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From: lori@hacgate.UUCP (Lori Barfield)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apollo
Subject: review of _Digital_Review_ review of DN2500
Message-ID: <6427@hacgate.UUCP>
Date: 12 Dec 89 20:35:06 GMT
Organization: Hughes Aircraft Company, El Segundo  CA
Lines: 59


Look in _Digital_Review_ for a complete benchmark analysis of the DN2500.

I agree with their summation:  "The Domain Series 2500 is not a
high-performance workstation, but its entry level price will serve
to put a workstation on a desk that may otherwise not have had one."

Unfortunately, they test a fully loaded machine ($16,295!) and sound a bit
like they expected it to have options like a fully loaded something-else-
besides-a-lowest-end-model.  If you had $16k to spend on an Apollo, would
you even consider a DN2500?  I think the DN2500 is about giving sys admins
choices like "shall I buy another laser printer for $8k or *two* DN2500s?"

They were very thorough as usual and offer these test results:
"Test results show that Apollo's Domain Series 2500 did better on DR Lab's
CPU 2 Benchmark Suite than two other systems that use the same Motorola
68030 CPU chip (albeit at a lower clock speed [16 vs. 20 MHz]):  the
Macintosh IIcx and the HP 9000 Model 340.  The Apollo machine didn't do as
well compared with a Sun [-4/110] workstation and the DEC VAXstation 3100."

The configuration was 200MB internal, 16MB RAM, 802.3 EN, 19" mono.
The price for the equivalent HP was $21,450.
Anyone out there know what the Mac, Sun, or VAX would run?


Here are the DN2500 "pros" they listed:

  o  "Base model is priced as low as $3,990"

  o  Gives users choice of System V and 4.3BSD Unix, and Aegis environments
     [they didn't exactly put that right; also don't forget the Korn Shell]

  o  "Is binary-compatible with all other Apollo workstations except the
     Domain 10000"

  o  "Can be networked easily"
      [this was referring to:  1) ease of adding Apollo node vs. Sun node,
				  a "tremendous advantage";
			       2) Domain's method where all disks on a net
				  appear as one universal file system;
			       3) binary compatibility of all but DN10k]

  o  "Supports X Window System"



The "cons":

  o  "CPU performance is below that of other entry-level systems"

  o  "Price of fully equipped model is more than four times higher than
     price of base model"



Flames, anyone?


...lori