On Apr 7, 11:11 am, Damon Getsman <dgets...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I have recently installed Solaris 10 on a Sun Enterprise 3500 server
> system that was sitting unused in our hardware stores here. Primarily
> I had intended to use this as a machine to serve Directory Server LDAP
> information, possibly Kerberos, and Sun Calendar requests. Upon

Which LDAP and Calendar server? Do they run on Solaris 10 SPARC and
x86??

> looking into the stats for this machine, however, I see that it has
> four processors installed at what appears to be 400MHz apiece,
> according to system POST tests. The system utilizes 8GB of memory, as
> well.
OK
> At this point what I am wondering is whether or not the requirements
> for the server I have described would be better served by an x86
> server, with the same amount of RAM (64-bit, obviously), that won't
> have the power requirements of this piece. I know that the Sparc
> processors support multiple threads per CPU; I do not know if this
> will give significant improvement over the x86 architecture for the
> applications I have described. The server we are currently using
> supports approximately 40 Calendar and related LDAP requirement
> instances; we expect this need to grow 5-10 times before we commit to
> a new infrastructure.
> If, indeed, the x86-64 architecture does seem to be the better
> solution, what kinds of server implementations would I see better
> performance from the sparc with 4 processors on?

Apples and oranges questions. The E3500 was designed to be scalable
and
"load bearing" (depending on type of load)
from my experience having run a fairly decent sized LDAP
VOIP system on one some years back. Like 8 years back almost.

Actually it was a cluster of 2 config but anyway.
LDAP response from the SunOne version 4
product was very good with only 4 CPUs and 1000's of LDAP accounts
IMAP
voicemail etc etc. Now, if the Calendar server has any
"java" in it forget about performance I suspect.

> In advance I'm sorry for my relative ignorance about this
> architecture, I haven't had the chance to take any courses on Sparcs
> yet; hopefully after this stabilization of the infrastructure through
> our projected growth is complete I'll be able to spend a few weeks
> formally learning what I need to know here.

Well the good news is if you can figure out how to do everything
properly
the box will probably run forever, you expand it by getting more CPUs/
RAM
up to 8 CPUs/16GB RAM, you can hang FC/AL off it for disk either
through the builtin
1 Gbps ports or buy 2 Gbps FC/AL HBAs, Gig E ether is supported as
well
- like said scalable. And the extra bits are cheap off eBay generally
IF you know
what to buy.

I have a couple of E4500's which more than suffice for testing larger
installations.
I dont turn them on a lot..

Or you could look into trading up to a 52xx series box. Low power
consumption,
lots of threads (if you willing to pay for them). And theres the
FeeCee Sun server
boxes too.

The long and short of it for me is without more details the questions
cannot be answered.
I suggest you test things out with what you have.
Maybe pickup a 60 day Try&Buy off your Sun rep and compare.
If you use the E3500 for trade bait and dont like how much you are
getting, see what they are
worth on eBay...

As this is really a hardware theme Ill not cross post this all over.