Gauging Bang for the Buck

The advantages of adding a dedicated CD-ROM server to your network are clear. A system that serves CDs responsively, allows easy management and control, and -- most important -- doesn't negatively impact your network infrastructure is obviously a net gain. But when you are defining true value, you must carefully weigh the perceived benefits against the real costs.

The accompanying graph shows two interesting gauges of the tested systems. The first set of data shows the average throughput of each system across the three performance tests, in bytes per second. The second data set shows how much it costs to get that throughput, measured in by tes per second per dollar.

The Microtest DiscPort Enterprise Server turns in the highest average throughput of any system we tested: 937,548 Bps. This performance is extremely pricey, however. At $19,999, the DiscPort Enterprise was -- by a wide margin -- the most expensive system we tested. The runner-up, the Boffin 7 Bay Tower, was able to turn in only about 60 percent of the DiscPort Enterprise's performance.

In terms of real value for the dollar, however, the 7 Bay is the clear leader. Priced at $3548, it delivers data at the highly cost-effective rate of 161 Bps/dollar. This is nearly four times the DiscPort Enterprise's 47-Bps/dollar performance.

Your first instinct might be to buy a single high-performance server for the entire network. In that case, total throughput is important for serving many simultaneous clients across an enterprise-level network. When a single central CD-ROM server makes sense, the extra performance edge that the DiscPort Enterprise provides cou ld be worth the premium.

On the other hand, having several CD-ROM servers distributed across a network, such as at the workgroup level, might be a more logical topology for your application. (Does accounting really need to read engineering's CDs?) Isolated servers can reduce the need for swapping discs, enhance security, and, in the case of the Boffin 7 Bay, save you money and increase your network's effective throughput.

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Performance vs. Value

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Performance and price are often at odds, but here the least expensive system provides the best value per dollar.