Unix Based Mail and Information Server
Bob Kalal
kalal at hpuxa.ircc.ohio-state.edu
Wed Jul 18 16:48:30 AEST 1990
We have been looking into developing a unix-based solution
to the problem of replacing an older system at Ohio State.
The older system is a Dec 20 running TOPS-20 and serves
as a campus time-sharing information resource (electronic
mail, bulletin boards, usenet news, etc). It carries about
a thousand active accounts and has about 450 logins per
day with a maximum of about 50 at one time. The new
system would also pick up lighter information service
loads from a small unix system and another non-unix system.
We have gone through an RFI process and identified several
attractive and cost-effective open system technologies.
We are currently looking at clustering two or more
binary-compatible newer-generation risc-based deskside
servers with SCSI or IPI disks. The units would have
a small number of serial ports on a campus port selector
and ethernet access to the campus TCP/IP network (SONNET)
or telnet logins. They would share a private ethernet
for inter-unit traffic from NFS disk mounts, etc.
Initial user software would include Columbia MM, unix
mail commands, Usenet news software, and several editors
including Gnu EMACS, and a third-party EDT. We would plan
o run the units as one Yellow pages domain and to NFS cross
mount all but some unit-specific local disk areas on all
servers.
Our goal would be to have the user environment appear the
same regardless of the specific unit. We would develop,
port, or purchase load balancing and distribution software.
We expect the load to grow and would add servers and disk
as it increases. Newer servers could be tailored for
specific function and location and might not be identical
to the first units. Large storage servers could be a
possibility with growth.
The vendors and technologies we are looking at include Sun
with the sparc-based Sparcserver 470 (a deskside version
of the 490) running SunOS; Solbourne with thesparc-based
601 single-processor server running SunOS; Dec with a
MIPS-based server running Ultrix 4; and IBM with the
RS 6000 model 520 running AIX 3.
Does anyone have experience with this sort of cluster in a
unix environment? What is your reaction to the approach?
To the hardware and software? How do you feel about the
various vendors' approaches to memory use and managment,
context switching, and serial or ethernet communications?
Thanks in advance for your help and sharing. I'll summarize
responses.
Bob Kalal (614)-292-4843
The Ohio State University
Instruction and Research Computer Center
1971 Neil Avenue
Columbus, Ohio 43210
kalal at tardis.ircc.ohio-state.edu
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