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From: terry@spcvxb.spc.edu (Terry Kennedy, Operations Mgr.)
Subject: Re: BSDI vs Win NT and netscape commerce server
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Organization: St. Peter's College, US
Date: Fri, 15 Dec 1995 19:34:57 GMT
Message-ID: <1995Dec15.143457.1@spcvxb.spc.edu>
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In article <4ar1vh$co5@news.voicenet.com>, 900RR (900RR) writes:
[First, do you think you could get your news software fixed so your postings
have a real address associated with them?]
> Each server runs Windows NT Server 3.51 (surprise!) and is a quad
> Pentium SMP Compaq ProLiant with a CDDI card linked to a T3 line (1 T3
> = 44 T1 lines) direct to the Internet. Each box runs this config.
Clarification: a T3 is 28 T1's. Still pretty fast, though.
> I need SMP support. - When guys, when? I can get SMP boards for just
> over a grand. With chips!
Yup. However, as far as I know there isn't a standard for SMP PC hardware
(at least one that's adhered to). When you're an OS vendor and you have
hardware vendors offering you lots of money to add multiprocessor support,
or when a hardware vendor is a partner in the OS (like DEC is with NT) and
adds SMP support, it's easy to justify doing.
If BSDI added SMP support for some particular hardware, I predict the main
result would be people bitching "why didn't you support <product> instead -
the system you supported is a piece of junk!". Also, it seems unlikely that
any PC vendors consider the Unix market large enough to fund SMP Unix, so
BSDI would have to do it on their own.
> I need threaded server software products, without the "unix
> surcharge".
>
> Example:
>
> Netscape Communications Server
> Unix=$1295 NT=$495
>
> Netscape Commerce Server
> Unix=$2995 NT=$1295
>
> Same products, same capabilities. Why are the unix versions MORE than
> TWICE as much money? Because everything in unix costs LOTS more than
> the NT version. Or is completely free. Very strange.
Because most vendors see NT as a "desktop" platform and Unixes as a "depart-
mental" or "enterprise" platform. Once they see that they are losing revenue
because customers are buying the NT versions, prices will change. Some of this
has happened already.
> I need people who can run the network and not demand $70,000/year for
> their trouble.
>
> If you're starting an ISP, you need to plan for the day when you're
> looking to hire capable people to run it. Very qualified NT personnel
> can be hired for half the cost of the average unix "sys admin".
You're looking under the wrong rocks if you're paying $70K/year for Unix
sysadmins. Also, between the other things you'll need to operate a reasonably
large network (Ethernet testers/T1-T3 testers/routers/etc.) if the difference
between (say) $35K and $70K is going to kill your business, you're going to
have a hard time staying in business with the forthcoming margin squeezes in
the ISP business.
Terry Kennedy Operations Manager, Academic Computing
terry@spcvxa.spc.edu St. Peter's College, Jersey City, NJ USA
+1 201 915 9381 (voice) +1 201 435-3662 (FAX)