Ask the MultiValued Visual
Basic Expert - #9A
(as published in Spectrum
magazine)
To email your questions to "Ask the MultiValued VB
Expert", click here.
Copyright © 1996-98 Caduceus Consulting. All rights reserved.
486 Upgrade
Dear Sir,
Our company
has some PICK/BASIC programs running on PC-PICK R83 V3.1 (17
users) on Intel 486 CPU. However, our 486 CPU is very old and it
may HALT sometimes. We want to upgrade the CPU to Intel-586.
However, the current PICK cannot support the Intel Pentium CPU.
Please advise.
Thanks. -
Alex Mak
This question
came in to the Spectrum magazine office where this column is
published, and while it is not specifically concerned with Visual
Basic (and consequently not within the realm of this column's
expertise), I did not wish to discourage a reader by giving it a
miss. So here goes.
To begin with, I
can't help feeling a touch of pride in our chosen database model
when I read the description of your existing system: A clunky old
486 running 17 users – who else can do that?
Unfortunately
that hardware is beginning to let you down, so let's look at some
of your options. With the limited information that you provide, I
cannot possibly advise you on which option is best for you. For
that I suggest the services of a qualified consultant. (Of
course, you are welcome to contact me directly (see
contact information) – please excuse the
shameless plug!).
Simply
replace the existing faulty hardware.
This is the
simplest and cheapest option. Your existing 486 is failing so get
a replacement. There are lots of them out there, as everyone else
scrambles to get the latest Pentium in a doomed attempt to keep
up with the massive software that is now in circulation. (By the
way, you imply in your question that "586" and
"Pentium" are the same thing – they're not. I'm
told that you're version should run on a 586 but not a
Pentium.) If you are seeking a performance improvement, a 100 Mhz
486 should handle 17 users quite well. A faster hard disk can
also help significantly. You might also consider getting more RAM
memory –that can often result in significant speed
improvements. Bear in mind that your halts may be caused by
faulty memory, a tired power supply, or even by power
fluctuations. Get a good surge suppressor for your next machine
if you don't already have one.
Upgrade
to a different MultiValue type that does run on a Pentium.
Every major
MultiValue platform vendor is now offering a Microsoft NT based
version of your Pick database model (see the March/April
discussion
or simply flip through the a copyt of Spectrum magazine). Most of
them claim to be able to take a copy of your latest file save and
simply load it up (usually with a few minor software source
adjustments). Note that even though you would be running your 17
users off of a single NT server, you would not have to rewrite
your applications under Windows. You would still have your
familiar character-based screens and everything should run
as it did before. I am quite sure that if you go back to your
original system supplier, this is the option that you will be
encouraged to take since it involves more current technology and
also opens up more possibilities for future software
enhancements.
To email your questions to "Ask the MultiValued VB
Expert", click here.
Copyright © 1998 Caduceus Consulting. All rights reserved.
Compiled: May 6, 1998.
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