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From: cjs@cynic.portal.ca (Curt Sampson)
Newsgroups: misc.forsale.computers.pc-specific.software,misc.forsale.computers.pc-specific.systems,misc.forsale.computers.printers,misc.forsale.computers.storage,misc.forsale.computers.workstation,misc.forsale.non-computer,comp.os.linux.misc,comp.unix.bsd.netbsd.misc
Subject: Re: *** DEC Alpha 166 For Sale ***
Followup-To: comp.os.linux.misc,comp.unix.bsd.netbsd.misc
Date: 11 Dec 1996 14:15:06 -0800
Organization: Internet Portal Services, Inc.
Lines: 39
Message-ID: <58nbpa$egh@cynic.portal.ca>
References: <zayanya-ya023080000312962117460001@news.erols.com> <58cae8$bas@sonic.cord.edu> <58d89l$3mr@leol.net-link.net> <58m8ga$46m@lupin.csv.warwick.ac.uk>
NNTP-Posting-Host: cynic.portal.ca
Xref: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au misc.forsale.computers.pc-specific.software:37186 misc.forsale.computers.pc-specific.systems:26393 misc.forsale.computers.printers:19614 misc.forsale.computers.storage:39395 misc.forsale.computers.workstation:30385 misc.forsale.non-computer:38636 comp.os.linux.misc:146665 comp.unix.bsd.netbsd.misc:4977
In article <58m8ga$46m@lupin.csv.warwick.ac.uk>,
Hugo Fiennes <esuqg@csv.warwick.ac.uk> wrote:
>A friend & I both bought Multias, for $700. I've loaded Redhat on mine, and
>I'm happy with the result although the internal 340Mb drive is deathly
>slow (it's a 2.5" one, most likely single platter too...).
It's most likely software. The following two tests were done on a
Multia with a 500 MB drive. The machine was runing at 266 MHz during
the Linux test, and 233 MHz during the NetBSD test.
-------Sequential Output-------- ---Sequential Input-- --Random--
-Per Char- --Block--- -Rewrite-- -Per Char- --Block--- --Seeks---
Machine MB K/sec %CPU K/sec %CPU K/sec %CPU K/sec %CPU K/sec %CPU /sec %CPU
Linux 35 1764 69.5 1576 18.6 606 14.5 1016 64.7 1293 10.9 25.8 2.5
NetBSD 35 742 16.9 764 5.8 466 6.6 2208 56.2 2139 17.6 34.8 3.3
You'll note that Linux writes about twice as fast as NetBSD, and
uses three to four times the CPU to do so. NetBSD reads nearly
twice as fast as Linux, and uses from about the same to twice as
much CPU depending on the block size. NetBSD can run more random
seeks per second.
How much of this has to do with the software itself, and how much
with the filesystem layout, I'm not sure. From my readings, I
suspect that FFS better optimises disk layout than ex2fs, or whatever
it's called. Also, that little disk in the multia seems a bit weird;
I'm going to free up a 5400 RPM disk soon and put it on that machine
for some tests. Obviously more work is required before any conclusions
can be drawn.
Followups set to comp.os.linux.misc,comp.unix.bsd.netbsd.misc,
since this now has little to do with workstations for sale.
cjs
--
Curt Sampson cjs@portal.ca Info at http://www.portal.ca/
Internet Portal Services, Inc.
Vancouver, BC (604) 257-9400 De gustibus, aut bene aut nihil.