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The latest addition to Computing Services' research facilities is a new
Unix processor replacing Alcor. The latest addition to student facilities
is a new Unix processor replacing Vega. The two processors are combined
under one cover, and will function as a single computer serving the needs
of both researchers and students who require or desire use of a Unix
hardware/software platform. The new machine will be called Alcor, in
honour of its predecessor, but apart from the fact it runs a Unix
operating system, it is a different machine altogether.
Why was a new system needed?
In a word, performance. When the Vega system was introduced earlier this
year it provided students, even those having little previous experience
using computers, with access to the Internet (among other things).
However, the service was so popular that the user population grew to
thousands almost overnight. Vega users watched response time grind almost
to a halt. On the research side the old Alcor system was not doing quite
so badly, but one reason for this was that it simply wasn't fast enough to
attract researchers. Potential users turned away, since in some cases
they could run jobs faster on their desktop systems.
A more powerful processor
Thus, the first and foremost requirement of the new system was increased
power. Rather than express this as a single meaningless indicator of
processor speed, we can compare the times required to run the same job on
various systems. Back in 1989, John Woodrow (now Director of Computing
Services) used a sample Fortran program to compare the speed of several
different machines. Since then it's become traditional to run this
benchmark on new systems to see how they stack up. Here are the results
for a number of computers, past and present, compared with the new Alcor
system. The fewer number of seconds required to run the benchmark job,
the faster the computer:
<![CDATA[
System Hostname CPU seconds to run
------------------- -------- ------------------
Cyber 830D 1733
Sun 4/280 Maxwell 806
VAX 8550 VAX2 325
Sun 670 MP Maxwell 227
Mips M120/5 Antares 177
(DECstation 5125 Vega 160)*<--------
DECsystem 5500 Alcor 142 <--------
DECsystem 5900 Mercury 112
DEC Alpha 3400 Piper 24
DEC Alpha 2100 5/250 NEW ALCOR 7 <--------
]]>
(* Vega figure is an estimate.)
The numbers speak for themselves: the new Alcor system is very fast! And
not only is the system much faster than Vega or old Alcor, its
operating system is a newer, more stable and widely compatible version of
Unix. With this software the system is compatible with the mainstream of
current DEC products and services, so future additions or upgrades of
hardware and software should be easier and less disruptive.
Ease of use
In the past, some potential users of Unix have been put off by the terse
command language used to communicate with the system. To address this
problem, Senior System Manager, Steven Winikoff, developed a "menu shell"
which permits users to make extensive use of applications without having
to know a single Unix command. This facility was introduced on the Vega
system and permitted thousands of undergraduates to use e-mail, edit and
ftp files, "surf" the net, and use many other facilities with no knowledge
of Unix, other than how to log on the system. The rather steep Unix
command learning curve was levelled! We hasten to add, however, that the
old Olympus is still there to be scaled, and seasoned users will find few
changes to their favourite Unix commands.
Who are Alcor's Users?
In a word, Alcor is for everyone. Any student at Concordia University is
entitled to apply for an account on the system. Students must be enrolled
in at least one course, although it does not have to be one requiring use
of a computer. New Alcor, with its easy-to-use menu shell, is particularly
suitable for those who want to begin exploring the Internet, but have
little or no previous experience with computers. On the other hand, the
full power of a Unix operating system and the fastest computer in our
stable are there for Unix gurus to exercise!
All Faculty members and staff are also entitled to accounts on Alcor.
Students, Faculty and staff who had accounts on Vega or the old Alcor
system as of September 1, 1995, will automatically have accounts generated
on the new system. All others may apply for accounts at our Service Areas
(H-925 and CC-207). (We remind everyone that accounts given out on this
system, as on all other Computing Services systems, are for the exclusive
use of the individual to whom they are issued. Do not share your account
with anyone!)
A few more technical details
The new Alcor system is a DEC AlphaServer 2100 5/250, which contains two
CPUs based on Digital's 64-bit RISC architecture. The machine is equipped
with 768 megabytes of RAM and 20 gigabytes of disk storage. It is
currently running version 3.2B of DEC's OSF/1 (recently renamed "Digital
Unix.")
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