OpenVMS Alpha Galaxy Guide
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  2.5  OpenVMS Galaxy Benefits

  Many of the the benefits of OpenVMS Galaxy technol-
  ogy result directly from running multiple instances of the
  OpenVMS operating system in a single computer.

  With several instances of OpenVMS in memory at the same
  time, an OpenVMS Galaxy computing environment gives you
  quantum improvements in:

  *   Compatibility-Existing applications run without changes.

  *   Availability-Presents opportunities to upgrade software
      and expand system capacity without down time.

  *   Scalability-Offers scaling alternatives that improve per-
      formance of SMP and cluster environments.

  *   Adaptability-Physical resources can be dynamically
      reassigned to meet changing workload demands.

  *   Cost of ownership-Fewer computer systems reduce
      system management requirements, floor space, and more.

  The following descriptions provide more details about these
  benefits.

  Compatibility

  Existing single-system applications will run without changes
  on instances in an OpenVMS Galaxy.  Existing OpenVMS
  Cluster applications will also run without changes on clus-
  tered instances in an OpenVMS Galaxy.

  Availability
  An OpenVMS Galaxy system is more available than a tra-
  ditional, single-system-view, SMP system because multiple
  instances of the operating system control hardware resources.

  OpenVMS Galaxy allows you to run different versions of

  OpenVMS (Version 7.2 and later) simultaneously.  For exam-
  ple, you can test a new version of the operating system or an
  application in one instance while continuing to run the cur-
  rent version the other instances.  You can then upgrade your
  entire system, one instance at a time.

  Scalability

  System managers can assign resources to match applica-
  tion requirements as business needs grow or change.  When a
  CPU is added to a Galaxy configuration, it can be assigned to
  any instance of OpenVMS. This means that applications can
  realize 100 % of a CPU's power.

  Typical SMP scaling issues do not restrict an OpenVMS

  Galaxy.  System managers can define the number of
  OpenVMS instances, assign the number of CPUs in each
  instance, and control how they are used.

  Additionally, a trial-and-error method of evaluating re-
  sources is a viable strategy.  System managers can reassign
  CPUs among instances of OpenVMS until the most ef-
  fective combination of resources is found.  All instances of

  OpenVMS and their applications continue to run while CPUs
  are reassigned.

  Adaptability

  An OpenVMS Galaxy is highly adaptable because computing
  resources can be dynamically reassigned to other instances of
  the operating system while all applications continue to run.

  Reassigning CPUs best demonstrates the adaptive capability
  of an OpenVMS Galaxy computing environment.  For ex-
  ample, if a system manager knows that resource demands
  change at certain times, the system manager can write a
  command procedure to reassign CPUs to other instances of
  OpenVMS and submit the procdure to a batch queue.  The
  same could be done to manage system load characteristics.

  In an OpenVMS Galaxy environment, software is in total
  control of assigning and dynamically reassigning hardware
  resources.  As additional hardware is added to an OpenVMS
  Galaxy system, resources can be added to existing instances;
  or new instances can be defined without affecting running
  applications.

  Cost of ownership
  An OpenVMS Galaxy presents opportunities to upgrade ex-
  isting computers and expand their capacity, or to replace
  some number of computers, whether they are cluster mem-
  bers or independent systems, with a single computer running
  multiple instances of the operating system.  Fewer computers
  greatly reduces system management requirements as well as
  floor space.

  Performance

  An OpenVMS Galaxy can provide high commercial appli-
  cation performance by eliminating many SMP and cluster-
  scaling bottlenecks.  Also, the distribution of interrupts across
  instances provides many I/O configuration possibilities; for
  example, a system's I/O workload can be partitioned so that
  certain I/O traffic is done on specific instances.
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