From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on inbox.vuxu.org X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-1.0 required=5.0 tests=MAILING_LIST_MULTI autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4 Received: (qmail 14377 invoked from network); 1 Oct 2023 05:20:38 -0000 Received: from minnie.tuhs.org (2600:3c01:e000:146::1) by inbox.vuxu.org with ESMTPUTF8; 1 Oct 2023 05:20:38 -0000 Received: from minnie.tuhs.org (localhost [IPv6:::1]) by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 2869040275; Sun, 1 Oct 2023 15:20:33 +1000 (AEST) Received: from lists.tip.net.au (pasta.tip.net.au [203.10.76.2]) by minnie.tuhs.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id 01C7740274 for ; Sun, 1 Oct 2023 15:20:19 +1000 (AEST) Received: from [192.168.1.4] (ppp121-45-200-233.cbr-trn-nor-bras38.tpg.internode.on.net [121.45.200.233]) (using TLSv1.2 with cipher ECDHE-RSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384 (256/256 bits)) (No client certificate requested) by mailhost.tip.net.au (Postfix) with ESMTPSA id 4Rysq43bfvz8sm4; Sun, 1 Oct 2023 16:20:14 +1100 (AEDT) From: steve jenkin Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Mime-Version: 1.0 (Mac OS X Mail 12.4 \(3445.104.21\)) Date: Sun, 1 Oct 2023 16:20:10 +1100 Message-Id: To: COFF X-Mailer: Apple Mail (2.3445.104.21) Message-ID-Hash: KGUEIBVWK3UYJF33FNIJYOFOPSNVR3XE X-Message-ID-Hash: KGUEIBVWK3UYJF33FNIJYOFOPSNVR3XE X-MailFrom: sjenkin@canb.auug.org.au X-Mailman-Rule-Misses: dmarc-mitigation; no-senders; approved; emergency; loop; banned-address; member-moderation; nonmember-moderation; administrivia; implicit-dest; max-recipients; max-size; news-moderation; no-subject; digests; suspicious-header X-Mailman-Version: 3.3.6b1 Precedence: list Subject: [COFF] late 1990's servers vs R-Pi 5: quantifiable Performance vs Cost improvements? List-Id: Computer Old Farts Forum Archived-At: List-Archive: List-Help: List-Owner: List-Post: List-Subscribe: List-Unsubscribe: An Old Farts Question, but answers unrestricted :) In the late 1990=E2=80=99s I inherited a web hosting site running a = number of 300Mhz SPARC SUNs. Probably 32-bit, didn=E2=80=99t notice then :) Some were multi-CPU=E2=80=99s + asymmetric memory [ non-uniform memory = access (CC-NUMA) ] We had RAID-5 on a few, probably a hardware controller with Fibre = Channel SCSI disks. LAN ports 100Mbps, IIRC. Don=E2=80=99t think we had 1Gbps switches. Can=E2=80=99t recall how much RAM or the size of the RAID-5 volume. I managed to borrow from SUN a couple of drives for 2-3 months & filled = all the drive bays for =E2=80=98busy time'. With 300MB drives, at most we had a few GB. Don=E2=80=99t know the cost of the original hardware - high six or seven = figures. A single additional board with extra CPU=E2=80=99s & DRAM for one = machine was A$250k, IIRC. TB storage & zero =E2=80=99seek & latency=E2=80=99 with SSD are now = cheap and plentiful, even using =E2=80=9CAll Flash=E2=80=9D Enterprise Storage & SAN=E2=80=99s.= Storage system performance is now 1000x or more, even for cheap M.2 = SSD. Pre-2000, a =E2=80=98large=E2=80=99 RAID was GB. Where did all this new =E2=80=98important=E2=80=99 data come from? Raw CPU speed was once the Prime System Metric, based on an assumption = of =E2=80=98balanced=E2=80=99 systems. IO performance and Memory size needed to match the CPU throughput for a = desired workload, not be the =E2=80=9CRate Limiting Step=E2=80=9D, because CPU=E2=80=99s = were very expensive and their capacity couldn=E2=80=99t be =E2=80=98wasted= =E2=80=99. I looked at specs/ benchmarks of the latest R-Pi 5 and it might be = ~10,000x cheaper than the SUN machines while maybe 10x faster. I never knew the webpages/ second my machines provided, I had to focus on Application throughput & optimising that :-/ I was wondering if anyone on-list has tracked the Cost/ Performance of = systems over the last 25 years. With Unix / Linux, we really can do =E2=80=9CApples & Apples=E2=80=9D = comparisons now. I haven=E2=80=99t done the obvious Internet searches, any comments & = pointers appreciated. =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D Raspberry Pi 5 revealed, and it should satisfy your need for speed No longer super-cheap, but boasts better graphics and swifter = storage = ~$150 + PSU & case, cooler. Raspberry Pi 5 | Review, Performance & Benchmarks = Benchmark Table = [ the IO performance is probably to SD-Card ] 64 bit, 4-core, 2.4Ghz, 1GB / 2GB / 4GB / 8GB DRAM 800MHz VideoCore GPU =3D 2x 4K displays @ 60Hz=20 single-lane PCI Express 2.0 [ for M.2 SSD ] 2x four-lane 1.5Gbps MIPI transceivers [ camera & display ] 2x USB 3.0 ports, "RP1 chip reportedly allows for simultaneous 5-gigabit = throughput on both the USB 3.0s now." 2x USB 2.0 ports,=20 1x Gigabit Ethernet, 27W USB-C Power + active cooler (fan) =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D =09 -- Steve Jenkin, IT Systems and Design=20 0412 786 915 (+61 412 786 915) PO Box 38, Kippax ACT 2615, AUSTRALIA mailto:sjenkin@canb.auug.org.au http://members.tip.net.au/~sjenkin