[K12OSN] CPU or Memory

[Ben Mabbott]

Liam Marshall wrote:

> Question.  Will getting a Gig switch that the server will plug into, 
> along with a line from the other 10/100 switches do anything?  I mean, 
> if only the server has Gig nic, what good would it accomplish if I 
> cannot afford to put gig switches and nics everywhere?  I have truly 
> blown the budget for this year.  I might be able to squeeze out a 
> small gig switch, but what good is it?

It makes a big difference for graphics intensive apps like Tux Type. 
Each session of an app like that is going to use somewhere in the 
neighborhood of 70mbit. If the server only has a 100mbit connection to 
the switch, just one user running Tux Type will eat up almost all of the 
server's upstream bandwidth. Gigabit to the switch gives the server a 
lot more bandwidth, and thus it can handle more sessions of an app like 
that without slowing to a crawl.

The clients themselves don't need gigabit because they're not going to 
be using more than 100mbit. If you have 10 clients running Tux Type, the 
server needs up to 700mbit to keep up with the load, but each client is 
only using 70mbit, so a 100mbit connection is more than enough. The pipe 
to a client only needs to be able to handle the traffic going to that 
one client, the pipe to the server needs to be able to handle the 
traffic going to *every* client. Apps like Tux Type are an extreme 
example, but every program that a client is running is using some 
bandwidth, and with a lab of 30 clients it can max out a 100mbit 
connection pretty quick. Gigabit between the server and the switch is 
always a good idea if you have the option.

-Ben