Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!gem.mps.ohio-state.edu!ginosko!uunet!keysec!kse1!mike
From: mike@kse1.UUCP (Michael Miller)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.i386
Subject: Re: How many users _really_ ?
Summary: Large Multi-user 386-based machines
Message-ID: <120@kse1.UUCP>
Date: 25 Aug 89 11:08:50 GMT
References: <15875@vail.ICO.ISC.COM> <1989Jun27.074031.11661@specialix.co.uk> <14760@watdragon.waterloo.edu> <323@icdi10.UUCP>
Reply-To: uunet!keysec!mike (Michael Miller)
Organization: Key Systems Engineering Corp., Reston VA.
Lines: 38

In article <323@icdi10.UUCP> fr@icdi10.UUCP (Fred Rump from home) writes:
>In article <14760@watdragon.waterloo.edu> hjespersen@trillium.waterloo.edu (Hans Jespersen) writes:
>->In article <1989Jun27.074031.11661@specialix.co.uk> jpp@specialix.co.uk (John Pettitt) writes:
>->Perhaps a better question is "How many 30+ user 386 systems do you
>->know that run (period)."
>->
>->How many CONCURRENT users ( of typical office automation software )
>->can you respectfully support on a '386 PC ? I know this is vauge and
>->will vary considerably depending on the configuration but anyone want
>->to give it a shot ?
>While we have several 32 user systems out there based upon 16MB 15MhZ boxes 
>without cache but with Corollary smart cards, we don't have 32 terminals 
>attached as of yet.

I know of one commercially available (or soon to be) multi processor (386's)
backplane available.  It has 32 meg (plus) memory available, copious amounts
of disk (something like up to 2.1 GB) and many other features.  I know it
is AT compatible.  I have seen it run 16+ users reasonably and reliably using
various desktop packages and doing some compilations of source.  This was a
while ago tho and they may have gotten more performance out of it since
then.  I don't know what os it runs currently.  They did use specially
designed hardware to support the multiprocessing part of the architecture.

The system has something like 128 serial ports (I doubt concurrently,
but for sporadic users).  I have seen it run 64 users (up to about 16+ at
any one time) do quite a bit of desktop work and printing in about 90 mins.
Actually, it has more than 128 serial ports but a conflict in the device
driver for those ports only permitted 128 ports for terminal usage.  This
may have been resolved by now.

Just to make sure people know where I am coming from, I used to work for
this purposely unmentioned computer vendor.  I was part of this;
I worked on the part of the project that got these benchmark results.
-- 
==========================================================
Michael Miller               Key Systems Engineering Corp.
uunet!keysec!mike            4404 Cavalcade Ct.
1-301-731-7310               Burtonsville, MD. 20866