Re: SUMMARY: Has anyone used CERAM's TurboSwap board?

From: Bill Miller (bmiller@Ceram.COM)
Date: Fri Jan 22 1993 - 09:18:40 CST


(I attempted to post this earlier. I'm not sure it got out as there
was a mail error returned. So if it appears more than once - I'm
sorry for your having to delete it twice!)

I am an employee of CERAM, the manufacture of the TurboSwap product.
I thought it best that we clarify some points made in this SUMMARY so
that all interested readers would have a complete picture. I hope this
doesn't come across as a sales pitch - just more complete (and of course
totally unbiased) information.
 
First off - Thanks to all participants. The discussion
here helps to clear up some misconceptions about TurboSwap.

Further Information:

1. TurboSwap is not intended to be a cheaper alternative to adding a
few memory SIMMs. It is intended to give users who work with very large
in memory data sets a way to run on machines that won't hold enough memory.
It makes the most sense for in memory data set size requirements above 128M
on most machines - above 64M on some. These are the break points where
further memory expansion is either impossible, more expensive than TurboSwap,
or creates system performance problems due to MMU design limitations.
TurboSwap is not better/cheaper than adding memory in every case - but it
clearly is in some cases.
 
(If you don't know how large your in memory data set size is, run
pstat -T|grep swap , the numerator of the displayed fraction is the size
of your in memory data set at the moment you executed the commnad -
you can also mail to turbotool@ceram.com for a utility that will monitor
this for you)
 
2. TurboSwap will allow you to put up to 960MB fast swap on any SBus
machine. Therefore, you might be able to use an IPX or an LX to run
something that would have otherwise required an SS10 or 600MP to hold
sufficient memory. When you compare the cost of the hole package, TurboSwap
starts to look realy cheap! And its fully expandable up to 960MB from any
starting point in the product line.
 
3. TurboSwap might be a better long term value if you expect your memory
requirements to grow. If you fill your machine up with SIMMs and then need
more memory what will you do?
 
    A. Throw out your SIMMs and buy higher density SIMMs?
    B. Run your app on a more expensive box that hold more memory?
        C. Suffer with swap disk performance?

    If you add TurboSwap instead of SIMMs you guarantee that you'll have
room to grow.

4. The same TurboSwap cards work on SS1, SS1+, IPC, SS2, IPX, SS10, LC, LX
600MP, SC2000. Almost all of these require different memory SIMMs - a costly
problem for transitions/upgrades.
     
        If you want some straight forward - not sales type - answers about TurboSwap
you can mail to turboinfo@ceram.com for auto reply of Q&A about the product.

Bill Miller
bmiller@ceram.com



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