On 20 Oct 2009 12:55:20 -0700, in bit.listserv.ibm-main you wrote: >I asked because the pretty slide show linked to by the original post I >replied to used that number (1500) on the 13th and last slide with no >indication of scale factor or context. > >After 48 yrs in IT I have an appreciation for the issues raised by the >replies, both explicit and implicit. I was wondering from the practical >point of view. Where is the cross-over point where one considers z10 vs >squatty box? on power? on space? on software licences? admin bodies? is >the issue to complicated without doing a full tca/tco?
Depending on the application and the OS, an Intel quad core high end might well match a z10 quad core for all but decimal arithmetic. How many z10s would it take to run the equivalent of 1500 blades linked in a cluster running google? > >This was on my mind because I have the misfortune to have inherited >support of a mainframe application connected to a squatty box using custom >code and a token ring conenction to the mainframe. every time it burps i >get indigestion. replacing it means using smtp to replace telephony -- >swapping one poisonous snake for another breed. > >As an aside, what is a good abbreviation for mainframe than m_f? I would >like to reserve that for M$, Office and InfoPath at the moment. > >IBM Mainframe Discussion List <IBM-MAIN@bama.ua.edu> wrote on 10/20/2009 >02:54:30 PM: > >> > -----Original Message----- > >> > [mailto:ibm-m...@bama.ua.edu] On Behalf Of Hal Merritt > >> > Interesting. I'd think the number could be less than one. > >> > [mailto:ibm-m...@bama.ua.edu] On Behalf Of Chase, John > >> > > -----Original Message----- >> > > From: IBM Mainframe Discussion List On Behalf Of Kirk Talman > >> > > How many Mainframe engines = 1500 x86 boxes? > >> > "It depends". Could be as few as one. > >> >> In this case, I would bet it depends on what those x86 servers are >> doing. If they are a Beowulf supercomputer cluster, then the z10 is >> NOT going to beat it. But if they are Web servers? Or even >> application servers? >> >> Speaking of such. The z10 is said, by IBM, to be the "fastest" >> (clock time) CISC processor. So, does that mean that a single IFL >> processor could outperform any single x86 (Xeon?) single threaded >> processor around for something which is CPU intensive, such as >> numeric computation? To be "fair", let us assume that this >> computation is being done in Java by using the identical .class >> file. I know that isn't "fair" since the JVMs are not identical. But >> it is about as fair as I can think of. Or perhaps the same C code >> compiled and run on Linux using the same version of GCC. > >> John McKown > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@bama.ua.edu with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html
