Re: Saving the System i: Fight Rather Than Switch

[Brian <iserieslists@xxxxxxxxx>]

John,

I was looking more at the 520 as an alternative to adding a processor on the
570 and thinking there was some other value you saw in running WAS under
i5/OS on a System i rather than under Windows on a PC Server. Going the 520
route would give you a comparable increase in total CPW as adding
one processor with i5/OS to the 570 but at a discount of about 30%. If you
have all the other TCO and software licensing issues covered equally well
under both of your scenarios and there is no need for the value that i5/OS
brings then I totally agree that the PC Server solution is going to give you
the best bang for the buck. Being just a web server is not the sandbox the
System i plays in and although you can do it there's not much reason to;
the old "right tool for the job" cliche fits well here.

If you're interested, you can find some websphere on i5 performance data at
http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/iseries/v5r4/topic/rzahx/sc410607.pdf
<http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/iseries/v5r4/topic/rzahx/sc410607.pdf>.
Chapter 6 deals with websphere and page 93 speaks to the performance of the
turbo feature on the 520s.

Kind regards,

BJ


On 12/13/06, Jones, John (US) <John.Jones@xxxxxxxxxx > wrote:
> Brian - Possibly, and I admit we haven't tried to price that scenario,
> but the numbers say a consolidated box will need 24-30K CPW and that's
> potentially several 520s.
>
> What we need is an inexpensive but fast engine for WebSphere App Server.
> Please withhold the oxymoron comments.  What will run WAS fast & cheap?
>
> 1 big 570? Yes and No.
> 1-3 Windows servers + a moderate (existing) 570? Yes and Yes.
> 1 moderate 570 + 2-4 520 Express machines? Yes and Maybe.
>
> Here's what we're up against: A Dell PowerEdge 2950 with dual Quad-core
> Xeons w/2MB cache per core (Quad core is really 2 dual-cores lashed
> together and each dual-core has 4MB cache), 16GB RAM, Windows Server
> 2003 Enterprise, mirrored 73GB disks, and a 3-year gold warranty has a
> list of just over $14K.  Probably closer to $12K after our discount.
> That's around $1500 per core for a complete server with tons of CPU
> capacity, adequate disk, RAM, OS license, and a warranty.  RAM may be a
> little shy, I'm not sure, and the 32GB RAM feature is quite pricey, so
> I'd add a second server instead of upping to 32GB RAM.  That would also
> provides some redundancy.  So for under $25K I'd have 16 cores, 32GB
> RAM, and all the trimmings.  Can the iSeries compete with that?  Because
> like it or not, iSeries iNtegration advantages or not, like the platform
> or not, this is what it boils down to.
>
> (What might count under other circumstances but doesn't this time
> around: WebSphere App Server license - we have unlimited.  Server
> Administration costs - mostly a wash across scenarios.  Data center
> impact - another wash as 2 of the Dells take just as much resource as
> the additional CEC in a 4/8-way or 1 extra 520.)
>
> John A. Jones, CISSP
> Americas Information Security Officer
> Jones Lang LaSalle, Inc.
> V: +1-630-455-2787 F: +1-312-601-1782
> john.jones@xxxxxxxxxx
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
> [mailto: midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Brian
> Sent: Wednesday, December 13, 2006 10:41 AM
> To: Midrange Systems Technical Discussion
> Subject: Re: Saving the System i: Fight Rather Than Switch
>
> John,
>
> Since adding windows boxes throws away having a "consolidated-server",
> would adding one of the express 520s with the turbo feature turned on be
> a possibility? This would give you a 3800 CPW box with only a P10
> pricing level for the software. Also, if you purchased the DASD and
> possibly the RAM for this 520 on the used market, you might be able to
> put together a nice box for a lot less than adding to the 570. I think
> it would be easier to administer multiple i5s than multiple windows
> boxes.
>
> Just a thought.
>
> Kind regards,
>
> BJ