[rescue] ss2 under load

[Dave McGuire]

On February 14, Joshua D Boyd wrote:
> I've heard for years that SPARCs hold up better to heavy loads than intel
> machines do, but I've never had a chance to test this till now.
> 
> Currently, my SS2 is compiling some stuff, and in doing so it now has a load
> average of 4.  On my intel file server, when the load average gets this high,
> it is sluggish as all get out, and I'm am trying to kill processes to keep 
> it from crashing.  This sparc on the other hand is still perfectly responsive.

  OH yes.  It's not that SPARCs are particularly good at this, it's that
x86 machines are particularly BAD at this.  A VAX is the epitome of
graceful load handling.  Take a lowly MicroVAX-II for example.  You
log into it, start working on something, and it's usable, if somewhat
slow.  But it feels about the same if you're on it alone or if you're
on it with fifteen other people.

  This is another reason why I scoff at morons who refer to PeeCee in a
big chassis as a "server".

       -Dave

-- 
Dave McGuire
St. Petersburg, FL         "Less talk.  More synthohol." --Lt. Worf