The cache makes a substantial difference in nearly all apps. I wish they would make P4 Xeon's with 4MB caches. nitro
This is 100% innacurate. At the very least, a trading computer should be RAID 1, i.e, mirrored drvies - not only is this, the second backup computer should be as well. The cost, about an extra $400 in the form of the right motherboard and the two extra IDE's. I would add redundant power supplies and redundant cooling as well. Only thing is, you probably wouldn't want to sit near it if, as it would sound like a jet engine on take off... nitro
What a pompous thing to say. In your opinion maybe it is inaccurate, but in my opinion RAID is a waste of money in a trading machine. I would agree with a whole backup computer, but IMHO redundant drives in a single computer is a waste of money for most people. In a server great. In a machine dedicated to trading, what for?
If you have to ask, then you don't know what you are talking about, or you haven't been trading long enough with size to know the pain... An opinion it is not - I guarantee you. I have several friends, each of whom uses a linux cluster as their "trading machine." Believe me, if it went down, $100K + would be at stake per trader... BTW, all of my trading machines are server machines, and their configurations match what I say - i.e., I eat my own dog food. nitro
Hmm, I just realized that it would be a trivial addition in cost to add a redundant NIC. In addition, I always use dual CPU motherboards - not only because I need the speed, but because it also adds redundancy! nitro
Not trading long does not equate to not knowing about computers. I've been working with, building, and programming computers for over 15 years. When it comes to computers I do know what I am talking about. In my opinion, my opinion is a good opinion. In your opinion, yours is a good one. I think I will listen to my own. BTW, I am always an advocate of periodic, scheduled backups (even if you have a fancy RAID setup). Nitro, I'm sure you are a better trader than I am. Oh well.
Not fair editing your post after I replied (or was in the middle of replying to). You never said they were using Linux clusters for trading machines. Still, overkill for most people (like the person that started this thread).
Echo, I was not trying to contradict you - only to give a different perspective. I wish I had worded it differently...I did come accross as ass.... Sorry nitro BTW, I have been programming for 20 years. Before trading, I also put together networks as a consultant and did some System Administrator work. Today, in my spare time, I am building my own cluster to capitalize on a trading idea...
Uhh... In my opinion, redundant NIC in a trading machine? Aren't you getting a bit carried away? Just have a backup computer running at all times. Then again, I know nothing of your trading methods, but a redundant NIC? Really?