Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!decwrl!decvax!rsp
From: rsp@decvax.dec.com (Ricky Palmer - (603)881-0370 - ZK3-3/T74)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.ultrix
Subject: Re: DECstation 3100
Message-ID: <4716@decvax.dec.com>
Date: 13 Apr 89 21:18:02 GMT
References: <4706@decvax.dec.com> <88320@felix.UUCP>, <1903@umbc3.UMBC.EDU>
Sender: news@decvax.dec.com
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You might want to take a look at what is causing your problems:

	If your machine is swapping to the ethernet frequently it is very
probably because it just plain doesn't have enough memory for all that you
want to run. Two solutions: buy more memory and/or install a
local disk(s) for all the swap activity. PMAX has some of the best
performance I have seen for swapping to the RZ55 or even the slower
RZ23. I spent a good deal of time last summer optimizing large request
performance in the SCSI code (overlapped I/O) so I know this works well.
I am surprised that you can "crash" the machine just by swapping.  I would
like to see this in person since it should not happen. If it is happening
we should know about it. Other people like Jim Gettys have run
extensive swapping tests all with glowing successes! Also, when it swaps
over ethernet what is it swapping to? Is it going to your 2000? Argh!
Also, if you are porting code AND running DECwindows you definitely should
have more memory. DECwindows is a memory PIG. Get more memory is not
only good advice but necessary. Swapping should only 
occur when necessary not all the time!!!!
As for the linker, I am not surprised if it is slower. All RISC systems
suffer from this same problem. The output is typically 30 percent "larger"
than equivalent CISC code.

>>>>12-24 MB of memory.... In my article I didn't know I was talking about servers!
	The machine makes an excellent server.
---   Ricky Palmer	 Ultrix Advanced Development
---   Digital Equipment Corporation
---   Nashua, New Hampshire
---   ... One of the fathers of PMAX ...