[e2e] Re: Are you interested in TOEs and related issues

[Michael Christian]

>One would hope TCP design would not be guided by Oracle licensing
quirks.

>> 2) On low end (1-2 CPU) x86 based machines, cost of adding a
processor
>>    is much higher than adding a TOE (I personally haven't verified
this).

>It's not obvious why this should necessarily be the case, given that
>it is likely that there will continue to be quite a bit more
>general-purpose CPUs made than TCP offload engines.

Well, current pricing, with a *huge* negotiated discount, when going
from a 2-proc to 4-proc box is on the order of $20+ grand.  Yes, you do
need to include the hardware, the OS (you need Linux AS vs ES which is
substantially more $$$), and potentially the Oracle licenses (which I
haven't included in the number).

Or, I could buy a $400 TOE. 

Yeah, CPU's are cheap in the 1-2 range, but when you are TOEing the line
between a 2-proc and a 4-proc, the difference is huge.

-F