Path: utzoo!utgpu!cunews!bnrgate!brchh104!brchs1!bnr.ca!rice.edu!sun-spots-request
From: bkc2@midway.uchicago.edu (Benjamin Clardy)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.sun
Subject: Fast SCSI Drives
Keywords: Hardware
Message-ID: <2771@brchh104.bnr.ca>
Date: 9 May 91 23:05:00 GMT
Sender: news@brchh104.bnr.ca
Organization: Sun-Spots
Lines: 24
Approved: Sun-Spots@rice.edu
X-Original-Date: Mon, 29 Apr 1991 18:56:58 GMT
X-Sun-Spots-Digest: Volume 10, Issue 98, message 9
X-Note: Submissions: sun-spots@rice.edu, Admin: sun-spots-request@rice.edu

I am looking for SCSI disks (500+ mb) that are capable of high sustained
throughput.  I am currently running 4.1 on a network of SS1s, IPCs, and
SLCs and am switching over to 4.1.1 and sync scsi this weekend. My Fujitsu
M2263SA just do not seem to have the throughput.  Are Wrens, Wren Runners,
M2266SAs, Maxtors, or Micropolis' appreciably faster.

I have noticed one interesting aspect with SunOS on this matter.  I can be
running a job that is taking only about 15% of the CPU, but system
response (OpenWindows, keyboard, etc -- I am running this on an IPC
w/12MB) is ridiculously slow.  I have to nice every job to +19 to get any
semblance of keyboard response.  In doing process status queries, I
typically get back that the job has a status of D -- waiting for the drive
to respond with the data.  During this time, however, the job has a
priority of -24, regardless of what the nice value is.  When the job has a
status of R -- running the priority jumps back to 0 or respectable
positive values.  My question is why is the priority set so low on a D
status?  Is this low priority part of my speed problem?

Also, just a pet peeve of mine, Fujitsu and Fuji are two separate
entities.  They are not part of the same zaibatsu.  Fuji is not in the
computer business in the U.S. as far as I know.

bkc2@midway.uchicago.edu                                       benjamin clardy