Hardware performance upgrades from Nemonix Engineering Inc.™

These hardware performance upgrades are designed to remove performance and configuration limitations with VAX, Alpha and Integrity Server systems.
The key areas are:

• Alpha - Gigabit Ethernet: dual channel Gigabit Ethernet PCI bus IO module


• VAX - Ethernet IO performance: 100Mbit/sec full duplex fast ethernet
• VAX - SCSI IO performance: Ultra Wide HDV or LVD/SE SCSI (20Mbytes/sec maximum)
• VAX - CPU performance: increased cache and faster processors
• VAX - Memory expansion: 512Mbyte maximum for microVAXes

See the Product catalogue for more information.

AlphaServer DS, ES and GS series - Dual channel Gigabit Ethernet PCI bus module

The controller was jointly engineered over the past year by Nemonix Engineering Inc.™ and HP OpenVMS Engineering. This first AlphaServer offering is targeted at owners of DS, ES, and GS systems. It provides improved network IO throughput and helps to save precious PCI bus slots.

Supported configurations include the HP AlphaServer DS, ES, and GS series systems running OpenVMS Alpha V7.3-2 and above. A typical use would be to create a true dual-redundant high throughput, low latency cluster interconnect between several AlphaServer systems.

See the Dual channel Gigabit Ethernet PCI bus IO module manual for more information.

VAX - Fast Ethernet and Ultra-Wide SCSI upgrades

The Ethernet and SCSI upgrades are implemented on a combined board.

VAX - Fast Ethernet

Fast Ethernet is useful for increased throughput (cluster SCS traffic, disc serving etc.) and for migration from FDDI. It can be full or half duplex. It should be connected to a managed switch where the speed and duplex characteristics can be set. The VMS driver is a VAX backport of the Alpha Tulip chip EWDRIVER. Support is embedded in OpenVMS VAX V7.1 onwards. Drivers are available for VAX VMS V5.5-2H4 onwards. When migrating from FDDI you need to consider the network topology and decide whether to use single or dual fast ethernet in order to meet any necessary availability requirements.

VAX - Ultra-Wide SCSI

Ultra Wide SCSI is useful for connecting SCSI based storage subsystems (e.g.: HSZ70/80 array controllers) in place of slower DSSI based storage subsystems. The SCSI interface is available as either High Voltage Differential (HVD) or Low Voltage Differential / Single Ended (LVD/SE). It is also useful for connecting high speed tape (e.g.: DLT) in order to cut backup times significantly. A single VAX can serve SCSI connected disc subsystems to other cluster members using MSCP over fast ethernet. The VMS driver is the PKWDRIVER port driver that communicates with the DKDRIVER class driver. Support is embedded in OpenVMS VAX V7.1 onwards. Drivers are available for VAX VMS V5.5-2H4 onwards. Ultra Wide SCSI throughput is 20Mbyte/sec. On microVAXes the throughput is limited to approximately 10Mbyte/sec by the internal nVAX CDAL bus.

See the SCSI and Ethernet upgrade manual for more information.

VAX - CPU Upgrades

Provide faster CPUs with no change in the machine type as reported by the firmware, so existing licenses will continue to work. This can be a very cost effective upgrade. It is particularly useful with SMP machines where the performance does not scale linearly - typically a 3 or 4 processor box with individually faster CPUs will generally outperform a 6 processor box with individually slower CPUs. The primary CPU is most important since it is used for IO completion on VAX.

See the CPU upgrade manuals for more information: VAX 7000, VAX 4000 series, VAXstation 4000, VAX 4100, MicroVAX, VAX 4400, VAX 4500A, VAX 4700A

VAX - Memory Upgrades

Increased memory can be used to increase overall system capacity and performance. Later versions of the OpenVMS operating system will take advantage of available memory for IO caching. It is also possible to make use of techniques such as in-memory pseudo discs (RAM discs) for high speed access to volatile data.

See the Memory upgrade manual for more information.