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May  1996
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Tell us what you think about the Ultra Enterprise servers

In April, Sun announces a family of modular, UltraSPARC-based servers. (See related stories in this issue.) (See related stories in this issue.) As always, your responses are anonymous, and are published in aggregate form only. (See this month's report on databases for an example.)

Tell us what you think by answering the following questions, then select Submit Form.

  1. Do you use servers in your department?
    Yes (please continue to the next question)
    No (please skip to question 11)

  2. Do you use Sun or SPARC-based servers in your department?
    Yes (please continue to the next question)
    No (please skip to question 4)

  3. Which models of Sun, SPARC or Solaris-based computers does your department use? (If you use any SPARC clones, select the most similar Sun model.) Select all that apply.
    Sun-3 (Motorola 68K-based)
    Sun386i
    Early SPARC 100 series (pre-SPARCstation 1)
    SPARCserver 600 series
    SPARCstation/SPARCserver 1 or 1+
    SPARCstation/SPARCserver 2
    SPARCstation/SPARCserver 5
    SPARCstation/SPARCserver 10
    SPARCstation/SPARCserver 20
    SPARCserver 1000
    SPARCcenter 2000
    UltraSPARC
    Solaris X86-based

  4. How does your department use servers now?
    File server
    Server of shrink-wrapped applications
    Server of custom applications
    General-purpose file & application server
    General-purpose file & print
    Mail News Web Other

  5. What new tasks does your department have planned for servers?
    File server
    Server of shrink-wrapped applications
    Server of custom applications
    General-purpose file & application server
    General-purpose file & print
    Mail News Web Other

  6. Different servers offer different strengths and trade-offs. Which will weigh as the most significant characteristic in your next server purchase?
    Outward dimensions (size)
    Input/output performance
    Integer compute performance
    Floating-point compute performance
    Graphics rendering performance
    Compute performance expandability (add extra CPUs)
    I/O performance expandability (add extra I/O channels)
    Internal disk drive expandability
    Reliability (Fault resilience or fault tolerance)
    System administration ease
    Operating system
    Hardware & software support
    None of the above
    I don't know

  7. Which will weigh as the LEAST significant characteristic in your next server purchase?
    Outward dimensions (size)
    Input/output performance
    Integer compute performance
    Floating-point compute performance
    Graphics rendering performance
    Compute performance expandability (add extra CPUs)
    I/O performance expandability (add extra I/O channels)
    Internal disk drive expandability
    Reliability (Fault resilience or fault tolerance)
    System administration ease
    Operating system
    Hardware & software support
    None of the above
    I don't know

  8. Relative to Sun's competition, the Ultra Enterprise servers are in general:
    superior about the same inferior I don't know

  9. Which one key feature do you think the Ultra Enterprise servers are superior to competitors:
    Outward dimensions (size)
    Input/output performance
    Integer compute performance
    Floating-point compute performance
    Graphics rendering performance
    Compute performance expandability (add extra CPUs)
    I/O performance expandability (add extra I/O channels)
    Internal disk drive expandability
    Reliability (Fault resilience or fault tolerance)
    System administration ease
    Operating system
    Hardware & software support
    None of the above
    I don't know

  10. Which one key feature do you think the Ultra Enterprise servers are INFERIOR to competitors:
    Outward dimensions (size)
    Input/output performance
    Integer compute performance
    Floating-point compute performance
    Graphics rendering performance
    Compute performance expandability (add extra CPUs)
    I/O performance expandability (add extra I/O channels)
    Internal disk drive expandability
    Reliability (Fault resilience or fault tolerance)
    System administration ease
    Operating system
    Hardware & software support
    None of the above
    I don't know

  11. Which operating system are you using...
    • ...on most of your servers?
      Solaris 1/SunOS 4.1.x Solaris 2 HP-UX
      AIX IRIX Digital Unix
      Windows NT Novell NetWare Other

    • ...on most of your desktops?
      Solaris 1/SunOS 4.1.x Solaris 2 HP-UX
      AIX IRIX Digital Unix MS Windows & Win 95
      DOS (with no Windows) Windows NT OS/2
      Macintosh Other

  12. How many people are employed by your department?
    1 - 9 10 - 29 30 - 99 100 - 499 Not applicable

  13. How many people are employed by your entire organization?
    1 - 9 10 - 29 30 - 99 100 - 499 500 - 1999
    2000 - 9999 more than 10,000 Not applicable I don't know

  14. Which best describes your primary job duties?
    Systems administrator
    Programmer or developer
    Network administrator
    Database administrator
    Systems analyst
    Webmaster
    Consultant
    Systems integrator
    Other technical professional
    Other manager
    Student
    Other

  15. What issues do you face with servers today? How will Web technologies or Java change the way we deploy servers? What are your opinions of the Ultra Enterprise servers?

Please select one of the buttons below and watch for an upcoming story based on the aggregate results of this survey. Thank you!

If you have problems with this magazine, contact webmaster@sunworld.com


URL: http://www.sunworld.com/swol-05-1996/swol-05-readersurvey.html
Last updated: 1 May 1996


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