Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!mips!apple!voder!nsc!amdahl!JUTS!duts!haw30 From: haw30@duts.ccc.amdahl.com (Henry A Worth) Newsgroups: comp.arch Subject: Re: Can old architectures run fast? Message-ID: <97b302n807vo01@JUTS.ccc.amdahl.com> Date: 15 May 91 02:36:57 GMT References: <1991May9.144406.20558@vlsi.waterloo.edu> Sender: netnews@ccc.amdahl.com Reply-To: haw30@DUTS.ccc.amdahl.com (PUT YOUR NAME HERE) Organization: Amdahl Corporation, Sunnyvale CA Lines: 55 In article <1991May9.144406.20558@vlsi.waterloo.edu> ward@vlsi.waterloo.edu (Paul Ward) writes: >In article > c506634@umcvmb.missouri.edu (Eric Edwards) writes: > >>Also, is there anything to prohibit a RISC based machine from having a high >>speed IO subsystem? Would adding this make the machine cost as much as a >>3090? The HIPPI? interface with RAID (Redundant Arrays of Inexpensive Disks) disk systems is one possible solution. > >I don't know, but it is an interesting question. Do you have $20,000,000 ? >We can try a little experiment. :-) > So, you want to build a mainframe-class RISC system. Well, to compete with recently announced high-end CISC products from IBM, Amdahl, et. al., your going to need at least: 4-8 CPU's with 50+ honest MIPS - none of those inflated marketing RISC mips. ~1GB of fast static RAM - can't let those CPU's wait on paging, or have to twiddle their thumbs for too long after cache hits. A couple of hundred SCSI controllers - for that 10 million dollar disk farm in your garage. The capability for a like number of FDDI controllers - to keep up with the latest net-news. Several additional processors to help manage the I/O, encrypion/ decryption, ... Perhaps a few GB of dynamic RAM for disk caching, SSD and such. The busses and logic to make all this work... Features to ensure high availability... Oh, and don't forget a 100kw power source and cooling system. Now, if your a bit shy of the 100's of millions of dollars it would take to develop such a system -- several vendors (including Amdahl) have announced that they are working on "RISC-based" mainframes (I believe a few low-end systems have already been announced or are even avaliable from a couple of the Japanese mainframe producers) -- just wait until they become commodity items, and buy off the shelf. :-) -- Henry Worth -- haw30@duts.ccc.amdahl.com No, I don't speak for Amdahl -- I'm not even sure I speak for myself.