bob@allosaur.cis.ohio-state.edu (Bob Sutterfield) (10/18/88)
In article <MRD.88Oct15140913@sun.soe.clarkson.edu> mrd@sun.soe.clarkson.edu (Michael DeCorte) writes: >2) Will there be a server available or does the NeXT have enough IO >bandwidth to handle a couple of FAST hd's? Yes this sound like I >want to turn it into a sun, but this could be a system adminstrators >nightmare. Either use the commodity NFS server (Sun, Pyramid, whatever) that you already have lying around; or string some Wren-N's on the SCSI port of a NeXT cube and configure your own NeXT server from one member of your cluster. The SCSI chip has a lot of steam (did I hear 4MB/s around here somewhere?) The question remains: What version of NFS does NeXT already have? Have they got diskless NFS booting? How soon will they have the automounter and all the other nifties in the version shipping with SunOS 4.0? Has Sun even started shipping source to their developer source licensees? -=- Zippy sez, --Bob Can I have an IMPULSE ITEM instead?
jbs@eddie.MIT.EDU (Jeff Siegal) (10/18/88)
In article <MRD.88Oct15140913@sun.soe.clarkson.edu> mrd@sun.soe.clarkson.edu (Michael DeCorte) writes: >2) [...]does the NeXT have enough IO >bandwidth to handle a couple of FAST hd's? Probably. It has this custom VLSI I/O processor Jobs calls a "mainframe on a chip". The NuBus runs at 2.5 times the speed of the Mac II. The SCSI runs at full speed (4MB/sec). Jeff Siegal
bob@allosaur.cis.ohio-state.edu (Bob Sutterfield) (10/18/88)
In article <10296@eddie.MIT.EDU> jbs@eddie.MIT.EDU (Jeff Siegal) writes: >In article <MRD.88Oct15140913@sun.soe.clarkson.edu> mrd@sun.soe.clarkson.edu (Michael DeCorte) writes: >>2) [...]does the NeXT have enough IO bandwidth to handle a couple of >> FAST hd's? > >Probably. It has this custom VLSI I/O processor Jobs calls a >"mainframe on a chip". The NuBus runs at 2.5 times the speed of the >Mac II. The SCSI runs at full speed (4MB/sec). If you manage to swamp the SCSI on the first CPU card, it seems (if they did it right) that you should be able to add another card for some nominal fee and treat it as another fast I/O processor out on the NuBus. String another Ethernet to it (now we've got an IP router or gateway or...) and connect more SCSI devices to it (now we've got a hotshot file server). And how about more display/keyboard/mouse/microphone sets on the additional cards as well? Now we've got a multiuser minicomputer in a cute little black box, if you really want it. It would look a lot like the old VS100s - a workstation in a Unibus 780. NeXT's Mach may some day (if not already) be able to take advantage of the other CPUs and memory, and schedule threads and processes to run wherever appropriate. Then you'd have a 4-CPU multiprocessor running on the shelf above your desk. Some Fun! Now, how about a NeXT NuBus transputer? How about a NeXT NuBus TAAC? Or, who was that person at Ames who had a Cray channel-attached? (Reality Injection: this is probably mostly daydreaming (for now)) -=- Zippy sez, --Bob Today, THREE WINOS from DETROIT sold me a framed photo of TAB HUNTER before his MAKEOVER!
lucovsky@xyzzy.UUCP (Jeff Lucovsky) (10/19/88)
In article <24828@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu> bob@allosaur.cis.ohio-state.edu (Bob Sutterfield) writes: >The question remains: What version of NFS does NeXT already have? >Have they got diskless NFS booting? How soon will they have the >automounter and all the other nifties in the version shipping with >SunOS 4.0? Has Sun even started shipping source to their developer >source licensees? >-=- >Zippy sez, --Bob Sun has made source for their Vax reference port available since early May of this year. --------------------------- Jeff Lucovsky Data General, Research Triangle Park, NC ...!mcnc!rti!xyzzy!lucovsky lucovsky@dg-rtp.dg.com -- --------------------------- Jeff Lucovsky Data General, Research Triangle Park, NC ...!mcnc!rti!xyzzy!lucovsky lucovsky@dg-rtp.dg.com