Quick poll

[Yu Meng Chong]

----- "David A. Bandel" <david.bandel at gmail.com> wrote:

> 1.  How many of you run servers (vice desktops)?

Y
 
> 2.  How many servers? (1, 2-10, more than 10)?

At home, 1. At work, 1 (data center)

 
> 3.  How many are headless?

Both


> 4.  How many run X (headless or not)?

None
 
> 5.  How did you install them? (Graphical install/text install, local
> install/network install/internet install)

Text install, DVD

> 6.  Did you d/l all the CDs/DVD.  If so, what percentage of programs
> did you install?

Downloaded the DVD. Maybe 5% of the programs installed.

> What I'm looking at here is how odd am I?  

I think I understand your frustration. I am from the school of thought that believes in a lot of prior planning, and an orthodox use of servers (headless, no X, minimum programs). I grew up on UNIX, specifically Solaris. But I am beginning to see a new breed of UNIX/Linux newbies that believe in dumping everything including the kitchen sink into a single server. They install X, Open Office, a dozen web applications, etc., into a single humongous server, un-virtualized. 

I suppose this is their way of saving money, or preventing server sprawl. Of course I wonder how effective or even productive, such a setup is. It's not so much the performance or the security of the server I am worried about. I always think, justified or not, that dumping everything into one server is a sign that the IT admin is asleep at the wheel. I think that the number of servers, the use of servers and software should be dictated by processes and procedures in the business, not as a show of your technical prowess (or lack thereof). So what if you can dump a dozen pieces of software into one box -- will your users make use of all of them, or even make good use of most of them? 

I sometimes think that with the growth in computing power and the relative cheapness of parts, some IT admins prefer to throw money and hardware at a problem instead of thinking about what they are trying to solve. 

But all this reasoning is not going to turn back the tide, I think. At least not in the short term. Too bad I'm not in the hardware business. I could be making a lot of money by persuading these kiddies to buy the biggest server they can afford. 

Regards,
pascal chong