Re: Engine Performance Requirements - Help !

> "tech@compsys.demon.co.uk" <158.152.33.120> writes: > We are currently developing an Informix 4GL application for one of > our customers. We currently run SCO UNIX 3.2.4, Informix SE/4GL/RDS/ID > on a 486 server. > > Although the database has been developed under SE the customer has now > specified required data retrieval times and record estimates that > we feel are out of SE capabilities. These values are far greater than > when the project was started... > > For example: > > Database file (example) > Record size :280 bytes > Est. Records (over 3 years) :75,000 > File Size :20MB (approx) > Total system users :16 > Total database users :8 This looks like a very small table to me. > The customer wants data retrieval time of < 1 sec from queries > were data is entered into key indexed fields. > eg.select * from <tab_name> where <key_field1> = <value> In our experience SE does somtimes have problems with < 1 sec, but it is very consistent in giving the same responsetimes every time. > We are in the process of running tests on SE with files approx 20MB > in size. This is neccessary and the only way to find out with your data if the requirements can be meat. > Should we be looking at OnLine and forgetting SE altogether ? No, there is a good chance SE will work. > Also, has anyone had experience running this size of database on a > 486/Pentium server (such as a Compaq ProLiant) ? We have been running very much larger databases on SE with 10 or more users, each running multiple programs (via multiple logins) on tables with over 500.000 records and total database size over 1 GB. We had this on a 486/50 MHz AST PC under Interactive unix using SE 5.x As far as I can remember we got response times on the order of 2 to 3 seconds at the end (with indexed access to a single table). We eventually upgraded to OnLine, not so much for the response time problems with simple access, but the performance of batch routines. There was significant problem with the SE engine that sertain programs would gain exclusive access to the server, *not* due to any locking, but only due to havy database access. Typically a report selecting from multiple tables and doing a sort would do this. When these programs started taking more than 10 minutes and having to be run several times a day an upgrade was overdue. OnLine have so far only to a very small extent shown this kind of behaviour at our site. We still have some sql- statements that can seriously degrade the response times of other users, but they haven't been a problem yet. > Does anyone have any idea of the minimum Informix/Server spec. > that we should be looking at ? I wouldn't run anything now on anything less than a 90 MHz Pentium if there isn't some very strong financial or other reason for it. > Any suggestions and help would be greatly appreciated You'r welcome. Nils.Myklebust@ccmail.telemax.no NM-data, Dalsbergstien 7, N-0170 Oslo, Norway My opinions are those of my company