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From: lamaster@pioneer.arpa (Hugh LaMaster)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards
Subject: Re: Open question on NFS, efficiency, etc.
Message-ID: <2473@ames.arpa>
Date: Mon, 10-Aug-87 21:18:52 EDT
Article-I.D.: ames.2473
Posted: Mon Aug 10 21:18:52 1987
Date-Received: Wed, 12-Aug-87 00:36:45 EDT
References: <8730@brl-adm.ARPA> <7779@slate.BBN.COM>
Sender: usenet@ames.arpa
Reply-To: lamaster@ames.UUCP (Hugh LaMaster)
Organization: NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif.
Lines: 41

In article <7779@slate.BBN.COM> mlandau@bbn.com (Matt Landau) writes:
>In comp.unix.wizards (<8730@brl-adm.ARPA>), ultra!wayne@ames.arpa 
>(Wayne Hathaway) writes:
>>While waiting at my diskless Sun workstation for a "cp" to complete,
>>an obvious question wandered into my otherwise empty head.  
> 
>[Describes the "cp" problem on diskless workstations: cp copies
>  data over the net to your diskless host, then copies it right
>  back to the server.]

>
>It gets more interesting when you start talking about large compiles.
(Discussion of more diskless workstation problems)
> Matt Landau			A rock feels no pain...
> mlandau@bbn.com		    ...and an island never cries.

Another approach to the diskless workstation (which I currently attribute to
an employee of DEC) is to view it as a window server:  You have enough
horsepower in your diskless machine to run windowing, and then actually run
your programs on other servers of various kinds, including the Sun servers
mentioned, but maybe also a graphics server or a Cray.  Diskless machines
should be very effective window servers.  If you want more local processing
power to do local compiles, etc., you (probably according to my current guess)
need a real local disk system.  Otherwise, you are going to run into problems
as described.  But, to waffle a little, diskless configurations also may be a
win if your primary usage is editing.





  Hugh LaMaster, m/s 233-9,  UUCP {seismo,topaz,lll-crg,ucbvax}!
  NASA Ames Research Center                ames!pioneer!lamaster
  Moffett Field, CA 94035    ARPA lamaster@ames-pioneer.arpa
  Phone:  (415)694-6117      ARPA lamaster@pioneer.arc.nasa.gov


                 "IBM will have it soon"


(Disclaimer: "All opinions solely the author's responsibility")