Breaking the Speed Limit

  • No, I didn't get a speeding ticket in my little 914, though I did gave some work done last week and it's running much better. I saw recently that IBM broke the speed record for writing to a file recently with work done on their GPFS (General Purpose File System). They sustained 102GB/sec in writing to a single file.

    With 416 storage controllers along with 104 nodes (p575 eServers), it's no wonder that they set a record. I've have thought it was the silliest test harness for a file I/O operation, but that's me. I'm actually just impressed that they could actually hook all the hardware up and have it synch for a single file write. I also hope the file was a 100GB or larger so they could actually witness the test and not miss it when they blinked.

    What's the point? After all, who needs the 1.6PB file system that they setup? If you're confused, it goes like this:MB=220

    GB30

    TB40

    PB50

    It's not so much that this is what is needed, but that research into speeding up file systems will trickle down to other areas. I certainly would think that something like this might eventually help SQL Server really speed up its operations, especially if they ever build a parallel version that spreads the SQL Server operations across multiple nodes. That would give new meaning to the Active/active server cluster!

    Assuming all the transactional items can be worked out, a very high performance file system could pay great dividends for SQL Server performance. I don't really wany 100 nodes to manage as a single machine, but 4 or 8 could be interesting. And would really extend the reach of SQL Server into most any environment if it can scale out in that manner.

    Steve Jones

  • Maybe its powered by bad news... nothing travels faster than bad news.

  • What is with your spelling in this installment? Good work all in all though Steve. I look forward to the break it gives me everyday and its content

  • Steve either typed this really late at night or after one too many beers, LOL.

    Mark

  • GPFS (General Purpose File System) =)

    next generation

    GPF2 =)

  • What year is your 914?  Have you done any racing mods to it yet?  I know the aluminum flywheel is a common upgrade for the 914.  Any chance you have a 6 cylinder?  Those are really rare.  I know a lot of people race the 914 because they are suppose to be easy to work on.  I owned a 86' 928S for a year, worst vehicle I ever owned.  Beautiful car, but not very reliable for a daily driver.

    I have 1974 TR6 sitting in my garage.  I got it in high school.  As soon as we get the basement finished and get a little ahead on cash, I am going to start working on it again.


    Live to Throw
    Throw to Live
    Will Summers

  • Sorry about the spelling. It's possible it was after too many beers, but hard to remember

    My 914 is a 74, 2.0, and it runs great. A daily driver for me, at least when I only have one kid and there's no snow The guy that had it before me used to race, so he'd done the MSD ignition, K&N Filters, racing exhaust, pulled the console, rebuilt the engine, etc. In the 3 years I've had it I've replaced the fuel pump, brakes, and the starter last week. Pretty much it other than valve adjustments and oil changes.

    I don't do much on it, mostly just enjoy driving it.

  • Sounds like he did most of the level 1 mods to it.  Anyone that has a small sportcar from the 70s will either turn into an amateur mechanic or put a mechanic's kid through college.

    The K&N filter is a good upgrade, keep it oiled and cleaned regularly.  If you ever pull the engine again, put an aluminum flywheel on it.  It's suppose to be a really good upgrade on the 914s if you can afford it.

    An racing game that you would really enjoy is the Need for Speed Porsche edition.  I don't remember the exact title, but you can race a 914 and see all of the racing upgrades that you can do to the car.  You can get the game cheap off ebay for like $5-10.  I got it when I had my 928S and I acould create a 928S in the game that was an exact replica of my car.  Pretty cool.


    Live to Throw
    Throw to Live
    Will Summers

  • The 914 - what memories that brings back! I bought one in 1972 and loved that car. Driving it down twisting country roads was a absolute gas. However my wife would frequently turn various shades of green as I downshifted into to third and braked hard into the turns and then nailed it coming out of the turn. She was happy the day I sold it. They could be expensive little beast to maintain on a computer operators salary. A driver side mirror was $200 (why did the pheasant cross the road? To hit my 914!). The fuel injection computer was balky and I was looking at a $700 replacement...then the J-boxes had rusted out and I knew I had to dump it before it ate me alive.

    Oh, about that disk speed test...Certainly there will be some trickle down effect to other platforms. For the here and now, we could use such a critter in our Tivoli Storage Systems (TMS). Our TMS backs up everything from SQL Server machines to the mainframe. My Oracle databases alone are just under a terabyte, with SQL Server databases right behind it.

    Thanks for the memories!

    Dave Proper

  • Dave, You are welcome and I love driving mine around the twisties. Don't even have to go that fast to enjoy driving it. I've been lucky with the repairs, although I spent $200 to get the engine lid rewelded. I've been without one for a year

  • It seems like this would be great for backups, at least from a technology point of view.

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