ETD1::WEST") (11/12/87)

At the Air FDorce Avionics Lab, we have an Ethernet backbone with (at least)
12 VAX and lots of graphics workstations attached.  This backbone runs
DECnet, LAT, CALMAnet, TCP/IP and more.  This backbone serves AT LEAST 40 and
maybe more highly utilized terminal servers (DECserver 100 and 200's.)  This
is 320 terminals and PC's connected by LAT,  there are also several (10-15)
devices connected by reverse LAT on DS200's...FOM's etc.  

My point...the net is busy but not strained.  There is NO terminal I/O 
degredation...and this technique beats using DZ-11's hands down for off loading
processing.  A performance audit showed that 15% of the CPU was being spent
handling interrupts (from DZ-11's).  After getting rid of the DZ's and 
going to LAT,  the time spent in interrupt was .LT. 2%.  Over 10% of the VAX
cpu time was returned to the users for the price of an upgrade which is
justifiable in terms of convenience (for distributed connect capability) alone!

Mike West
Air Force Avionics Lab
AFWAL/AADE
WPAFB, OH 45433

west%etd1.decnet@afwal-aaa.arpa

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west%etd1.DECnet@AFWAL-AAA.ARPA ("ETD1::WEST") (11/13/87)

At the Air FDorce Avionics Lab, we have an Ethernet backbone with (at least)
12 VAX and lots of graphics workstations attached.  This backbone runs
DECnet, LAT, CALMAnet, TCP/IP and more.  This backbone serves AT LEAST 40 and
maybe more highly utilized terminal servers (DECserver 100 and 200's.)  This
is 320 terminals and PC's connected by LAT,  there are also several (10-15)
devices connected by reverse LAT on DS200's...FOM's etc.  

My point...the net is busy but not strained.  There is NO terminal I/O 
degredation...and this technique beats using DZ-11's hands down for off loading
processing.  A performance audit showed that 15% of the CPU was being spent
handling interrupts (from DZ-11's).  After getting rid of the DZ's and 
going to LAT,  the time spent in interrupt was .LT. 2%.  Over 10% of the VAX
cpu time was returned to the users for the price of an upgrade which is
justifiable in terms of convenience (for distributed connect capability) alone!

Mike West
Air Force Avionics Lab
AFWAL/AADE
WPAFB, OH 45433

west%etd1.decnet@afwal-aaa.arpa


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