[HECnet] integrity and alpha hardware

[Mark Wickens]

If you can find a ZX6000 they are much quieter than the rackmount
equivalent. I had a nice example that I sold when I downsized the
collection. They draw power however, 400 ish Watts. With an ATI 7500 pci
graphics card you could use it as a desktop. I had ia64 Debian running on
it for a while too.

I'm stuck on Vax VMS, I have an alpha emulator but the richness of archive
software for the Vax always brings me back.

Mark.

On Sat, 5 Sep 2020, 19:11 Jason Brady, <jr_brady at fastmail.com> wrote:

> If you want an older Alpha system for OpenVMS and HECnet, DS10 series is a
> good option. There has been a lot of discussion here and on comp.os.vms for
> restoring, upgrading and maintaining the DS10 hardware, and many of our
> fellow HECnet members are experts.
>
> 2.400 APOLLO is an AlphaStation 400 4/233. Older AlphaStation /
> AlphaServers may not be very fast by today's standards but more than enough
> horsepower for DECnet, Multinet, Rdb and whatever VMS software you want to
> run. Not a big power hog so it's the always-on Routing IV node for my small
> stable of HECnet systems. Hard to find now, but over the years I collected
> enough spare parts to keep it running for the foreseeable future. You might
> find something like this available in your area.
>
> A couple of ideas. Best of luck and enjoy!
>
> On Sat, Sep 5, 2020, at 10:20 AM, Lance Payne wrote:
>
> The rx1620 is a fine hobbyist system.  It won’t break any records against
> the i6-based systems that HP is cranking out now, but it’s the unit I
> currently run OpenVMS on (latest from VSI).  No issues – nothing to really
> complain about, other than it being a power hog and is very loud.
>
>
>
> I’d try to find a dual-CPU system.  A single i2 is kind of lethargic, but
> you’ll save some energy.  Even better, look for the 2U version – the
> rx2620, if you can find one for a reasonable price.  It’ll be much quieter.
>
>
>
> -Lance
>
>
>
> *From:* owner-hecnet at Update.UU.SE <owner-hecnet at Update.UU.SE> *On Behalf
> Of *David Moylan
> *Sent:* Friday, September 4, 2020 10:40 PM
> *To:* hecnet at Update.UU.SE
> *Subject:* [HECnet] integrity and alpha hardware
>
>
>
> Greetings all,
>
>
>
> Now that VSI has their Hobbyist program all under way, we can get
> licensing for Integrity and Alpha hardware.
>
> (the future is obviously x86 which is progressing well and I’m looking
> very forward to. The hobbyist program will cover x86 once it has been
> released)
>
>
>
> I was thinking of trying to find an older Integrity or Alpha server to run
> OpenVMS but I’m struggling to find any real comparative performance
> comparison between the different models.
>
>
>
> Most of the old forum posts on HP link to dead articles.
>
>
>
> Alpha hardware still seems to be very high priced, but I’m starting to see
> some Integrity equipment coming down in price.
>
>
>
> How does something like an Integrity rx1620 stack up? Would there be any
> sense in purchasing a single CPU version of this server?
>
>
>
> If anyone has a list or can provide information on the different Integrity
> and Alpha platforms available that would be great.
>
> I totally understand that performance comparison is an “it depends”
> question, but I’m just after some reality checks here, ie: a specific
> Integrity server might have “twice” the average performance of a different
> Alpha box and it might be cheaper, thus better bang per buck.
>
>
>
> Can anyone help me out here?
>
>
>
> The box will just be for hobbyist purposes. I’ll probably setup a mail
> gateway and perhaps usenet and some other things to play with.
>
>
>
> If it’s relevant (for suggestions of anyone selling refurbed hardware),
> I’m located in Australia.
>
>
>
> Thanks in advance,
>
>
>
> Cheers, Wiz!!
>
>
>
>
>
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