[WinMac] Re: Larger Network

Daniel L. Schwartz(expresso[at]snip.net)
Mon, 04 Oct 1999 00:41:19 -0400

        Len makes some good points; but with ASIP 6.2 you're stuck with only one
hardware vendor... And unfortunately Apple's wares are only desktop quality
- Not server quality. Plus, they're not overly expandable with only two
free PCI slots after you drop in a SCSI controller.

        Two issues that are often overlooked are scalability and (especially)
reliability. Apple took a stab at the reliability with their nice Network
Server 500 and 700 machines; but with only about 100 machines per month
being sold...

        Fortunately, your 220 node school LAN does not need 24/7 reliability, so
you may very well "get away" with a converted desktop machine acting as a
server. BUT, desktop machines are designed not for 24/365 dependability,
maintainability; and I/O throughput. Instead, they (desktop boxes) are
designed for fast 3D display, high Spec95FP numbers, and low cost. [If you
don't believe me, then why are there no 2 or 4-way Athlon systems?!]

        I certainly DO agree with my pal Len on steering clear of NetWare: It's
butt-ugly and uses wacky HAM disk drivers.

        `As for the Qube boxes and rack-mount "skinnies," yes, they look cool.
But, IMHO, the hardware is not battle-tested for 24/7 reliability and
cooling. I looked closely at their products at MacWorld in late July; and I
think they tried to squeeze a bit too much into too small a package - Both
the cube as well as the 1U rackmount modules. Maybe I'm wrong, but every
time I've seen packaging take precedence over good (electronic & cooling)
design, reliability takes a hit.

        Cheers!
        Dan

At 10:46 PM 10/3/99 -0400, Len wrote:
>At 9:50 PM -0500 10/1/99, V. Wysong wrote:
>>We're getting advice from vendors who say to ignore Appleshare IP 6.2
>>because Windows NT or Novel will serve
>>the Mac needs without complicating the network with a second type of
>>network. They're offering to admin & support a Win or Novel
>>network remotely (of course for a per incident service fee).
>>
>>Opinions?
>>
> Yeah, don't touch Novell with a 100 foot pole! It's
>outdated, it's ugly and there's really no reason is 1999/2000 to be
>using it!!
>
> As far as NT vs. AShare/IP, it's a tradeoff since NT can
>share Mac and AShare/IP can share Wintel - HOWEVER, since NT 4.x only
>does AppleTalk sharing while AShare/IP does IP-based sharing, that's
>a BIG win for your Mac users in terms of sharing performance.
>
>
>Leonard

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