[geeks] Sun Fire V120 Server -vs- Apple Xserve

[Kevin Lee]

YEAH SURE NICE MACHINE.....but can you get it fixed in UNDER 2 WEEKS
when it breaks.  Oh and want a HARD DRIVE TRAY for your new apple xserver.

FORGET IT....apple refuses to sell extras or part period.....they are still
trying to sell
stuff to supid people.

K.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Greg A. Woods" <woods at weird.com>
To: <geeks at sunhelp.org>
Sent: Sunday, June 23, 2002 10:19 PM
Subject: Re: [geeks] Sun Fire V120 Server -vs- Apple Xserve


[ On Sunday, June 23, 2002 at 00:38:38 (-0400), Joshua D Boyd wrote: ]
> Subject: Re: [geeks] Sun Fire V120 Server -vs- Apple Xserve
>
> Yes, but the needed balance between CPU and IO is different, and the
> Xserver has a different ratio of the two than is ideal for many
> (most?) serving tasks.

Sort of -- but it's less ideal on the side that doesn't matter.

Since designing only one dual-CPU box right costs less than designing
multiple separate boxes to meet specific needs (remember this is Apple's
first product for their re-entry to the server market and they seem to
want to get their feet wet before the jump in, if they ever jump all the
way in).  Also since the CPUs are the same as those used in their
high-end desktops, they're cheap enough to just throw at the problem.

However remember we're talking about a machine with quite substantial
I/O throughput capabilities (2 x GigE, AGP, 64-bit PCI, 4 times ATA/100,
FireWire, DDR SDRAM), you do need a fairly fast CPU or two to keep up,
even if they are not amazing work-horses for raw integer or floating
point calculations.

--
Greg A. Woods

+1 416 218-0098;  <gwoods at acm.org>;  <g.a.woods at ieee.org>;
<woods at robohack.ca>
Planix, Inc. <woods at planix.com>; VE3TCP; Secrets of the Weird
<woods at weird.com>