I've bought a second hand ultra enterprise II (256 MB, 1 processor
installed). It has some problem at hard disk and the vendor can change it,
no problem. Now he's proposing me to change this machine with an ultra 10
(330 MHz, 512 MB Ram). I know the vendor is very honest guy, so I think the
machine is proposing me is good, but for me is very hard to choice.
Is the ultra enterprise II more difficult to find or what? Because I'm
seeing the ultra 10 looks like a machine more powerful.

Many thanks for any suggest,
Nicola.

Nic wrote:

> I've bought a second hand ultra enterprise II (256 MB, 1 processor
> installed). It has some problem at hard disk and the vendor can change it,
> no problem. Now he's proposing me to change this machine with an ultra 10
> (330 MHz, 512 MB Ram). I know the vendor is very honest guy, so I think the
> machine is proposing me is good, but for me is very hard to choice.
> Is the ultra enterprise II more difficult to find or what? Because I'm
> seeing the ultra 10 looks like a machine more powerful.
>
> Many thanks for any suggest,
> Nicola.
>
>
The Ultra 10 won't take a second processor, is PCI rather than S-bus
based, and uses IDE disks rather than SCSI. How you value the two
probably depends a lot on how you feel about S-bus.

BTW, as I recall the 330 MHz processor is the bottom of the line.

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"CJT" <abujlehc@prodigy.net> wrote in message
news:433AC44A.1080502@prodigy.net...
> Nic wrote:
>
> > I've bought a second hand ultra enterprise II (256 MB, 1 processor
> > installed). It has some problem at hard disk and the vendor can change
it,
> > no problem. Now he's proposing me to change this machine with an ultra
10
> > (330 MHz, 512 MB Ram). I know the vendor is very honest guy, so I think
the
> > machine is proposing me is good, but for me is very hard to choice.
> > Is the ultra enterprise II more difficult to find or what? Because I'm
> > seeing the ultra 10 looks like a machine more powerful.
> >
> > Many thanks for any suggest,
> > Nicola.
> >
> >
> The Ultra 10 won't take a second processor, is PCI rather than S-bus
> based, and uses IDE disks rather than SCSI. How you value the two
> probably depends a lot on how you feel about S-bus.
>
> BTW, as I recall the 330 MHz processor is the bottom of the line.
>


Which brings to mind a question, how do people in general feel about sbus?
It came out quite a long time before PCI, does it have anything to offer
that PCI doesn't? All of my Suns are too old to be PCI.

Nic wrote:
> I've bought a second hand ultra enterprise II

You mean an Ultra 2?? Thats what it says on mine anyway.

> (256 MB, 1 processor
> installed). It has some problem at hard disk and the vendor can change it,
> no problem. Now he's proposing me to change this machine with an ultra 10
> (330 MHz, 512 MB Ram). I know the vendor is very honest guy, so I think the
> machine is proposing me is good, but for me is very hard to choice.
> Is the ultra enterprise II more difficult to find or what? Because I'm
> seeing the ultra 10 looks like a machine more powerful.

All info is at docs.sun.com if you really want to know, but you dont
have
enough RAM and RAM can be relatively expensive for an Ultra 2. Mind you
I have not priced Ultra 5/10 RAM so you might come out pretty even
there.

Both machines can run Solaris Express, the Ultra 2 is SCSI based and
can take up to 2 400 MHz CPUs (with a recent enough motherboard -
obtainable CHEAP on eBay) vs. a newer generation 440 MHz Ultra 5/10.
SBUS cards tend to be pretty inexpensive right now but the Ultra 2 is
fairly complete already - you might never need one.

So your main considerations might be:
RAM (cost) and 80 pin SCA SCSI drive availability. On eBay they tend to
be
cheap as dirt if they are 9-18 GB. You can fit 2 in the Ultra 2, and
it has a SCSI port out the back if you want to hang a cheapo
PC style SCSI tower off it... Those disks dont have to be Sun
branded.. Id use Sun branded internally though.
You dont say what CPU you have in there - a second one should be
inexpensive though. It wont add much horsepower to the box.
Start with RAM. I prefer the Ultra 2 as the offered 10 is bit low
end given the last ones were 440 MHz..

Ciao

gerryt@vcn.bc.ca writes:

> Both machines can run Solaris Express, the Ultra 2 is SCSI based and
> can take up to 2 400 MHz CPUs (with a recent enough motherboard -
> obtainable CHEAP on eBay) vs. a newer generation 440 MHz Ultra 5/10.

Mine Ultra 2 can't as it has 200MHz CPUs, so it very much depend on OP's
CPU speed.

Bye, Dragan

--
Dragan Cvetkovic,

To be or not to be is true. G. Boole No it isn't. L. E. J. Brouwer

!!! Sender/From address is bogus. Use reply-to one !!!

Dragan Cvetkovic wrote:
> gerryt@vcn.bc.ca writes:
>
> > Both machines can run Solaris Express, the Ultra 2 is SCSI based and
> > can take up to 2 400 MHz CPUs (with a recent enough motherboard -
> > obtainable CHEAP on eBay) vs. a newer generation 440 MHz Ultra 5/10.
>
> Mine Ultra 2 can't as it has 200MHz CPUs, so it very much depend on OP's
> CPU speed.

And motherboard revision + OBP version. As I mentioned these boards
show up on eBay and tend to be quite inexpensive. My 2 were : >
Replacement is fairly simple and in your case worth it (?) Id
check whether a 140-200 MHz Ultra 2 had a completely different board
than a 300-400 MHz version - Im thinking form factor, power supply
hook ups etc.. Yeah if you are stuck with a low MHz Ultra 2 CPU Solaris
9
might be it unless someone ports OpenSolaris..
In which case the OP is better off with an Ultra 10!

HI,

Nic wrote:
> I've bought a second hand ultra enterprise II (256 MB, 1 processor
> installed). It has some problem at hard disk and the vendor can change it,
> no problem. Now he's proposing me to change this machine with an ultra 10
> (330 MHz, 512 MB Ram). I know the vendor is very honest guy, so I think the
> machine is proposing me is good, but for me is very hard to choice.
> Is the ultra enterprise II more difficult to find or what? Because I'm
> seeing the ultra 10 looks like a machine more powerful.
>
> Many thanks for any suggest,
> Nicola.
>
>
Depends alot of what Enterprise model but I would stick with the U10.
If he has a faster(440 MHz), get it.

Put a brand new 128GB GB IDE disk in the machine and installed Solaris,
up to the latest version.

If you use it as a server you can connect SCSI drivers externally easy
and cheaply..

If you need faster network you can fix that to on the U10, on the
Enterprise it is not that easy since the GBE adapters are only fiber
interfaces.


/michael

Michael Laajanen wrote:

> HI,
>
> Nic wrote:
>
>> I've bought a second hand ultra enterprise II (256 MB, 1 processor
>> installed). It has some problem at hard disk and the vendor can change
>> it, no problem. Now he's proposing me to change this machine with an
>> ultra 10 (330 MHz, 512 MB Ram). I know the vendor is very honest guy,
>> so I think the machine is proposing me is good, but for me is very
>> hard to choice.
>> Is the ultra enterprise II more difficult to find or what? Because I'm
>> seeing the ultra 10 looks like a machine more powerful.
>>
>> Many thanks for any suggest,
>> Nicola.
>>
> Depends alot of what Enterprise model but I would stick with the U10.
> If he has a faster(440 MHz), get it.
>
> Put a brand new 128GB GB IDE disk in the machine and installed Solaris,
> up to the latest version.
>
> If you use it as a server you can connect SCSI drivers externally easy
> and cheaply..
>
> If you need faster network you can fix that to on the U10, on the
> Enterprise it is not that easy since the GBE adapters are only fiber
> interfaces.
>
>
> /michael

Neither of those machines is going to be able to drive GB ethernet
very effectively, anyway.

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The e-mail address in our reply-to line is reversed in an attempt to
minimize spam. Our true address is of the form che...@prodigy.net.

HI,

CJT wrote:
> Michael Laajanen wrote:
>
>> HI,
>>
>> Nic wrote:
>>
>>> I've bought a second hand ultra enterprise II (256 MB, 1 processor
>>> installed). It has some problem at hard disk and the vendor can
><snip>

>>
>> If you need faster network you can fix that to on the U10, on the
>> Enterprise it is not that easy since the GBE adapters are only fiber
>> interfaces.
>>
>>
>> /michael
>
>
> Neither of those machines is going to be able to drive GB ethernet
> very effectively, anyway.
>
Thats true, but if you have 100Mb/s and need 200, GbE is a good way to
go even if you only can deliver 200Mb/s.

/michael