RE: Disk Drives

Chris --

"... the 15k drives end up costing about the same (except you get 50%
more in performance)"

I have a problem with this statement.  The implication is that
someone might see a 50 percent improvement in their disk drives.
I think not.  There are other factors that affect disk drive
performance than the rotational speed.  Seek time
is one of them.  Seek time is generally a lot longer than the
rotational delay of a 10k or a 15k drive.  So, if there were only two
factors affecting performance (actually there are more), and you sped
up one of the factors by 50 percent, you won't experience a 50 percent
improvement in the disk performance.  You'll get a 50% improvement in
only one of the factors of disk drive performance and maybe
you'll get a 5% improvement in the overall disk drive performance.

-- Charly


>From: Chris Whisonant <chris.whisonant@comporium.com>
>
>Yes, BCC is in the market. I'm not sure of any others. I am looking into
>BCC
>drives myself for this quote. They offer a 10k drive, but they also offer a
>15k drive (which IBM doesn't). They have support options and all that good
>stuff. From my understanding, savings could be gained by going with the 10k
>drives, but the 15k drives end up costing about the same (except you get
>50%
>more in performance) once you factor in support and installation costs.
>
>I was also questioning the statement Pat made that "I don't believe most
>Intel machines will call the service department
>and have the tech show up with a possible failing part without you having
>to
>call anybody". True, but should you include that fact in a statement about
>the cost of a drive? I do agree that the support is excellent when you can
>have a drive brought in by a tech within hours and still have the system up
>and running, but support costs should be covered in the maintenance
>agreements and not the up-front costs of a drive.
>
>Chris
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: midrange-l-admin@midrange.com
>[mailto:midrange-l-admin@midrange.com]On Behalf Of Kirk Goins
>Sent: Thursday, March 28, 2002 1:30 PM
>To: midrange-l@midrange.com
>Subject: RE: Disk Drives
>
>
>There is another vendor, BCC that offers plug compatible drives. I'm NOT
>recommending or even suggesting people use NON-IBM drives, but simply
>stating that at least one source exists.
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Peter Dow [mailto:pcdow@yahoo.com]
>
>Hi Al,
>
>1) I thought this was covered by hardware support, not the initial cost of
>the drive.  Are you saying that if I do not have hardware support IBM will
>still replace drives proactively for free?
>
>2) What exactly makes up "the high cost of integration"?
>
>Personally, I'm convinced that the high price of the disk drives is mainly
>due to what the market will bear, i.e. they have no competition in that
>arena.  At least no one in this thread has mentioned an alternate source
>for
>iSeries disk drives.
>
>Regards,
>Peter Dow
>Dow Software Services, Inc.
>909 425-0194 voice
>909 425-0196 fax
>
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Al Barsa/Barsa Consulting" <barsa@barsaconsulting.com>
>To: <midrange-l@midrange.com>
>Sent: Wednesday, March 27, 2002 9:29 PM
>Subject: RE: Disk Drives
>
>
> >
> > This is not meant to be an all encompassing reply, but I will point out
>a
> > few facts:
> >
> > 1).  One of the things that makes them more expensive is that IBM
>replaces
> > them, proactively, at their expense, when they are bad.
> > 2).  The high cost of AS/400 integration is one of the things that makes
> > the AS/400 the lowest cost per user server in the market place.
> >
> > Al - in Charlotte on vacation
> >
> > Al Barsa, Jr.
> > Barsa Consulting Group, LLC
> >
> > 400>390
> >
> > 914-251-1234
> > 914-251-9406 fax
> >
> > http://www.barsaconsulting.com
> > http://www.taatool.com
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >                     Chris Whisonant
> >                     <chris.whisonant@comp       To:
>midrange-l@midrange.com
> >                     orium.com>                  cc:
> >                     Sent by:                    Subject:     RE: Disk
>Drives
> >                     midrange-l-admin@midr
> >                     ange.com
> >
> >
> >                     03/27/02 03:30 PM
> >                     Please respond to
> >                     midrange-l
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > So, what makes them so much more expensive then? There's a factor of 10
> > compared to the price of PC drives. I know they're more reliable, but is
> > that the only advantage? From the iSeries Storage homepage, "These
>drives
> > are industrial strength drives which have unique iSeries and AS/400
> > performance/reliability functions. These drives are supported by iSeries
> > and
> > AS/400 disk controllers and I/O processors within the iSeries or AS/400
> > which provide additional performance and reliability benefits." I also
> > understand that they have an "advanced problem reporting feature."
> >
> > Oh, and we all remember the drive fiasco from last Summer/Fall... How
>many
> > of you guys got bad disk units?
> >
> > Chris
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: midrange-l-admin@midrange.com
> >
> >
> > From: Neil Palmer <neilp@dpslink.com>
> >
> > > Oh ?  It just magically appears with no cost for writing or
>maintaining
> > it
> > > ?  You're writing the code for IBM for free ?   ;-)
> > > (I know - certainly NOT enough cost in it to explain the price
> > > difference).
> > >
> >
> > that is, of course, what I meant. Even a $89 PC disk drive needs
> > a driver program that also costs money, but we are talking pennies.
> > In IBM's case probably not pennies, but certainly such a minute
> > fraction of the total disk drive cost that I doubt (as you do) that
> > that is what is driving the price up into the stratosphere.
> >

"If you wanna end the war and stuff you gotta
sing loud." -- Arlo Guthrie

For their next act, they'll no doubt be buying a firewall running under NT,
which makes about as much sense as building a prison out of meringue.  --
Tanuki

Charly Jones
253 265-6244
Gig Harbor
Washington USA



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