Re: Blast from the 1988s (DEC proposal)

Larry Kilgallen wrote:
In article <87ac0kdrjo.fsf@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, prep@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx writes:

JF Mezei <jfmezei.spamnot@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> writes:


At the time, the graphs showed from the all mighty microvax II to
the VAX 8978. The document mentions up to 15 8800 nodes in a
cluster. (when did it go from 15 to 96 nodes in a cluster ?)

AIR, the 15* was the limit on the number of nodes on a single system
volume, not the cluster size limit. I *THINK* that back then the size
of a cluster was limited by the size of the statically allocated
System Director Vector for the DLM.


Formerly there was a distinction between the total number of nodes
supported in a cluster and the number of large nodes supported in
a cluster. This was based on what had been tested, not theoretical
limits.

From memory (and it's been a while since I've actually seen a CI - though I think we've still got the cables between our two, redundant machine rooms); it was 32 nodes per CI (the star-coupler), half of which could be VMS systems and the other half storage controllers (e.g. HSCs). The number of CI's (redundant paths or independent storage) on any one system depended on the size of the iron. We (HFRD->WASD->SSD->ISRD) had over the span in excess of a decade a time-variable collection of systems based on a mixed-interconnect cluster, including a handful of CI-based systems (including at one stage a VAX9000), along with NI-based VAXservers, VAXstations, DECstations, AlphaServers, AlphaStations, etc. Our main cluster exceeded 70 systems at one stage.
.

Relevant Pages

  • RE: Blast from the 1988s (DEC proposal)
    ... not the cluster size limit. ... could be VMS systems and the other half storage controllers ... VAXservers, VAXstations, DECstations, AlphaServers, ... connected to the basic CI Star coupler. ...
    (comp.os.vms)
  • Re: Blast from the 1988s (DEC proposal)
    ... not the cluster size limit. ... From memory; it was 32 nodes per CI, half of which could be VMS systems and the other half storage controllers. ... over the span in excess of a decade a time-variable collection of systems based on a mixed-interconnect cluster, including a handful of CI-based systems, along with NI-based VAXservers, VAXstations, DECstations, AlphaServers, AlphaStations, etc. ... I'm curious about design limitations on cluster size. ...
    (comp.os.vms)
  • Re: Blast from the 1988s (DEC proposal)
    ... Mark Daniel wrote: ... not the cluster size limit. ... VAXservers, VAXstations, DECstations, AlphaServers, AlphaStations, etc. ...
    (comp.os.vms)