We've been hearing rumors about the "Alpha-chip" shake up since last
April. This is not news to us. We investigated the rumors and still
remain confident in the future of TRU64 UNIX and the Alpha product line
at least for the near term. So we are still moving forward with plans
to procure a new ES40.
Last April, when we realized our "#2 application" would soon outgrow
its current confines, and because we were hearing "this buzz", we
started looking into the IA64 architecture and the various flavors of
UNIX it might support. We later concluded there was a significant lack
of product offering, from end to end, for us to consider this
proposition seriously at least for now. (* 04-24-2001*)
(*06-25-2001*) Apparently so did Intel.
http://www.intel.com/pressroom/archive/releases/20010625corp.htm
If we could find something superior to the Alpha product line, and
shipping, we would consider it, especially now, but that product is not
visible to us even after a three months of searching. Besides we would
have to re-certify our "#2 application" for any new platform we chose to
run on, and who knows how much this would cost. But today we don't
have to incur a re-platform charge so we aren't budgeting up for it,
hence we are still moving forward with our ES40 procurement.
Besides, we have a UNISYS mainframe, it's a Cadillac and we rely on its
virtual memory, virtual mass storage, halon1301-protected, air-cooled,
160-Exide-twelve-volt-battery-ups-protected reliability to run our #1
application. We know UNISYS will still be making mainframe's for sale
long after we re-write that $20,000,000.00 #1 application. So If were
not worried about the mainframe going extinct we certainly aren't
bothered by any of the recent Alpha news. Oh! wait, we are re-writing
the $20,000,000.00 dollar #1 application that runs on the mainframe. I
wonder what platform will be chosen for the UI Modernizaition Project?
Something stable no doubt. :)
http://www.in.gov/idoa/RFI-1-D/
In closing the only two things we expect to see when the new IA64
starts shipping is: Oracle should level the playing field in terms of
their licensing formula and it will be TRU64 UNIX business as usual.
Because good business is good business, we are good business, and nobody
walks away from good business not even Intel.
Sincerely
Kevin Criss
=========================================================================================================
Original newsgroup entry from 04/24/01
Subject: Alpha Chip TRU64 UNIX versus IA64 Chip Monterey UNIX
=========================================================================================================
Hi,
I am behind one summary concerning SSH which I hope to get out this
week or next but I have another question in the meantime.
It is the April budget time of the year here in state government: At
the unemployment insurance, training, and re/employment department, we
try to decide how much money we will need for the next fiscal year which
starts in July. All procurements require justifications and various
approvals at several different levels. Procurements at these dollar
levels must go out as sealed bids where price is a major consideration.
Competition for these sales dollars are rigorous, and the competition
can come from vendors of different platforms.
Recently, senior management here is being wooed by the Intel
Architecture 64-bit chip Monterey UNIX sales team. Unisys and I think
Compaq too under license from Unisys, will be selling the new Unisys
e-_at_ction Enterprise Server ES7000 or one of its variant. This server is
being marketed as a mainframe class windows NT 2000 enterprise server.
Unisys is focused on NT, but apparently it can also run the Monterey
UNIX from IBM too.
http://www.unisys.com/hw/servers/es7000/default.asp
"This high-end Intel* based server delivers many benefits through
Cellular MultiProcessing architectural features: Vertical scaling up to
32 processors 64GB of advanced memory 96 PCI adapters for I/O,
Flexibility to dynamically reallocate resources, Partitioning for
"servers within a server", Multiple operating systems running
simultaneously, And, much, much more." Blah, blah, blah, it's suppose
to be really inexpensive too.
Anyway we have an Oracle application which was originally provisioned
for two 466mhz alpha chip CPUs. Last year we upgraded that application
box to four 600mhz alpha-chip CPUs. On any given Monday or Tuesday,
which is the day most people search for new job opportunities or file
for unemployment insurance, those four alpha-chip CPUs on that Oracle
server get hit pretty hard. The performance monitor GUI indicates that
all four CPUs are utilized at 100% on those days. Well, we have a
fairly low level of unemployment in Indiana and we know good times are
still forecasted, but we still have to prepare for tough times too. If
the unemployment rate were to double, which we don't think it will, but
if they were to, we don't think this server as it is currently
provisioned would handle that load very well. Therefore we think we
need to upgrade this server again.
We like Compaq equipment. We use Compaq servers for our Windows NT and
Tru64 UNIX needs. We especially like the Compaq Insight Manager. Its
free and Compaq recently added an agent for their Tru64 5.01 UNIX
release too. Kewl, check it out! :)
As you know Oracle licenses its product by the CPU. Those licenses are
not cheap, actually they are very, very expensive. We were looking to
upgrade to an ES40 with four 833mhz alpha-chip CPUs but we keep hearing
the buzz on the IA64 platform described above and the Monterey UNIX O.S.
I don't know much if anything at all about MIPS; but how many IA64 CPUs
would it take running the Monterey O.S. to equal one Oracle licensed
ES40 with the four fastest CPUs. I know the IA64 stuff may not be
available yet, but it takes quite a while for the state to procure
anything of this value, so probably it will be available when the time
comes to procure.
Oracle Licensing charges state government by the CPU according to the
following formula:
(# processors) multiplied by (the MHZ of the CPU) multiplied by (the
government dollar rate) = Intel based CPUs
(# processors) multiplied by (the MHZ of the CPU) multiplied by ( 1.5 )
multiplied by (the government dollar rate) = RISC or Alpha based CPUs.
The government dollar rate is the same value in both formulas above.
So if I assume both architectures run at the same MHz, they probably
won't, and cost at the same government rate I can Oracle license six (6)
IA64 CPUs for the same Oracle price as four (4) Tru64 CPUs. Intel CPUs
are cheaper than Alpha CPUs too. Oh, oh, stack dump, I thought about it
too much, and now I am confused. Can four alpha chips beat six Intel
chips?
O.K. which vendor's platform bandwagon should I jump on for the next
upgrade? Oracle on IA64 Monterey UNIX as described above, or Oracle on
Tru64 UNIX as described above? Did I mention the application running on
this server took two years to design, code, test, and certify for
production with Tru64 Unix and Oracle8. I would appreciate any blurbs
you could supply concerning this platform direction decision that I
could use either at photocopier, or in the coffee service area. Hehehe,
I would like to put this issue to bed, but I am lacking in my talking
position as regards all the recent sales hype.
Monterey on Intel? Linux on Intel? or Tru64 on alpha?
As always we are looking for an enterprise class data center solutions
for our business needs.
- Kevin
Received on Mon Jun 25 2001 - 21:08:18 NZST