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Conference bulova::decw_jan-89_to_nov-90

Title:DECWINDOWS 26-JAN-89 to 29-NOV-90
Notice:See 1639.0 for VMS V5.3 kit; 2043.0 for 5.4 IFT kit
Moderator:STAR::VATNE
Created:Mon Oct 30 1989
Last Modified:Mon Dec 31 1990
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:3726
Total number of notes:19516

381.0. "DECwindow Ethernet Performance Question??" by DIXIE1::HUBBARD () Fri Mar 10 1989 20:10

NOTE: This note is cross posted in the Ethernet Conference. Although
    several performance questions have been addressed in this conference;
    the following questions relate specifically to the DECwindows Ethernet
    performance contrants.
    
    Thanks,
    
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    I have a customer who is interested in the DECwindows performance
    over Ethernet. 
    
    Several software vendors on the DECstation 3100 have mentioned to
    my customer that X-Windows is a resource intensive hog, which will
    effect the performance of the networked workstations.
    
    I have tentatively explained that DECwindows seperates the Client
    and Server functions and the screen formats only update changes to the
    screens NOT the entire screens. These advantages make DECwindows
    an efficent networking windowing system for a workstation environment.
    
    My questions:
    
    1) How is the DECwindows network performance?
    
    2) Is DECwindows more efficient than X-windows?
    
    3) Is there any published performance benchmarks between DECwindows
    and X-Windows?
    
    4) Are my arguments SOUND?
    
    Thanks,
    
    Bob Hubbard

    

T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name
DateLines
381.1MU::PORTERwhat's in a name?Fri Mar 10 1989 22:0621
    4)  No
    
    3)  Don't know
    
    2)  No
    
    1)  Seems ok to me (well, it was a vague question!)
    
    Because DECwindows is X windows.
    
    Or, to be more specific, DECwindows is our implementation of the
    X window system, plus our own toolkit for the development
    of applications. 
    
    Is DEC's implementation of X higher performance than someone
    else's implementation of X?  Maybe - I once saw some paperwork which
    claimed that we'd done a good job in improving performance.
    
    
    

381.2DECWIN::FISHERBurns Fisher 381-1466, ZKO3-4/W23Fri Mar 10 1989 22:2322
    Let's keep our terminology straight please...DECwindows is one of
    several implementations of windowing systems based on the X11 protocol.
    Your question is sort of like, "Is VAX Fortran better than Fortran?"
    
    I presume that what you are really asking about is DECwindows as
    compared to MIT's sample implementation of X.  In that case, part of
    the answer is, they both use the same graphics protocol, so one is
    no more nor less efficient of ethernet bandwidth than the other.
    
    However, there is more to it.  For example, which set of widgets makes
    the most efficient use of the protocol, which display server is most
    efficient, etc.  I can't answer these questions.  You should go through
    the standard sales support channels to find the approved answers.
    
    As to local vs remote:  This is not an official answer; I have not
    measured anything.  However, you would be surprised at how little
    difference there is between local and remote.  In fact sometimes remote
    is faster (you have two cpu's working on your behalf, not just one!)
    
    Burns
    

381.3I vote for remote...POOL::CLABORNThere's no "'" in the possessive itsTue Mar 14 1989 09:0718
Again, a very subjective answer in the same vein as Burns':
I use DECwrite quite extensively (a very intense application from a CPU and 
memory point of view), and wouldn't dream of running it locally on my 9Mb
GPX. I get to use the 128 Mb of our 8800 boot node, and its CPU power as well
so image activation and response is extremely crisp.

About the only thing I don't run remotely (if at all) is Paint. Because all this
application is is essentially tracking the mouse, communication between client
and server is very intense. Run remotely, it's "ok" but there is a noticeable
lag in action as the client plays catch-up with the mouse. Run locally, it's
much crisper. 

However, I feel that this perceptible "lag" when running remotely is the
exception, not the rule; especially when you can exploit the resources of a 
large remote node.

- George

381.4What resource was that?POOL::HALLYBThe Smart Money was on GoliathFri Mar 17 1989 16:4616
.0>    Several software vendors on the DECstation 3100 have mentioned to
.0>    my customer that X-Windows is a resource intensive hog, which will
.0>    effect the performance of the networked workstations.
    
    That's "affect", not "effect".  Anyhow there is some truth in this
    statement as you've phrased it.  X-based windowing systems are big
    memory hogs.  No doubt about it.  But MEMORY is the porcine resource.
    
    A recent test run in my area used a VS2000 running DECwrite remotely,
    with an HP LAN analyzer.  For what it's worth, one remote user used 
    about �% of the Ethernet, over half of _that_ for remote paging.
    Even though that's a rather limited study I suspect you'll find
    similar results for most interactive operations.
    
      John