[K12OSN] CPU or Memory

[Liam Marshall]

On Tue, 2004-09-28 at 11:19, Ben Mabbott wrote:
> 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
> 
thanks.  That is a perfect explanation.  I should have figured that out
myself.