[3] in 1993-clients
[nschmidt@Athena.MIT.EDU: Test machines for RFP evaluation]
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Mark Rosenstein)
Tue Mar 3 13:56:13 1992
Date: Tue, 3 Mar 92 13:55:57 -0500
From: Mark Rosenstein <mar@MIT.EDU>
To: 1993-clients@MIT.EDU
From: nschmidt@Athena.MIT.EDU
To: dcns@Athena.MIT.EDU, isacs@Athena.MIT.EDU, css@Athena.MIT.EDU
Subject: Test machines for RFP evaluation
Date: Tue, 03 Mar 92 09:05:04 EST
Responses for the Request for Proposals have been received from DEC
and IBM, and we are in the process of beginning our evaluation. Both
vendors have lent us evaluation systems which are being installed in
the Test Cluster area - a Personal DECstation 5000 Model 25 with 16"
color monitor from DEC, and a PowerStation 220 from IBM which we will be
trying to configure as a greyscale machine. We will be trying to test
drive these two systems during the next two weeks both as clients and
as possible servers, so that we can make the best decision possible
for our final purchase. You should note that each workstation is
available with a variety of display heads, and we are trying to assess
the tradeoffs of each. We will not necessarily be buying workstations
identical to the demo units.
We encourage you to spend some time using these systems during the next two
weeks, giving us your thoughts and observing the following groundrules:
1. Certain people have been assigned to spend a good part of their time
testing out 3rd party applications and courseware. They may need to reserve
the systems for blocks of time in order to do their work. Similarly, a group
will be reserving a large block of time, probably during the second week, to
configure the systems as servers and test them out in that mode. People who
need to reserve blocks of time are encouraged to sign up accordingly on the
sheets posted next to each machine. Similarly, if at some time you are asked
to yield a machine that you are test-driving to a staff member who is charged
with bringing back a recommendation on some specific software or task, we
would appreciate your cooperation in yielding your seat and coming back at
another time.
2. Please send comments to '1993-clients' or use the discuss meeting
which has been announced in the Athena_Meetings meeting. We are
particularly interested in hearing from you about what software does
or does not work properly, any problems you have running your favorite
software in color or greyscale, your reaction to the size of the color
monitor on the DECstation, and your feeling about the advantages of
color in general. Comments about the relative speed and performance
of the two systems are also solicited. Here you should keep in mind
that the Powerstation test machine is operating with an AFS/NFS
translator, which tends to slow it down. We would expect machines in
the field to have the latest version of native AFS.
If for any reason one of the systems becomes hosed, look to
Lucien for help on the IBM Powerstation and Ezra for the DECstation. We
appreciate your assistance in helping us make this very important decision.
P.S. - all of this depends upon Phys Plant finishing up the power work which
they have promised to complete this morning.
