respectively. To test these servers, we had to consider two factors that affect server performance.
The server's hardware, of course, is the primary bottleneck. The second factor is the design of the
Web page itself. The server has to transfer each element on the page--graphics, text, buttons, and so on--from its hard drive to each user's system. For example, if you've designed your Web page to contain one graphical element, four buttons, and one block of text, then every time a user browses your page, he or she generates six transactions to completely display your page. If the subsequent pages use the same buttons and graphics, then most client browsers will have cached those items to each user's hard drive, which speeds up the process by eliminating unneeded transactions.
You could end up negating the fast performance of your hardware by implementing an inefficient page design, reducing the amount of traffic the site can handle. It is better to reuse graphics and buttons and lower the number of pages that vary. With this strategy, each page generates fewer transactions, using cached items to increase the server's throughput.
FTP Performance
Beyond E-mail, FTP is the mo
st commonly used Internet service. It is an effective way to transfer files to other Internet machines because it supports all file formats. FTP sites, however, don't offer the more glamorous interface of Web sites, and it can take a long time to browse through lengthy FTP directories to find a file. Many FTP sites offer Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) front-ends on their Web site so that users may more easily browse through and download files.
Digital's AlphaServer 1000 4/266 performs best in our first test scenario, where the server load pattern simulates heavy FTP traffic with limited Web support. SGI's WebForce Indy and Digital's AlphaServer start with similar performance at the lower number of test sessions (from 8 to 24 sessions), but the Digital server slightly tops the SGI server when there are 32 to 48 test sessions.
Intergraph's TD-40 is a dual-processor, 133-MHz Pentium server that matches up admirably against the top-performing RISC boxes in both test scenarios. The TD-40 costs $10,
640 with a 17-inch monitor, which makes it a cost-effective alternative to some of the RISC boxes. The TD-40's strong scores show that the system fully exploits Windows NT's support for dual-processor computers.
Sun Microsystems' Netra i625 and Tatung's MicroCompstation 5/11 have similar hardware, but the Sun system raced past the Tatung due to the combination of OS and Web software. The Netra i625 used Netscape Communications Server software, and the MicroCompstation used the Internet Gateway for Solaris. At $8635, the MicroCompstation is almost half the cost of the Netra, but the Netra provides more systems security features.
HTTP Performance
SGI's WebForce Indy server excelled, outperforming all the other systems in the HTTP stress test. Digital's AlphaServer followed closely behind the Indy at a heavy load of 48 test sessions. At $10,995, the Indy server costs almost half the price of the AlphaServer and comes with a 133-MHz R4600PC Mips processor and Netscape Communicat
ions Server software.
All the systems we tested, except Tatung's MicroCompstation and Apple's WorkGroup Server 9150/120, increased in performance when handling requests between eight and 32 test sessions, then leveled off between 32 and 48 test sessions. The MicroCompstation's performance remained the same throughout our HTTP testing between eight and 48 sessions.
We found Apple's WorkGroup Server 9150/120 easy to set up. Priced at $8799, it's relatively affordable compared to all the other Web servers tested here; only the Tatung costs less. In our tests, however, the WorkGroup Server demonstrated an unacceptable amount (more than 5 percent) of failures in FTP and HTTP file transfers. The 9150/120 could not serve the thousands of simultaneous requests from 16 to 48 client sessions that we heaped on top of it, but with eight client sessions in the HTTP test, it was able to complete the test.
Although we couldn't really compare its performance against the other servers, Apple's offering ha
s all the makings of a strong Web server for small businesses that don't anticipate thousands of hits a day. It has a 120-MHz PowerPC 601 processor, 32 MB of RAM, two internal 1-GB hard drives, a quad-speed CD-ROM, and a built-in DAT backup. It comes with StarNine Technologies' WebStar 1.2.4, Netscape's Navigator Web browser, AppleSearch information search engine, and Adobe Acrobat Pro publishing software. Apple is expected to introduce servers that have the PCI-bus interface similar to the PowerMac desktops that are shipping today.
BEST OVERALL:
Digital Equipment AlphaServer 1000 4/266
If you're expecting immense traffic on your Web site, then the
AlphaServer 1000 4/266, with its 266-MHz Alpha processor, provides
all the performance you will need. Although relatively pricey at
$20,690 (with monitor), the Internet-ready AlphaServer provides more
room for expansion in its dual-cabinet chassis than SGI's WebF
orce
Indy. The high price brings an abundance of opportunities for growth:
support for 1 GB of memory and 14 GB of internal storage (expandable
to 220 GB), as well as one EISA/PCI, seven EISA, and two PCI
expansion slots. The AlphaServer is bundled with Process Software's
Purveyor 1.1 Web server software, a Gopher server, fax server, Web
browser, and Web authoring tools for creating your own home pages.
RUNNER-UP:
Silicon Graphics WebForce Indy
The Indy races through our FTP and HTTP server load tests neck and
neck with Digital Equipment's AlphaServer 1000 4/266. It's an
outstanding price/performance value at $10,995 (with monitor). The
Indy server comes bundled with the Netscape Communications Server
software from Netscape Communications. The RISC-based Indy handles
all transactions with a R4600PC CPU from Mips Technologies. You can
swap the CPU motherboard module to upgrade the system to more
powerful R4600SC or R4400SC processors. The system a
lso comes with a
cool IndyCam color digital-video camera, microphone, and speaker for
those people interested in desktop videoconferencing.
RUNNER-UP:
Intergraph TD-40
The Intergraph TD-40 costs $10,640 and utilizes two 133-MHz Pentium
processors to give impatient Web browsers a speedy response
time--almost fast enough to keep up with SGI's and Digital's RISC
machines. The NT-based server's FTP performance is twice as fast as
that of the Sun Microsystems' 75-MHz Netra i625. This indicates that
the TD-40 fully exploits Windows NT's support for multiprocessor
configurations and makes it the clear winner over the Netra. The
TD-40 we tested had 512 KB of zero-wait-state cache, 64 MB of memory,
a 10-slot PCI/ISA bus, and a 2-GB hard drive with Netscape
Communications Server software. Intergraph ships the TD-40 with a
three-year warranty for parts and labor, while most vendors provide
just a one-year warranty.
TEST
CONFIGURATION
PRICE (WITH FTP HTTP
VENDOR/MODEL MONITOR) RATING RATING
BEST DEC AlphaServer 1000 4/266 $20,690 ***** *****
RUNNER-UP SGI WebForce Indy $10,995 ***** *****
RUNNER-UP Intergraph TD-40 $10,640 ***** ****
RUNNER-UP Sun Netra i625 $15,995 ** *****
USABILITY FEATURES
VENDOR/MODEL RATING RATING
BEST DEC AlphaServer 1000 4/266 ***** ****
RUNNER-UP SGI WebForce Indy ***** ***
RUNNER-UP Intergraph TD-40 ***** ***
RUNNER-UP Sun Netra i625 ***** ***
PROCESSOR NUMBER OF STANDARD
SPEED EXPANSION WARRANTY
VENDOR/MODEL CPU (MHz) SLOTS (MONTHS)
BEST DEC AlphaServer
1000 4/266 Alpha 21064 266 10 36
RUNNER-UP SGI WebForce Indy R4600PC 133 2 12
RUNNER-UP Intergraph TD-40 Pentium 133 10 36
RUNNER-UP Sun Netra i625 SuperSparc II 75 4 12
KEY
Ratings from 1 to 5: * is the lowest; ***** is the highest.
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Heavy-Duty Web Servers
