A potential customer asked me a question which I think raises a number of
interesting points, and I'd like to see what others think.

As you may know, the IDS 10 Workgroup Edition (WGE) software has a check now
so that when it starts up it checks the setting for NUMCPUVPS and , if it
exceeds 4, restricts the number of cpu vps started to 4.

Given this, he wants to know if it is now legitimate to run WGE on an 8-way
box. Or even WGE and EE on the same box:

" ... in principle would it not be possible to install & run Enterprise
Edition (EE) and WGE on the same 8 way box? The EE instance would use the
full 8 CPUs but WG would only use 4. The memory could be apportioned
appropriately....?

I'm pretty sure the technical answer is yes but the contractual answer must
be "No". But it set me wondering how valid is the restriction of NUMCPUVPS
is as a way of enforcing a physical cpu limit. You'd still get much better
performance on an 8-way box with NUMCPUVPS=4 than on a 4-way box (if
processor affinity was not set). And actually many respected posters on
this board - and Obnoxio The Clown I think - suggest setting NUMCPUVPS >
number of physical cpus, which obviously you would be precluded from doing
in WGE now.

Any thoughts?
--
Neil Truby t:01932 724027
Director m:07798 811708
Ardenta Limited e:neil.truby@ardenta.com

Neil Truby wrote:
> A potential customer asked me a question which I think raises a number of
> interesting points, and I'd like to see what others think.
>
> As you may know, the IDS 10 Workgroup Edition (WGE) software has a check now
> so that when it starts up it checks the setting for NUMCPUVPS and , if it
> exceeds 4, restricts the number of cpu vps started to 4.
>
> Given this, he wants to know if it is now legitimate to run WGE on an 8-way
> box. Or even WGE and EE on the same box:
>
> " ... in principle would it not be possible to install & run Enterprise
> Edition (EE) and WGE on the same 8 way box? The EE instance would use the
> full 8 CPUs but WG would only use 4. The memory could be apportioned
> appropriately....?

You can certainly run WGE on an 8-way machine. The restriction is on the
number of CPUS dedicated to CPU VPs at any one time - that is controlled by
NUMCPUVPS and WGE forces the value to effectively be <= 4. You can also
safely install both EE and WGE on the same box, just in different directories.

Art S. Kagel

> I'm pretty sure the technical answer is yes but the contractual answer must
> be "No". But it set me wondering how valid is the restriction of NUMCPUVPS
> is as a way of enforcing a physical cpu limit. You'd still get much better
> performance on an 8-way box with NUMCPUVPS=4 than on a 4-way box (if
> processor affinity was not set). And actually many respected posters on
> this board - and Obnoxio The Clown I think - suggest setting NUMCPUVPS >
> number of physical cpus, which obviously you would be precluded from doing
> in WGE now.
>
> Any thoughts?

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Art S. Kagel [mailto:kagel@bloomberg.net]
> Posted At: Thursday, February 02, 2006 8:14 AM
> Posted To: comp.databases.informix
> Conversation: IDS Workgroup cpu limit
> Subject: Re: IDS Workgroup cpu limit
>
>
> Neil Truby wrote:
> > A potential customer asked me a question which I think
> raises a number of
> > interesting points, and I'd like to see what others think.
> >
> > As you may know, the IDS 10 Workgroup Edition (WGE)
> software has a check now
> > so that when it starts up it checks the setting for
> NUMCPUVPS and , if it
> > exceeds 4, restricts the number of cpu vps started to 4.
> >
> > Given this, he wants to know if it is now legitimate to run
> WGE on an 8-way
> > box. Or even WGE and EE on the same box:
> >
> > " ... in principle would it not be possible to install &
> run Enterprise
> > Edition (EE) and WGE on the same 8 way box? The EE
> instance would use the
> > full 8 CPUs but WG would only use 4. The memory could be
> apportioned
> > appropriately....?
>
> You can certainly run WGE on an 8-way machine. The
> restriction is on the
> number of CPUS dedicated to CPU VPs at any one time - that is
> controlled by
> NUMCPUVPS and WGE forces the value to effectively be <= 4.
> You can also
> safely install both EE and WGE on the same box, just in
> different directories.
>
> Art S. Kagel
>
> > I'm pretty sure the technical answer is yes but the
> contractual answer must
> > be "No". But it set me wondering how valid is the
> restriction of NUMCPUVPS
> > is as a way of enforcing a physical cpu limit. You'd still
> get much better
> > performance on an 8-way box with NUMCPUVPS=4 than on a
> 4-way box (if
> > processor affinity was not set). And actually many
> respected posters on
> > this board - and Obnoxio The Clown I think - suggest
> setting NUMCPUVPS >
> > number of physical cpus, which obviously you would be
> precluded from doing
> > in WGE now.
> >
> > Any thoughts?

The restriction I don't like is 'can not use on a web application'


Paul Watson
Tel: +44 1414161772
Mob: +44 7818003457

GO FURTHER with DB2
GET THERE FASTER with Informix.
Attend the IDUG 2006 North America Conference.
Tampa, Florida, USA. 7-11 May 2006.
Visit http://www.iiug.org/conf for more information.

> Art S. Kagel" <kagel@bloomberg.net> wrote in message
> news:43E213A2.90809@bloomberg.net...

> You can certainly run WGE on an 8-way machine. The restriction is on the
> number of CPUS dedicated to CPU VPs at any one time - that is controlled
> by NUMCPUVPS and WGE forces the value to effectively be <= 4. You can
> also safely install both EE and WGE on the same box, just in different
> directories.

Well thus's just plain wrong. I quote from the IDS v10 licensing document:
"Informix Dynamic Server Workgroup Edition (WE). ServerLimitation - you may
not use or install the Program on a Server that has more than 4 processors".

Nothing about cpu vps there.

Can I sell you some Workgroup to Enterprise trade-up licences, Art? :-)

Neil Truby wrote:
> A potential customer asked me a question which I think raises a number of
> interesting points, and I'd like to see what others think.
>
> As you may know, the IDS 10 Workgroup Edition (WGE) software has a check now
> so that when it starts up it checks the setting for NUMCPUVPS and , if it
> exceeds 4, restricts the number of cpu vps started to 4.
>
> Given this, he wants to know if it is now legitimate to run WGE on an 8-way
> box. Or even WGE and EE on the same box:
>
> " ... in principle would it not be possible to install & run Enterprise
> Edition (EE) and WGE on the same 8 way box? The EE instance would use the
> full 8 CPUs but WG would only use 4. The memory could be apportioned
> appropriately....?
>
> I'm pretty sure the technical answer is yes but the contractual answer must
> be "No". But it set me wondering how valid is the restriction of NUMCPUVPS
> is as a way of enforcing a physical cpu limit. You'd still get much better
> performance on an 8-way box with NUMCPUVPS=4 than on a 4-way box (if
> processor affinity was not set). And actually many respected posters on
> this board - and Obnoxio The Clown I think - suggest setting NUMCPUVPS >
> number of physical cpus, which obviously you would be precluded from doing
> in WGE now.

Stop me if I'm wrong as we don't use enterprise edition but isn't the
media for workgroup and enterprise the same? I thought only express
edition had separate media. Therefore is there any limit in the
software? I thought it was just left to resellers etc. to enforce the
restrictions on workgroup edition.

I do see your problem with setting 8 CPUVPs to improve performance on a
8-way box but only wanting to use 4 CPUs and I don't have a solution.

Ben.

"Ben Thompson" <ben@nomonitorsoftspam.com> wrote in message
news:ds75uf$976$1$8300dec7@news.demon.co.uk...
> Neil Truby wrote:
>> A potential customer asked me a question which I think raises a number of
>> interesting points, and I'd like to see what others think.
>>
>> As you may know, the IDS 10 Workgroup Edition (WGE) software has a check
>> now so that when it starts up it checks the setting for NUMCPUVPS and ,
>> if it exceeds 4, restricts the number of cpu vps started to 4.
>>
>> Given this, he wants to know if it is now legitimate to run WGE on an
>> 8-way box. Or even WGE and EE on the same box:
>>
>> " ... in principle would it not be possible to install & run Enterprise
>> Edition (EE) and WGE on the same 8 way box? The EE instance would use
>> the full 8 CPUs but WG would only use 4. The memory could be apportioned
>> appropriately....?
>>
>> I'm pretty sure the technical answer is yes but the contractual answer
>> must be "No". But it set me wondering how valid is the restriction of
>> NUMCPUVPS is as a way of enforcing a physical cpu limit. You'd still get
>> much better performance on an 8-way box with NUMCPUVPS=4 than on a 4-way
>> box (if processor affinity was not set). And actually many respected
>> posters on this board - and Obnoxio The Clown I think - suggest setting
>> NUMCPUVPS > number of physical cpus, which obviously you would be
>> precluded from doing in WGE now.
>
> Stop me if I'm wrong as we don't use enterprise edition but isn't the
> media for workgroup and enterprise the same? I thought only express
> edition had separate media. Therefore is there any limit in the software?
> I thought it was just left to resellers etc. to enforce the restrictions
> on workgroup edition.

It used to be, but now there is separate media.