[rescue] Cheapest Cray?

[Patrick Finnegan]

On Monday 26 April 2004 12:57, Dave McGuire wrote:
> On Apr 26, 2004, at 1:04 PM, Charles Shannon Hendrix wrote:
> >>   In some cases, yes.  The machines have backplanes, and CPU &
> >> memory modules fit into slots.  You can snag those modules (be
> >> they boards like in the EL or big metal "subchassis" like in the
> >> J90) from one machine to put 'em in the other.  That's what I did
> >> with a J90 that I bought a couple of years ago...used it to expand
> >> my existing one and have some spare power supplies, backplane, and
> >> rack components.  I don't like buying vendor maintenance
> >> contracts. :)
> >
> > What do you do with your J90?
>
>    Well, as I've mentioned several times, absolutely nothing right
> now...it's powered off until my income increases to something more
> respectable.
>
>    When I was running it 24x7 (which I did for about a year and a
> half), I used it for  teach myself about vector processing and how to
> write code for vector processors, to learn about the Cray compilers,
> and to learn how to run the machine from a sysadmin point of view (a
> typical supercomputer doesn't exactly print an Award BIOS copyright
> message, count up it's memory, and boot when you turn it on).

This sounds like why I got my S/390, except that my chances of acquiring 
a copy of OS/390 or VM+CMS for cheap seem quite remote.  Except, it 
doesn't draw very much power (sans peripherals), only about 1800W when 
powered up (running built-in diagnostics).  It makes me wonder why they 
used a pair of 30A 200V-480V/3-phase power supplies (other than 
reduandancy).  Hooray for autoswitching power supplies... :)

Pat
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