Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!rutgers!mtune!codas!novavax!potpourri!rick
From: rick@potpourri.UUCP (Rick Schneider)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions
Subject: Re: bsd unix vs dec's vms
Message-ID: <294@potpourri.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 12-May-87 15:29:37 EDT
Article-I.D.: potpourr.294
Posted: Tue May 12 15:29:37 1987
Date-Received: Fri, 15-May-87 03:28:14 EDT
References: <3517@spool.WISC.EDU>
Organization: Gould CSD, Fort Lauderdale, FL
Lines: 45

in article <3517@spool.WISC.EDU>, lm@cottage.WISC.EDU (Larry McVoy) says:
> 
> ... It's not 25% faster than a 
> garden variety Vax 780, it's about 1000% faster (Powernode == 10 mips over
> 2 processors, I think).
> 
> ---
> Larry McVoy 	        lm@cottage.wisc.edu  or  uwvax!mcvoy
> 
> "What a wonderful world it is that has girls in it!"  -L.L.

To set the record a little straighter....

1. UTX/32 version 2.0 is BSD 4.3/System V selectable.
2. The Powernode (PN) series comes in various configurations ranging 
   from under 1 mip to a little over 8 mips (depending upon which 
   processor is bought [PN6xxx or PN9xxx])
3. The PN6080 and PN9080 have two processors, a CPU/IPU configuration.
   The IPU is a CPU but runs in a master/slave orientation.
4. A PN6031 (stripped down model) is equivalent to a VAX 11/780
   in speed at less than 1/2 the price.
5. As far as cost goes, a PN9080 runs at about the same speed as a
   VAX 8800 at less than 1/2 the price.
6. If you are really interested in a "fire-breather", try the latest
   product, NP1.  NP1 is a true dual processor running at approx
   18 mips.  The cost is somewhere around $400,000.

As far as VMS goes, I've used both it and UNIX extensively.  
As a programmer, I'd say UNIX is the hands down winner for a 
multi-programmer environment.

If you are talking about speed on a VAX, VMS is the faster of the 
two.  VMS was written to take advantage of VAX hardware where as
UNIX was not.  In any benchmark I have run on VAXen, VMS has run
applications about 1.5 times faster then the same application 
running on UNIX (VAX environment).  On a PN9080, applications
run 5.6 times greater than the same application running on a
VAX 11/780 running VMS.  Both statements are considering only
CPU time, not real time.  Of course the real time ratios will
differ considerably depending on the load placed on either
system.
-- 
Rick Schneider      ...{akgua!ucf-cs!novavax,mcnc!rti-sel}!gould!rschneider
GOULD CSD  -  in  the cultural wasteland of sunny  Ft. Lauderdale,  Florida
The  opinions  expressed  are  not  those  of  my  employer  or  are  they?