| From: | Lehlan Decker <decker@****.FSU.EDU> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Re: Server Prices (was Re: Hacking Security Tallies) |
| Date: | Wed, 27 May 1998 09:33:40 -0500 |
> At 04:02 PM 5/26/98 -0400, you wrote:
>
> >>I haven't priced a mainframe lately, but my last company's mainframe
> >>cost $3.5 Mil, and it was a small one.
> >
> >*Boggle*! What is it used for?
>
> Note the difference in terms; he said *mainframe* while you said server.
>
> You're probably right for a common server, but he's definitely right for a
> mainframe machine.
>
> It really all depends on what you intend to do with that machine. If it's
> just a mail server, a P166 running NT 4.0 can service a 100 people no
> problem at all. My dad does that at his work. Says running the mail
> utilizes about 3-4%$ of the processor resources.
>
> But if you want your server to handle the firewall, the entire corporate
> database, all the mail, *EVERYTHING* then you need something bigger, like a
> mainframe.
>
> So make sure you are talking about the same thing here. That should solve
> half your problems with this discussion.
>
I'll toss in here a few thoughts. I've seen mention of the
requirments for a single mainframe, etc.
First putting all your eggs in one basket is always bad (I don't
care how reliable the machine is). Distributed computing seems
to be used more commonly (a web and mail server, one dns server, etc).
Second, one machine doesn't have to be the "ultimate" box. If trends
continue, clustering the resources of many machines seems likely
to be much more common. (And if one fails, far less stress).
Ex: In the Denver-DataHaven section of the sourcebook, it mentions
the Nexus doesn't have one huge mainframe, but several smaller but
still very beefier boxes.
Anyway....one with the show. :)
(Since know one in my group wants to play deckers, I don't have to
worry about this stuff often. :))
--
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Lehlan Decker 644-4534 Systems Development
decker@****.fsu.edu http://www.scri.fsu.edu/~decker
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The universe doesn't have laws, it has habits. And habits can be broken.
