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Re: Repository services and budget

At 9:04 AM -0800 1/4/97, Hank Nussbacher wrote:
>As an ISP that grew from 1 server to about 9 within a year I would suggest
>adding the following: a test system (new OS versions, new DB versions,

	Let me push back, a bit, on this, to see how you and others react:

	Starting with 3 operational systems means that reliability is
inherently quite high.  Taking one of those systems offline to use as a
testing machine isn't horrible.  As more servers are added, the statistics
get even better.

>etc.), a backup system (not simply tar to DAT), but something like ADSM
>for networkign b/u's, 256Mb ot 512MB of memory for DB systems (most
>software runs better with more memory and the DB systems are all memory
>hogs), RAID or SSI disks so as to improve reliablity on the DB servers.
>Basically $10K per server is too low in my opinion.  Look at $30K.

	Given the full redundancy of systems, I would guess that RAID is
(parden the pun) unnecessarily redunant.  RAID is important for avoiding a
single-point of failure problem; but that is solved differently is the
proposed, multi-server arrangement.  (Now, RAID for performance may well be
a different issue.  I don't have a solid enough feel for current
performance to claim to know the definitive answer on this.)

>Then a test system at $30K and a backup system at $30K and your servers
>have gone up from $30K to $150K.

	I'd guess that 60-$100K would suffice.  What do other folks think
about this?

>
>Is a secretary necessary?  There will be much admin work that needs to be
>done so I would assume so.

	Remember this this is a back-end organization.  It's "customers"
are the member registrars.  Initially, that is a very small number.  After
two years, it's still only around 40-50.  My guess is that technical
support staff are going to be more important than a purely
adminitrative/receptionis kind of person.

d/


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Dave Crocker, Director                                       +1 408 246 8253
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Also:  IAHC member, expressing strictly (or loosely) personal opinions