Servers supreme Readers agree: Sun servers are superior, but they aren't sure exactly why By Carolyn W.C. Wong

June  1996

Mail this article to a friend

Sun server users are quite sure that the company's new Ultra Enterprise servers are better than the competition hands down. 61 percent of the 47 respondents to our May reader survey categorize the new class of servers as "superior," while 17 percent consider them "about the same" as industry competitors. But they can't quite pin point why they're better. The best reason they could give is input/output performance (30 percent) -- the next popular answer however was "I don't know" (15 percent).

The SPARCstation/SPARCserver 20 is the current favorite with 71 percent of our readers using those systems, followed by 49 percent using SPARCstation/SPARCserver 10s. The SPARCstation/SPARCserver 5 and SPARCserver 1000 are evenly used at 40 percent each.

The departmental servers are used mostly as general-purpose file and application servers (76 percent) and as mail servers (74 percent). 72 percent of our readers said their departments use servers for the Web. Using the servers for custom applications was the most frequently cited new task for users' departmental servers (57 percent).

As far as the purchase of new servers is concerned, users said input/output performance (28 percent) and reliability (24 percent) will be the most significant factors in determining their buying decisions. 11 percent will also consider compute performance expandability. The least important characteristic would will be outward dimensions (size) (50 percent) and graphics rendering performance (33 percent).

65 percent of the respondents use Solaris 2 on their database servers, and 39 percent use Windows and Windows 95 on their desktops. 26 percent use Solaris as their desktop operating system. --Carolyn W.C. Wong

See the file "Readers comment on Sun's Ultra Enterprise servers" for more.

Number of respondents: 47
as of 12:00 p.m. on May 30, 1996

1. Do you use servers in your department

       Yes (please continue to the next question):      100.0% 
       No (please skip to question 11):                   0.0% 
   

2. Do you use Sun or SPARC-based servers in your department?

       Yes (please continue to the next question):       97.8% 
       No (please skip to question 4):                    2.2% 
   

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):                        6.7% 
       Sun386i:                                           0.0% 
       Early SPARC 100 series (pre-SPARCstation 1):       8.9% 
       SPARCserver 600 series:                           20.0% 
       SPARCstation/SPARCserver 1 or 1+:                 22.2% 
       SPARCstation/SPARCserver 2:                       35.6% 
       SPARCstation/SPARCserver 5:                       40.0% 
       SPARCstation/SPARCserver 10:                      48.9% 
       SPARCstation/SPARCserver 20:                      71.1% 
       SPARCserver 1000:                                 40.0% 
       SPARCcenter 2000:                                 11.1%
       UltraSPARC:                                       24.4% 
       Solaris X86-based:                                20.0% 
   

4. How does your department use servers now?

       File server:                                      63.0% 
       Server of shrink-wrapped applications:            50.0% 
       Server of custom applications:                    56.5% 
       General-purpose file & application server:        76.1% 
       General-purpose file & print:                     63.0% 
       Mail:                                             73.9% 
       News:                                             47.8% 
       Web:                                              71.7% 
       Other:                                            21.7% 
   

5. What new tasks does your department have planned for servers?

       File server:                                      30.0% 
       Server of shrink-wrapped applications:            30.0% 
       Server of custom applications:                    56.7% 
       General-purpose file & application server:        33.3% 
       General-purpose file & print:                     13.3% 
       Mail:                                             23.3% 
       News:                                             33.3% 
       Web:                                              33.3% 
       Other:                                            33.3% 
   

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):                         0.0% 
       Input/output performance:                         28.3% 
       Integer compute performance:                       4.3% 
       Floating-point compute performance:                6.5% 
       Graphics rendering performance:                    0.0%
       Compute performance expandability:                10.9% 
       I/O performance expandability:                     4.3% 
       Internal disk drive expandability:                 0.0% 
       Reliability:                                      23.9% 
       System administration ease:                        6.5% 
       Operating system:                                  6.5% 
       Hardware & software support:                       0.0% 
       None of the above:                                 2.2%
       I don't know:                                      6.5% 
   

7. Which will weigh as the LEAST significant characteristic in your next server purchase?

       Outward dimensions (size):                        50.0% 
       Input/output performance:                          0.0% 
       Integer compute performance:                       0.0% 
       Floating-point compute performance:                2.2% 
       Graphics rendering performance:                   32.6% 
       Compute performance expandability:                 2.2% 
       I/O performance expandability:                     0.0% 
       Internal disk drive expandability:                 6.5% 
       Reliability:                                       0.0% 
       System administration ease:                        0.0% 
       Operating system:                                  0.0% 
       Hardware & software support:                       0.0% 
       None of the above:                                 2.2% 
       I don't know:                                      4.3% 
   

8. Relative to Sun's competition, the Ultra Enterprise servers are in general:

       superior:                                         60.9% 
       about the same:                                   17.4% 
       inferior:                                          4.3% 
       I don't know:                                     17.4% 
   

9. Which one key feature do you think the Ultra Enterprise servers are superior to competitors:

       Outward dimensions (size):                         0.0% 
       Input/output performance:                         30.4% 
       Integer compute performance:                       0.0% 
       Floating-point compute performance:                2.2% 
       Graphics rendering performance:                    2.2% 
       Compute performance expandability:                10.9% 
       I/O performance expandability:                     4.3% 
       Internal disk drive expandability:                 0.0% 
       Reliability:                                       8.7%
       System administration ease:                        6.5% 
       Operating system:                                  8.7% 
       Hardware & software support:                       4.3% 
       None of the above:                                 6.5% 
       I don't know:                                     15.2%
   

10. Which one key feature do you think the Ultra Enterprise servers are INFERIOR to competitors:

        Outward dimensions (size):                         0.0% 
        Input/output performance:                          0.0% 
        Integer compute performance:                      17.4% 
        Floating-point compute performance:                4.3% 
        Graphics rendering performance:                    2.2% 
        Compute performance expandability:                 0.0% 
        I/O performance expandability:                     0.0% 
        Internal disk drive expandability:                 2.2% 
        Reliability:                                       4.3% 
        System administration ease:                       15.2% 
        Operating system:                                  0.0% 
        Hardware & software support:                       4.3% 
        None of the above:                                19.6% 
        I don't know:                                     30.4% 
    

11. Which operating system are you using...

        on most of your database servers?
          Solaris 1/SunOS 4.1.x:                          19.6% 
          Solaris 2:                                      65.2% 
          HP-UX:                                           4.3% 
          AIX:                                             2.2% 
          IRIX:                                            2.2% 
          Digital Unix:                                    0.0%
          Windows NT:                                      2.2% 
          Novell NetWare:                                  2.2% 
          Other:                                           2.2% 
    
        on most of your desktops?
          Solaris 1/SunOS 4.1.x:                          21.7% 
          Solaris 2:                                      26.1% 
          HP-UX:                                           0.0% 
          AIX:                                             0.0% 
          IRIX:                                            2.2% 
          Digital Unix:                                    0.0% 
          Windows & Win 95:                               39.1% 
          DOS:                                             0.0% 
          Windows NT:                                      8.7%
          OS/2:                                            0.0% 
          Macintosh:                                       2.2% 
          Other:                                           0.0% 
    

12. How many people are employed by your department?

        1 - 9:                                            13.0% 
        10 - 29:                                          23.9% 
        30 - 99:                                          28.3% 
        100 - 499:                                        32.6% 
        Not applicable:                                    2.2% 
    

13. How many people are employed by your entire organization?

        1 - 9:                                             0.0% 
        10 - 29:                                           6.7% 
        30 - 99:                                           6.7% 
        100 - 499:                                        17.8% 
        500 - 1999:                                       17.8% 
        2000 - 9999:                                      28.9% 
        more than 10,000:                                 22.2% 
        Not applicable:                                    0.0% 
        I don't know:                                      0.0% 
    

14. Which best describes your primary job duties?

        Systems administrator:                            42.2% 
        Programmer or developer:                          13.3% 
        Netowrk administrator:                             4.4% 
        Database administrator:                            6.7% 
        Systems analyst:                                   4.4% 
        Webmaster:                                         0.0% 
        Consultant:                                        8.9% 
        Systems integrator:                                6.7% 
        Other technical profressional:                     6.7% 
        Other manager:                                     2.2% 
        Student:                                           2.2% 
        Other:                                             2.2% 
    

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

URL: http://www.sunworld.com/swol-06-1996/swol-06-enterprise.results.html
Last modified: