Comments on: Commodity Computing, Still the King http://gigaom.com/2007/02/13/commodity-computing-still-the-king/ Trusted Insights and Conversations on the Next Wave of Technology Thu, 26 Nov 2009 00:02:37 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: Will open source software and commodity hardware spart a telecom revolution? | http://gigaom.com/2007/02/13/commodity-computing-still-the-king/#comment-864426 Will open source software and commodity hardware spart a telecom revolution? | Thu, 06 Mar 2008 14:41:00 +0000 http://gigaom.wordpress.com/2007/02/13/commodity-computing-still-the-king/#comment-864426 <p>[...] perfectly hits the mark – using Intel-based processors and associated hardware ecosystem provides more than adequate performance at web economics prices and only promises further performance in the .... For example, in the open-source networking market in which Vyatta, a company which I helped [...]</p> [...] perfectly hits the mark – using Intel-based processors and associated hardware ecosystem provides more than adequate performance at web economics prices and only promises further performance in the …. For example, in the open-source networking market in which Vyatta, a company which I helped [...]

]]> By: Data Centers Going Retro? « FR Test Blog http://gigaom.com/2007/02/13/commodity-computing-still-the-king/#comment-545221 Data Centers Going Retro? « FR Test Blog Wed, 12 Sep 2007 14:45:24 +0000 http://gigaom.wordpress.com/2007/02/13/commodity-computing-still-the-king/#comment-545221 <p>[...] written about commodity computing in this space before, but this latest Intel announcement made me realize that we’re on the verge of a [...]</p> [...] written about commodity computing in this space before, but this latest Intel announcement made me realize that we’re on the verge of a [...]

]]> By: Looking Back To The Future of Data Centers « GigaOM http://gigaom.com/2007/02/13/commodity-computing-still-the-king/#comment-543558 Looking Back To The Future of Data Centers « GigaOM Wed, 12 Sep 2007 07:53:02 +0000 http://gigaom.wordpress.com/2007/02/13/commodity-computing-still-the-king/#comment-543558 <p>[...] written about commodity computing in this space before, but this latest Intel announcement made me realize that we’re on the verge of a [...]</p> [...] written about commodity computing in this space before, but this latest Intel announcement made me realize that we’re on the verge of a [...]

]]> By: Paul Bissett http://gigaom.com/2007/02/13/commodity-computing-still-the-king/#comment-87917 Paul Bissett Thu, 15 Feb 2007 19:32:48 +0000 http://gigaom.wordpress.com/2007/02/13/commodity-computing-still-the-king/#comment-87917 <p>Why stop the analysis on commodity computing at an 80-core x86 box? We started developing a Web 2.0 application for geospatial services using this commodity computing model. We found that for our needs (see http://blogs.weogeo.com/pbissett) it was going to require >$300K in servers, storage, and initial bandwidth purchases just to get off the ground. While our pro forma margins supported this, pro forma is still pro forma, and I would prefer not to spend initial cash into wasting assets. </p> <p>We have since built our service on Amazon’s EC2/S3 services, and have layered our own solutions for stable IP addressing, fail-safe monitoring, auto-scaling, and load balancing onto their services. Our initial commodity computing costs are expected to decrease by at least 10X. The beauty is that we pay for only the storage, computing power, and data transfer that we need. The auto-scaling and load balancing solutions mean that we do not have to purchase resources ahead of need, and cash is deployed in the enhancement of services not in wasting assets. </p> <p>For us, this is a better definition of commodity computing.</p> Why stop the analysis on commodity computing at an 80-core x86 box? We started developing a Web 2.0 application for geospatial services using this commodity computing model. We found that for our needs (see http://blogs.weogeo.com/pbissett) it was going to require >$300K in servers, storage, and initial bandwidth purchases just to get off the ground. While our pro forma margins supported this, pro forma is still pro forma, and I would prefer not to spend initial cash into wasting assets.

We have since built our service on Amazon’s EC2/S3 services, and have layered our own solutions for stable IP addressing, fail-safe monitoring, auto-scaling, and load balancing onto their services. Our initial commodity computing costs are expected to decrease by at least 10X. The beauty is that we pay for only the storage, computing power, and data transfer that we need. The auto-scaling and load balancing solutions mean that we do not have to purchase resources ahead of need, and cash is deployed in the enhancement of services not in wasting assets.

For us, this is a better definition of commodity computing.

]]> By: Geva Perry http://gigaom.com/2007/02/13/commodity-computing-still-the-king/#comment-87916 Geva Perry Thu, 15 Feb 2007 05:51:23 +0000 http://gigaom.wordpress.com/2007/02/13/commodity-computing-still-the-king/#comment-87916 <p>Commodity computing has won on the PC end. But there are still challenges in achieving the same capabilities that one used to get from proprietary SMP architectures. Except now these challenges lie in the infrastructure software stack (OS, middleware, web servers).</p> <p>Many applications have strict scalability, performance and reliability requirements that are non-negotiable -- not just an issue of hardware costs. </p> <p>So the challenge we are dealing with at GigaSpaces is how do you achieve these requirements with commodity hardware. </p> <p>Geva Perry http://www.gigaspaces.com</p> Commodity computing has won on the PC end. But there are still challenges in achieving the same capabilities that one used to get from proprietary SMP architectures. Except now these challenges lie in the infrastructure software stack (OS, middleware, web servers).

Many applications have strict scalability, performance and reliability requirements that are non-negotiable — not just an issue of hardware costs.

So the challenge we are dealing with at GigaSpaces is how do you achieve these requirements with commodity hardware.

Geva Perry http://www.gigaspaces.com

]]> By: Bubba Joe http://gigaom.com/2007/02/13/commodity-computing-still-the-king/#comment-87915 Bubba Joe Wed, 14 Feb 2007 19:15:08 +0000 http://gigaom.wordpress.com/2007/02/13/commodity-computing-still-the-king/#comment-87915 <p>For PC's, yes x86 has won. But for volume, ARM has won.</p> <p>For embedded (my area), x86 is a significant but certainly not dominant architecture - and I expect it will become less important over time.</p> <p>OTOH, sticking to commodity-hardware (and I would include at least ARM and MIPS along with x86) looks like a good thumb rule for picking business plans in networking/servers/storage areas.</p> <p>Final note, I suspect that Intel's 80 core chip isn't x86 compatible. The reports I've seen don't say either way.</p> For PC’s, yes x86 has won. But for volume, ARM has won.

For embedded (my area), x86 is a significant but certainly not dominant architecture – and I expect it will become less important over time.

OTOH, sticking to commodity-hardware (and I would include at least ARM and MIPS along with x86) looks like a good thumb rule for picking business plans in networking/servers/storage areas.

Final note, I suspect that Intel’s 80 core chip isn’t x86 compatible. The reports I’ve seen don’t say either way.

]]> By: AllSaidAndDone http://gigaom.com/2007/02/13/commodity-computing-still-the-king/#comment-87910 AllSaidAndDone Wed, 14 Feb 2007 07:06:50 +0000 http://gigaom.wordpress.com/2007/02/13/commodity-computing-still-the-king/#comment-87910 <p>Allan… when you are talking about LAMP stack commodity computing makes sense..but when your business depends on the delivering the best possible computing performance then nothing can beat OS code optimized to the largest possible extent for a particular processor or hardware architecture. This is why Solaris for Spart and AIX for IBM power processors still rules the SPEC benchmarks.</p> Allan… when you are talking about LAMP stack commodity computing makes sense..but when your business depends on the delivering the best possible computing performance then nothing can beat OS code optimized to the largest possible extent for a particular processor or hardware architecture. This is why Solaris for Spart and AIX for IBM power processors still rules the SPEC benchmarks.

]]> By: AllSaidAndDone http://gigaom.com/2007/02/13/commodity-computing-still-the-king/#comment-87911 AllSaidAndDone Wed, 14 Feb 2007 07:03:14 +0000 http://gigaom.wordpress.com/2007/02/13/commodity-computing-still-the-king/#comment-87911 <p>John Powers: If windows had won then the LAMP stack would not have grown stronger day by day..mozilla would not have survived and prospered..google would not be there..ipod would not come into existense..sun would not have shown quaterly profits for the last 2 quarters..mac userbase would not have increased..ibm and novell wouldnt have shifted their internal users to linux desktops..oracle would not have exclusively plugged its application framework into the java ecosystem..microsoft .net would not have been a poor third or fourth in comparision to java,lamp,python or ruby..the list goes on and on.</p> <p>Windows have NOT won but Windows is LOSING EVERYDAY!</p> John Powers: If windows had won then the LAMP stack would not have grown stronger day by day..mozilla would not have survived and prospered..google would not be there..ipod would not come into existense..sun would not have shown quaterly profits for the last 2 quarters..mac userbase would not have increased..ibm and novell wouldnt have shifted their internal users to linux desktops..oracle would not have exclusively plugged its application framework into the java ecosystem..microsoft .net would not have been a poor third or fourth in comparision to java,lamp,python or ruby..the list goes on and on.

Windows have NOT won but Windows is LOSING EVERYDAY!

]]> By: Allan Leinwand http://gigaom.com/2007/02/13/commodity-computing-still-the-king/#comment-87913 Allan Leinwand Wed, 14 Feb 2007 02:44:48 +0000 http://gigaom.wordpress.com/2007/02/13/commodity-computing-still-the-king/#comment-87913 <p>Hi Ajay - point well-taken. Maybe the antithesis to commodity and open compute is "closed compute" architectures?</p> <p>Hi John - I agree that x86 being the winner should surprise no-one… you'd still be surprised how many startup companies think that they can beat Moore's Law starting from scratch today.</p> <p>Thanks for the comments guys!</p> Hi Ajay – point well-taken. Maybe the antithesis to commodity and open compute is “closed compute” architectures?

Hi John – I agree that x86 being the winner should surprise no-one… you’d still be surprised how many startup companies think that they can beat Moore’s Law starting from scratch today.

Thanks for the comments guys!

]]> By: John Powers http://gigaom.com/2007/02/13/commodity-computing-still-the-king/#comment-87912 John Powers Wed, 14 Feb 2007 01:25:37 +0000 http://gigaom.wordpress.com/2007/02/13/commodity-computing-still-the-king/#comment-87912 <p>OK, x86 has won. I think that news surprises nobody. The other market observation that is equally obvious to many observers outside the Silicon Valley VC echo chamber is that Windows has also won. </p> <p>So the true commodity computing play is finding a way to get tens or hundreds or thousands of x86s running Windows to work together. Why fight the feeling?</p> <p>And now the shameless plug -- check out one such solution at www.digipede.net.</p> OK, x86 has won. I think that news surprises nobody. The other market observation that is equally obvious to many observers outside the Silicon Valley VC echo chamber is that Windows has also won.

So the true commodity computing play is finding a way to get tens or hundreds or thousands of x86s running Windows to work together. Why fight the feeling?

And now the shameless plug — check out one such solution at http://www.digipede.net.

]]> By: Ajay http://gigaom.com/2007/02/13/commodity-computing-still-the-king/#comment-87914 Ajay Tue, 13 Feb 2007 23:27:55 +0000 http://gigaom.wordpress.com/2007/02/13/commodity-computing-still-the-king/#comment-87914 <p>In his rush to embrace commodity computing, Allan has wrongly named its antithesis 'proprietary' computing (perhaps hoping to align commodity computing with the open source software camp and their fight against proprietary software). This mistake is made glaringly obvious when he labels Sun's Sparc CPU architecture as proprietary, when in fact it is one of the few open hardware architectures out there (along with the Power architecture, which he also lumps in with the 'proprietary' vendors by implication). Intel and AMD, the commodity vendors that he embraces, are both proprietary vendors. The term that he should be using instead of 'proprietary' is something like specialized or low-volume.</p> In his rush to embrace commodity computing, Allan has wrongly named its antithesis ‘proprietary’ computing (perhaps hoping to align commodity computing with the open source software camp and their fight against proprietary software). This mistake is made glaringly obvious when he labels Sun’s Sparc CPU architecture as proprietary, when in fact it is one of the few open hardware architectures out there (along with the Power architecture, which he also lumps in with the ‘proprietary’ vendors by implication). Intel and AMD, the commodity vendors that he embraces, are both proprietary vendors. The term that he should be using instead of ‘proprietary’ is something like specialized or low-volume.

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