From:	"Ojaste,James [NCR]" <James.Ojaste@**.GC.CA>
Subject:	Re: Server Prices (was Re: Hacking Security Tallies)
Date:	Wed, 27 May 1998 09:59:12 -0400

Erik Jameson 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.

Well, given that the subject is "Server prices", and that a mainframe
is a server...

>You're probably right for a common server, but he's definitely right for a
>mainframe machine.

There's a difference between the average corp server and a machine used
for theoretical physics research...

>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.

Well, most of that is probably just the OS - a P166 should be able to
handle 10k mail users without too much difficulty.

>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.

Well, if you're insane enough to put your corp db on the same machine
as the firewall, you deserve what you get. Most people put the firewall
on a separate machine entirely, the email on another, the db on one or
more machines (depending on how critical the db is)...

>So make sure you are talking about the same thing here. That should solve
>half your problems with this discussion.

I don't think so. What's that P166 cost nowadays? $1000? Canadian!
So for $1M, you could get a cluster of 1000 of them. Now you're well
and truly into the realm of the supercomputer - far beyond what any
corp would need for general usage.

James Ojaste