[SlowToady]

Don't go cheap. Seriously, if your business, if you making money, depends on computers and related equipment, why skimp on it? I have a client whose entire operation gets done with computers (which isn't too odd these days). All order taking/tracking/processing, account settling, credit card running, communication, EVERYTHING. We had a server failure awhile back and it cost us $20K in lost productivity in a single day. Now, that may not be a lot to those of you that work at big companies, but in our business...that's a lot of bread. So anyway, my point is this:

All our "mission-critical" stuff runs on garden variety PC hardware! The ONE server we have, that handles DNS, AD, accounting, credit card processing, internet access...is a homebrew white box. Intel mobo, P4 3.0Ghz, SATA RAID. The same thing you likely have sitting at your desk. I know that these days anything with a big disk, lots of RAM and a fast CPU is a "Server" but there's a DAMN good reason SUN, IBM, HP, SGI, etc make good money selling *real* servers. A homebrew white box running Windows 2003 hardly counts, in my book, when the business depends on it. Spend a few extra dollars and get something rock solid. The ONE this server went down would have more than paid for an entry level IBM/SUN/HP box. And I wouldn't have to field calls at all different times and days.

Oh yea, this pisses me off, too: they splurged on a 50 user license 3DES equipped Cisco PIX 501 firewall, and then went with a run of the mill Linksys switch. Why not get a *good* switch? Hell, get one off ebay...I have a Cisco 1900 on my desk.

This whole rant came about because I got a text message from my client saying that the server was down, and they need the password to reboot it. Last week I had to install a new HSF because the stock one SUCKED, and the CPU was ideling @55c. So anyway, I thought it was weird the server was down; I tested it before and it was fine. Temps were down 25c at idle. Oh yea, the original "server" kill -9ed itself due to overheating. So, anyway, I go in to check on it, and they hired some new kid to assembly parts that is "a computer geek." He decided to bounce the server, since the accounting software locked up. That's how he "knew" the server was "down." I check through event logs and what not, and can't find anything. Nada. Zip. Only a message that the last shutdown was unexpected. Duh. Then I start showing him the network gear and stuff. Suddenly the lights go out for about 3/4second on the switch and came back on. Moved it some more and they went off again. Maybe it was a switch issue, and not a "server" issue? MAYBE HE SHOULDN'T HAVE PULLED THE ****ING PLUG NOT KNOWING WHAT WAS WRONG! God damn it, he didn't even try and troubleshoot anything!

Anyway, I'm pissed off, some kid now has the Administrator password to the "server" and he pulled the plug on it due what was probably nothing more than a network glitch. Thank God for RBAC, I'm going to give him an account but lock it down pretty well. And change the admin password. And why the hell can't we buy good ****? Why can't I have a GOOD switch back there? Seriously, this is the same switch you'd find in any Dick, Jane or Joe's house; not a problem if it reboots itself there or looses a connection. But at work? Big problem.

IF YOU INSIST ON RUNNING YOUR ENTIRE OPERATION OFF COMPUTERS, DON'T BUY CHEAP ****!

rant over, Nomex on, flame away.