Conference turris::digital_unix

8625.0. "Memory channel sockets?" by METMV3::COX () Tue Jan 28 1997 22:16

    This should be good for a laugh..
    
    A certain "big blue" competitor of ours is using a couple of
    Alphastation 600 with 1GB of memory in the design/manufacter of their
    PowerPc chips. It seems the the app. Hercules by Avant, took 60 hours
    to run on an RS6000. The Alpha cut it down to 24. 
    
    While the Alpha has 1GB of memory, it is swapping like crazy. Don't ask
    for a better description, "like crazy" is all I have.  This "Big Blue"
    customer wants a box with LOTS of memory. At first they asked about an 8400
    with 14GB, our partner, Vtech, let them know about the 4GB modules for
    a total of 28GB. Thats what they want, but the pricing reality set in.
    
    Now for the real question..
    
    Can you make a tcp/ip or a domain socket connection across the Memory
    Channel. The idea is to make 2-4100 with 4-8Gb, look more like 1 8400.
    Avant said that they can make the socket connection across FDDI with
    good  performance and wanted to know if using Memory Channel would be
    faster.
    
    BTW The 2-4100 would be about a 800K deal.  Think HP or Sun would like
    a couple?
    
    Tom Cox 
    Sales Support
    dtn 238-4305

You can sell the 4100s with the 'memory channel driver for
digital unix' kit which has a tcp/ip over memory channel 
driver. I've measured throughputs significantly better than
fddi with DU 4.0A / TCR 1.4 and throughputs far, far better 
than fddi with code that should be delivered with 'a future
version of Digital UNIX'.  Measurements were taken with 4100
systems and MC 1.5 boards.  Sorry for the teasers, but I
really don't know how the company goes about discussing 
this stuff officially.  You might want to talk to 
MC engineering for real quotes.  Try Rick Gillett @ PKO
or Mike Collins @ PKO or perhaps Darryl Long @ PKO.

PS: you may find that this throughput comes at a fairly
steep cost in cpu cycles.

PS: you should insure the memory channel hardware you receive
is MC 1.5, identfied as rev 'e' by the 4100 console.
[Posted by WWW Notes gateway]