Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!munnari!moncskermit!goanna!yabbie!koel!rcopm
From: rcopm@koel.rmit.oz (Paul Menon)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: diskless mac-II A/UX
Message-ID: <336@koel.rmit.oz>
Date: Wed, 11-Nov-87 17:37:29 EST
Article-I.D.: koel.336
Posted: Wed Nov 11 17:37:29 1987
Date-Received: Tue, 17-Nov-87 03:47:17 EST
References: <6655@apple.UUCP>
Organization: RMIT Comm & Elec Eng, Melbourne, Australia.
Lines: 53

in article <6655@apple.UUCP>, phil@apple.UUCP (Phil Ronzone) says:
> If SUN 3/260 can really only handle 10-12 diskless before sluggishness
> overwhelms, then isn't the true cost of those 10-12 diskless workstations
> = workstation_cost + 1/10 or 1/12 of 3/260 cost?

Depends where the (unbearable) sluggishness occurs 
	- At the Workstations only?
	- At both the W/S's and for all Sun 3/260 users as well.
    My initial hunch would be "Sluggishness at the Workstations", as they
would show greater performance degradation than would an equivalent no of
local (Server) users.  If the "server" can still be useable to local clients
with 10-12 w/s's, then one cannot use the above formula.  I would also be 
interested in where the 10-12 figure came from, as the faculty here is looking
into ND's.

> 
> And what if a hard disk is much less than 1/10 or 1/12 of a 3/260, and
> said hard disk allows 20-24 workstations per server?
I don't understand the above statement.  How will a hard disk allow 20-24
w/s per server, and surely in this case those w/s are N/Ds?  Unless we are
talking about "local" w/s (terminals).

  A couple of points worth mentioning...
    
    *	The most unreliable part of computers here (hic city) are hard disks.
	Well, considering hardware only, software and people are exempt.
	Disk (hardware) maintenance is expensive.  So is disk s/w maintenance
	as in backup/recovery.  The more disks - the more trouble we have.
	It is easier to look after fewer disks.  Software upgrades are easier
	and quicker to implement.
    *	The above is from the end user point of view of course.  Why would Sun
	people wear NO ND buttons?  more hunches...
	*    Sun Disks are expensive.  Getting advice from them about using
	     third party disks is like asking Apple the same question - Do It
	     at Yer Own Risk!
	*    With Sun OS 3.3, a 20 line grahics application (SunView) takes 
	     up 1/2Mbyte of disk space.  Don't ask how much memory.  
	     Sure they have been talking about shared libraries, etc - but
	     I haven't seen them yet.  At least Apple have their grahics
	     routines in ROM.

"Any Opinions Found Above Do Not Reflect - They Have Been Sandblasted"

Paul Menon.

    Dept of Communication & Electronic Engineering,
    Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology,
    124 Latrobe St, Melbourne, 3000, Australia
 
ACSnet: rcopm@koel             UUCP: ...!seismo!munnari!koel.rmit.oz!rcopm
CSNET:  rcopm@koel.rmit.oz     ARPA: rcopm%koel.rmit.oz@seismo
BITNET: rcopm%koel.rmit.oz@CSNET-RELAY
PHONE:  +61 3 660 2619.