ESTIMATED UPGRADE AND PURCHASE REQUIREMENTS Various purchase options are outlined below, for [1] upgrading our current VAX, [2] buying a second VAX and clustering, and [3] adding tape duplication facilities to [1] and [2]. All prices listed are MLP (Manufacturer's List Price). Discounts may be available from third-party vendors. The costs in this summary do not include annual maintenance fees and/or the ASK license upgrade fee (see details on subsequent pages). UPGRADE OPTIONS - SUMMARY OPTION EST. COST ------ --------- [1-A] Upgrade with memory; install disks; $11150.00 purchase VMS license for 16 users [1-B] 1-A plus high-speed disk; $36150.00 purchase VMS license for 16 usersw [2] Local-Area VAX Cluster, 2nd CPU, supports $79959.00 16 users [3] Add'l H/W to support tape duplication $15318.00 UPGRADE OPTIONS - SUPPORTING DETAILS [OPTION 1-A] Upgrade Existing VAX to Support ASK/Serviceman: This would allow us to expand the existing MicroVAX to support 16 users. It is certainly a cost-effective option. Maximum capacity with future upgrades is limited to about 32 users, due to memory constraints. - 8mb memory add-on 2650.00 [MEMORY] - VMS 8 user license 7500.00 - installation (est.) 1000.00 -------- Total: 11150.00 Unfortunately, ASK wants to hit us for a stiff license upgrade fee: - ASK 8 user license 40000.00 [ASK-UPLIFT] [OPTION 1-B] Upgrade Existing VAX With High-Speed Disk Like option 1-A, but add a high-capacity, high-speed disk. - RA81, 40" cab., KDA50 contr. 25000.00 [BIG-DISKS] If we're going to run into a performance bottle-neck on our existing system, it will almost certainly be disk throughput. The RA-style disk, with three times the I/O throughput of the disks we now have, would almost guarantee a performance boost even with the 8 additional users for Serviceman. This would also allow us to grow more comfortably. We might be able to somewhat offset the price of the disk by selling some of our 4 disks in the after-market. [OPTION 2] Local-Area VAX Cluster Configuration for ASK: To support 24 users on two clustered MicroVAXes, with enhanced growth potential (up to about 56 users). * Systems to support ASK - 2nd MicroVAX II - BA23/cab w/cartridge, 5mb/70mb 28113.00 - DEQNA (Ethernet) 2650.00 - 8mb memory add-on 2650.00 [MEMORY] - LA120 console 2900.00 - integration 1000.00 - Upgrade 1st VAX - DEQNA 2650.00 - 8mb add-on 2650.00 [MEMORY] - LAVC (Local Area VAX Cluster) - DECNET license & media 3610.00 - LAVC license 1900.00 - LAVC media 791.00 - Ethernet - DECserver 200 2 @3695 7390.00 [DECSERVER] - DECserver TSM s/w 2400.00 [DECSERVER] - DELNI 1375.00 [OPTIONAL] - transceivers 2 @300 600.00 [OPTIONAL] - trans. cables 2 @135 270.00 [OPTIONAL] -------- * Total: 60949.00 - DEC Software - CDD, DBMS, TDMS, DTR 10000.00 [NEEDED?] - workstation license 1510.00 - VMS 16 user license 7500.00 ??? -------- * Total: 19010.00 * Subtotal: 79959.00 * DEC system maintenance 1 year - 2 VAXes 6000.00 [QUOTE?] - RD54 800.00 [QUOTE?] - 8mb memory 2 @1692 3384.00 [MEMORY] - Ethernet boards (2) 360.00 -------- * Total: 10544.00 Subtotal: 90503.00 * ASK software - ASK up-lift license 40000.00 [ASK-UPLIFT] Grand total: 130503.00 [OPTION 3] Tape Duplication Facilities: This hardware is only needed for software manufacturing (tape duplication). Some (weak) alternatives: upgrade and refurbish the old 750, or buy a used 750. * S/W Mfg. (tape duplication) - TSV05 1/2" tape device 10200.00 - 1/2" tape maint. 1068.00 - TSV05 350.00 - FORTRAN s/w, license 3700.00 -------- Total: 15318.00 NOTES [MEMORY] We should buy third party memory! It's much cheaper; some have life-time warranties, you ship broken board back for 24-hour replacement, paying only shipping costs. We could save as much as $2K on purchase and $3K/year on maintenance ($5K in the first year!). [PORT-SELECTOR] We should investigate our options for port selectors, which might provide the ability to wire more than 16 terminals; most users would contend for the 16 ports, perhaps scheduled at different times of the day. Alternatively, we could buy Decnet and go with the [DECSERVER]; the disadvantage here is the overhead caused by Decnet, which is high, particularly in a non-clustered configuration (where the additional CPU power somewhat offsets the Decnet overhead). [ASK-UPLIFT] ASK's normal price for adding a license for another 8 ASK users is $40,000. This is also "highway robbery", and should be fought or negotiated. [CLUSTER-DISKS] This would give us the following configuration: boot node: RD53 70mb - VMS/swap/page (what we now have) RD53 159mb - ASK (twice what we have) slave node: RD53 70mb - swap/page If we can use the disks that are currently sitting in boxes -- if we own them! -- we should put one on the slave node; it will need it for performance. A better alternative (for which I don't have prices) is to buy a "diskless" slave node, move an RD53, and buy an RA81 for the boot node. This would probably cost about another $14,000 over what I've projected. It would provide the best-performance configuration possible, in that disk throughput on the slave node would actually be higher than with the disks we have on our current system. [DECSERVER] The DECserver is a terminal server that connects each terminal to either (or both) CPU via Decnet. It provides additional, terminal access-based security, plus some static load-leveling (routing the user to the least busy CPU), plus some fall-back if/when the slave node is down. [OPTIONAL] We may have this, or equivalent, already in-house. [NEEDED?] We may not need this, or the price may be lower. For example, if our VMS and option licenses are current, we should be able get cluster licenses for the slave node at a substantially lower price (possibly under $10K). [QUOTE?] These are rough estimates; need quotes on the final configuration.