Re: What is the best platform for Informix 7.x?

Michael Silver <michael.silver@telequestcorp.com> wrote: :What is the best platform for Informix Online? We currently run on HP-UX :10.01, and have a ton problems. HP has problems with shared memory, aging, :and processor affinity. Sun has been recommended since Informix :development is done on Sun, and then ported over to other platforms (so I :am told). Speed is also a big issue. Which platform is the fastest, and :most stable? : :Any help would be greatly appreciated. : :...Thanks... :...Michael... I would like some comments on the following which may also give some indications to an answer: In the early days we used Altos machines. Then we switched to PC's with Interactive Unix and now SCO Unix. We have reasently made an offer for our application to a large customer. We got offers for machines from Sun, Dell and Compaq. The Sun was an Ultra Enterprice 3000 with 1 CPU and alternate with 4. The Compaq was a Pro Liant 6000 with 4 CPU The Dell was a PowerEdge 6100 with 4 CPU All had the same memory, disk (7 x 4GB drives), tape, network and other configurations. The Compaq was cheapest. The Dell was slightly more expensive. The Sun with 1 CPU was on the order of 1.7 times the Compaq price. With 4 CPU's the price was well over double of the Compaq. Extra disks, memory, tapedrives and so on are substantially cheaper for the Compaq/Dell than for Sun (allways using components from the manufacturer). According to TCP-C test (for what they are worth) this Sun machine have about the same performance (with 4 CPU's) as the Compaq. The Compaq have about the same server type facilities with ECC memory, hot swap disks, server monitoring, options for redundant powersupplies, RAID and so on. The Compaq/Dell + SCO Unix support is as good as from Sun, but at a lower price. We have been using PC type servers with SCO Unix for a long time with no significant problems (we have over years with a number of servers at several customer sites never had to restore any database from a backup). New releases are somewhat later on SCO than on Sun, but not by too much. There is one advantage to the Sun machine that it can be expanded more, and you can get larger machines. If that is not an issue is there any reason at all to buy a Sun? If there is, is it good enough to warant the price difference? From what I know the HP and IBM solutions aren't any better pricewise, and have no other significant advantages. An additional advantage with PC servers is that the low price have made all my customers update the hardware and database engine at the same time. That makes for a simple update senario. Compaq have also announced 8 processor machines and the prices are still falling. Are the Unix server market in for some significant changes? Nils.Myklebust@idg.no NM Data AS, P.O.Box 9090 Gronland, N-0133 Oslo, Norway My opinions are those of my company The Informix FAQ is at http://www.iiug.org