Ultra Server Hardware Considerations

Building the Ultimate Ultra Server

Deciding on the type of hardware to put in an Ultra Server machine, like any hardware decision, is greatly influenced by how actively the server will be accessed. While you must evalute the environment that the Ultra Server will run in, it is possible to make several general statements about the overall hardware that will become the Ultra Server.

• Use a Pentium class machine. Pentium class machines allow enough processing speed for Ultra Server to function at optimum performance. Additionally, the selection of the proper Pentium motherboard will allow better throughput of I/O (see below).

• There are many Pentium class motherboards on the market today. There are many factors that allow some Pentium motherboards to outperform others. We strongly suggest you select a motherboard based on the Intel HX Triton chipset. This is the second generation chipset from Intel that supports the Pentium processor. Many tests have seen output increase up to 25% with use of motherboards based on this chipset. Get at least 256k of Burst cache installed on the motherboard.

• Avoid multi-processor motherboards. This can greatly increase the cost of your server, and neither InvisibleLAN's Ultra Server nor DOS supports multiple processors.

• Select the proper hard drive. Obviously, select a drive that allows for growth of files in your Ultra Server. Also remember that as a drive fills to capacity, access will be slowed down because of data fragmentation. Above drive size, it is important to select the proper TYPE of drive. Both IDE and SCSI drives manufactured today offer very good performance. For many Ultra Servers, a new IDE drive that supports P-I/O mode 4 will allow fast disk transfers. Ultra SCSI is a fast drive type that allows VERY fast data transfer, with low overhead from the CPU. Ultra SCSI has the performance edge, but requires an Ultra SCSI controller card, and is generally more expensive the IDE.

• Budget a UPS (uninterruptible power supply) for the Ultra Server. Ultra Server achieves its speed by using the RAM installed inside of the Ultra Server as a large cache. If the Ultra Server looses power unexpectedly, it is possible that several megabytes of data might not have been written to the disk, and data loss can occur.

• Give Ultra Server ample RAM. Many installations use 16MB of RAM, but 32MB and up to 64MB can be accessed and used by Ultra Server.

• Use a PCI based network card. One of the largest bottlenecks of the Ultra Server can be the network card. 100MB PCI has the best throughput, but even 10MB PCI cards have improved throughput over their ISA cousins. Also, make sure to use a card supported by one of our native mode drivers.

• Don't forget that proper cooling is important to the overall stability and reliability of any server. Make sure to use an adequate fan, and ensure the cooling fan on the CPU is well designed (i.e.- a ball bearing CPU fan).

Notices: Copyright 1996 by Invisible Software, Inc. Invisible Software and InvisibleLAN are trademarks of Invisible Software, Inc. Other trademarks are the property of their respective holders.

This document was prepared on 10/02/96, and was believed to be accurate as of that date. Procedures, specifications, and compatibility may change without notice, and therefore this document may be out-of-date and/or inapplicable to current product versions. Invisible Software provides this document "AS IS" and without warranty of any kind. Under no circumstances shall this document be construed as creating or expanding any warranty of product performance.

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