Re: [Unreal-users] Users limit? [OFF TOPIC] Linux and scalability

[Jonathan M. <ch...@cy...>]

>My 50mhz 486 with 8 mb RAM fell to the ground at 33.000 users :P
>took like 20 minutes with swapping in/out to get up at 33.000 users :P
>
>My 233mhz 128 mb ram shallowed it all in 30 secs with no lag =P

8Mb RAM is your bottleneck there - can't really do much with it once a
decently functional kernel is loaded in (yes i've got an 8Mb box as well -
those 30-pin SIMMs are hard to find).  I'm impressed it handled 33k users
at all, even with the swapping and bad performance.

The point is that Linux can scale up to the biggest jobs without much
difficulty given relatively "modest" hardware.  Remembering, of course,
that Linux' roots are in UNIX, which was first produced in the days when
1MHz and 512K were still respectable, this shouldn't be all that
surprising.  I particularly enjoy the ability to run a pro-level, extremely
useful server from bits of junk I found lying around computer fairs that
no-one else wants.  Hmmm, a piece of junk which is capable of performing
several SMTP deliveries every second.

I'm contrasting this with the "minimum requirements" and "recommended
system" specs often attached to commercial OSes and software - eg:  (these
are real specs, apart from the "practical" ones which are my own addition)

- Windows 95:
	Minimum: 386+387 or 486sx+487 or 486DX with 8Mb RAM and 100Mb HD
	Recommended: Intel Pentium with 32Mb RAM and 500Mb HD
	Practical: Pentium-90 or better with 64Mb RAM and >2Gb HD

- MacOS 8.6:
	Minimum: Any true PowerPC-based Mac with 24Mb RAM and 200Mb HD.
	Recommended: PowerPC 601 at 80MHz, 603e at 150MHz or any 604 or better
		with 48Mb RAM and 1Gb HD.
	Practical: Any PowerPC that isn't a non-G3 PowerBook or a Performa,
		with 64Mb RAM and around 2Gb HD.  Anything with a G3 will fly.

- Windows NT 4:
	Minimum: 486DX2/66 with 24Mb RAM and 500Mb HD
	Recommended: Intel Pentium-133 with 128Mb RAM and 4Gb HD
	Practical: the biggest, fastest system money can buy - and it still
		won't be enough.  And you'll have to reboot it at least
		every 49 days, and with every configuration tweak.

- MIMEsweeper (an extension to M$ Exchange Server on WinNT)
	Minimum: Intel Pentium-166 with 128Mb RAM and 300Mb free HD
		plus 50Mb HD per 10 users
	Recommended: Pentium Pro or Pentium-II with 512Mb RAM and >30Gb free HD
	Practical: Scrap this and go to Linux with Exim and Procmail.  You'll
		have to fiddle with some text configuration files, but that'll
		be a doddle to anyone familiar with the Registry.

- Linux, *BSD and other similar projects:
	Minimum: 80386sx with 4Mb RAM and 40Mb HD
		(might be able to squeeze into less HD)
	Recommended: 486DX/33 with 16Mb RAM and 1Gb HD (RAM required for
		installing most popular distributions)
	or:	PowerPC (PReP, CHRP or Macintosh) with 32Mb RAM and 1Gb HD
	or:	similarly specified Alpha, Sparc etc.
	Practical: Decent Pentium, PowerPC or Alpha with 64Mb RAM and 4Gb HD,
		more if you are handling a large (>100?) number of users as a
		server.  RAM and HD space are vastly more important than CPU
		speed.  Small servers will run happily and reliably on the
		"recommended" spec.

--------------------------------------------------------------
from:     Jonathan "Chromatix" Morton
mail:     ch...@cy...  (not for attachments)
uni-mail: j.d...@la...

The key to knowledge is not to rely on people to teach you it.

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