High Performance Disk Systems For Workstation Environments

摘要

Quantum chemistry using computers has not changed much in the past decade however the technology and cost of computer and computer related peripherals has. Large quantum chemistry calculations were once only available on the larger mainframe class of computers. As technology matured, the super-minis were able to handle some but not all of the larger calculations. One characteristic of quantum chemistry programs used at the Radiation Laboratory is the requirement for large physical memory and fast disk sub-systems. The high cost of mainframe type systems justified the configuration of smaller high speed workstations with unique disk IO configurations. This paper will discuss the features and limitations of several different systems and the evaluation criteria used in selecting potential workstation vendors.