ROODE@BIONET-20.ARPA.UUCP (04/18/87)
I am interested in other issues affecting the selection of a 8-16 user
timesharing system, beyond those shown below. Besides raw feelings
about which of {VMS, Unix} is better, especially considering DEC
offers both, what else should be considered?
I have no connection with either Sun or DEC, and in fact use multiple
systems from both vendors in house. The systems compared were the
BA23 MicroVAX2 and the 140 model Sun 3. Obvious differences include 8
available slots in the BA23 vs. 3 in the 140 and a standard Ethernet
interface, plus 1 or 2 high-quality graphics displays in the Sun
configurations discussed. What about the quality of third party
applications software available for each processor, regardless
of operating system?
Here is my comparison:
I did a comparison of configurations needed to run about 8 users on
MicroVax vs. Sun systems, in a timesharing environment.
The basic numbers came out to $50K for a MicroVax system with an 8
user license capable of running 8 users, and $43K for a similar Sun
system capable of 8 users but with a 16 user license, and using a
cisco tip or equivalent product to connect the user terminals. Both
systems had 280mb of disk storage and 12-16mb of main memory using
vendor stock configurations except for the cisco tip in the case of
the Sun and for brand-X memory boards (many sources) for both Sun and
DEC. Besides being cheaper, the Sun system should be considerably more
powerful than the VMS system.
I then looked at upgrading the amount of disk storage to 500mb, with a
faster disk speed as well. This I costed as if procured from a 3rd
party or parties since the vendors' own products are 50-100% more
expensive. I also upped the VMS license to handle 16 users to match
the license on the previous Sun comparison. The Sun system came out
$51K with the VAX at $60K, but again the Sun system should be
considerably more powerful. In particular, the easiest way in a Sun
3/140 to free a slot for the fast disk controller is to add a 2nd CPU
(3/50) to the network. This CPU is equipped with a stand-alone disk
and a tape, which can backup the first CPU over the network. This
also provides additional CPU power which due to Sun's network
environment is truly accessible to users, i.e. some can use each CPU.
Roughly I would say that for low end multiuser systems, Sun offers
better than twice the throughput for 15% less cost as compared
to MicroVax2 systems.
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