.sh OVERVIEW We first discuss components, listing the alternatives we have tried and sometimes a few we have not, and then discuss system packages. We buy a substantial portion of our equipment from vendors other than DEC. The reasons for choosing second vendor equipment are usually some combination of more current technology, lower cost for equivalent equipment or shorter delivery time. .LP We do not consider devices that have proven unreliable or whose performance we consider inadequate.* In addition, .FS * An exception to this rule is made where we have yet to find any satisfactory devices in a particular category. In these instances we have indicated our reservations about the existing choices in the hopes that new products will address the problems we believe are important. The reader should realize that if a vendor's equipment has been mentioned in a negative light it indicates we at least thought highly enough of it to evaluate it seriously. We are not trying to damage any company's reputation, merely insure that important information is shared equally. .FE there are many devices that we have no experience with. As a general rule, every new peripheral has required a non-trivial amount of leg work to get up to speed. We suggest using only peripherals that have been previously used successfully on .I the type of VAX you are configuring .R (780, 750 or 730) or demanding a substantial (50-100%) discount for being a guinea pig. Be especially careful of UNIBUS\(dg interfaces. Almost every manufacturer of a UNIBUS widget now includes the VAX as a machine on which his device will work. Some of these devices have still not been well tested in this situation. These often will not work without substantial modification. .LP .I System buyers without ready access to an in\-house hardware staff should consider carefully the option of buying as much DEC equipment as possible. .R If you have the money and time required to do this, there are some strong advantages. Our DEC equipment has, in general, proven somewhat more reliable than the equivalent alternate vendor equipment. Time from equipment delivery to running system is also usually shorter. DEC field service in our area is excellent. Outside service available for non-DEC peripherals is spotty at best. .LP For smaller installations this option should be carefully considered. It is easier if you can call one party for all your problems, if you can afford it. At Berkeley, we are well past the inventory level where self maintenance begins to pay off even on all DEC systems, so this is not a consideration. One of us (Kridle) manages our local hardware support group. .LP Unfortunately, the limited selection of configurations currently available sometimes make the all-DEC choice difficult. This is especially true of the smaller configurations as DEC's bottom end peripherals are less satisfactory for UNIX. We say this not just for monetary reasons; functionally and aesthetically we would prefer to have neither the RK07 disk nor the TS11 tape unit in any system we have to deal with. .LP We recommend getting field service at least on your CPU for the first year. It has paid off for us in the cost of parts alone. You can drop the contract after the engineering changes have tapered off and most of the infant failures have occurred. DEC requires a certain amount of its peripheral equipment on the machine to qualify for field service. We understand that it is company policy not to provide a maintenance contract for a system without a DEC mass storage peripheral. If you intend to purchase a maintenance contract, be certain that your local field service is willing to support at least the DEC equipment you buy.