The process of upgrading a corporate IT infrastructure can be very
hard on a company. In addition to the cost, an upgrade frequently disrupts
day-to-day operations while the new systems are installed, configured and
tested. New and unfamiliar programs, new procedures – even small hiccups in
a major upgrade can quickly balloon into frustrating downtime, resulting in
the common malady, “upgrader’s remorse.”
It doesn’t have to be that way. Iodynamics recently renovated a Northern Utah environmental consulting firm’s IT infrastructure, upgrading some older Novell NetWare servers to new Linux servers. The change from Novell to Linux was not only quick and seamless, but using Linux provided a cost savings of approximately $10,000 in hardware costs and software fees over the comparable Novell solutions.
Based in Northern Utah, BIO-WEST is an environmental consulting and engineering firm that employs approximately 30 scientists, consultants, and environmental technicians. The firm specializes in environmental documentation, consulting, and reporting. BIO-WEST’s clients include federal agencies, state and civic governments, and commercial and industrial entities. BIO-WEST has a professional reputation for quality throughout the western United States. With their reputation on the line daily, they couldn’t afford down time or slipped schedules because of IT problems.
In 2002, BIO-WEST’s technological infrastructure was quickly reaching its end of life. The central network consisted of two Novell NetWare file and print servers and a Novell GroupWise e-mail server. When these solutions were implemented in 1999, they were top-of-the-line and delivered satisfactory performance. However, BIO-WEST had chosen not to incur the expense to stay current with the costly Novell upgrades. When Iodynamics was first consulted, BIO-WEST’s servers were running the oldest supported versions of Novell’s file, print and e-mail server software.
The servers were still in working order, but the system lacked overall responsiveness, stability, and features that had become standard on newer systems. There were also more serious signs of trouble to come. Server crashes and backup problems were becoming more frequent. Storage space was dangerously low. Certain network shares were always nearly full, contributing to further crashes and data loss. BIO-WEST IT personnel played a constant “shell game” with corporate data, frequently moving information between shared volumes to prevent any of them from filling up.
“Our servers were still running, but it was becoming harder and harder to put one hundred percent trust in them,” said Sandra Turner, BIO-WEST IT manager. “We just knew it was only a matter of time before a big deadline and a big crash happened at the same time.”
If BIO-WEST’s file and print and e-mail servers were in sad shape, their Internet connectivity was even worse. The company’s Internet service provider sold BIO-WEST a connection billed as a “fractional T-1.” Unfortunately, it was a very tiny fraction of a T-1 and barely provided dial-up speeds, split between approximately 25 desktop computers. The ISP also rented BIO-WEST a router and Internet IP addresses, so every computer on the network was visible to the Internet. Also, BIO-WEST had only 25 static IP addresses and had difficulty getting more.
Something had to be done, and soon, but the prospect of updating the entire network was very nearly unworkable. To bring its Novell software up to date, BIO-WEST faced licensing fees of more than $5,000. Of course, the current BIO-WEST hardware couldn't run the latest Novell packages, so a full Novell upgrade would require at least $8,000 in additional hardware costs. The e-mail system would also need to be replaced and updated, adding between $3,000 and $5,000 to the tab. After limping along for months, the decision-makers at BIO-WEST found themselves faced with a possible $18,000 in expenditures just to get back to “normal.”
“We really demanded the best of all worlds,” said Turner. “We needed the replacement server to be inexpensive, high-performance, and we needed the upgrade to be transparent to our users.”
The dilemma facing BIO-WEST is a common one: recommit to the status quo, or investigate other alternatives. In an attempt to see what other options were available, BIO-WEST consulted with Iodynamics. After taking a complete inventory of BIO-WEST’s current and future needs, Iodynamics suggested a migration to non-proprietary open source solutions that would get BIO-WEST off the “upgrade treadmill” and back to full productivity. Iodynamics proposed a multi-phase upgrade to make the transition progress more smoothly and spread the cost out over two main installments.
“Like a lot of businesses of this size, BIO-WEST was a perfect candidate for Iodynamics’ services,” said Doran Barton, president of Iodynamics. “We saw right away everything they needed could be done without the Novell-based products, so we proposed the whole system be rebuilt with Linux and open source software.” Barton explained that going with Linux and open source software added stability and scalability, and also saved BIO-WEST thousands of dollars in software licensing fees as well as hardware costs.
The first phase of the migration involved was updating BIO-WEST’s e-mail system and Internet connection. Iodynamics proposed an <"/it/servers/netgateway.html">Iodynamics NetGateway system, a multi-use server performing the tasks of e-mail server, Internet firewall/router, and intranet server.
“Our NetGateway is the best solution in our arsenal for businesses who need inexpensive Internet access for lots of users,” said Barton. “The NetGateway takes a single Internet connection and distributes its use over the client’s network. It also acts as an internal e-mail post office, so the client can add, delete, and modify their own e-mail addresses, rather than relying on their ISP to do that.”
There were many benefits for BIO-WEST. First, the total cost of the NetGateway was roughly the same as the hardware alone for a comparable Novell system. However, since the NetGateway runs on Linux and uses free software, there were no licensing fees, which saved BIO-WEST around $2,000.
Second, Iodynamics recommended a more credible and reliable Internet service provider. BIO-WEST’s monthly Internet bill stayed about the same, but they receive much more bandwidth for faster, more secure, and more reliable connections. And because the NetGateway serves Internet access to an internally managed network of IP addresses, BIO-WEST acquired the ability to add computers to the network without outside technical assistance. Bringing control of corporate e-mail in-house also means BIO-WEST was free to change Internet service or ISPs without changing their e-mail structure, addresses, or e-mail programs.
The Iodynamics NetGateway is equipped with other advanced features such as a customized installation of Webmin, a secure web-based server administration tool that allows BIO-WEST personnel to maintain the server, create and modify e-mail accounts, and even reboot the server from any web-connected browser in the office or across the country. Finally, because BIO-WEST is a NetGateway subscriber, Iodynamics performs remote off-site configuration backups and updates the server software on a regular basis, eliminating the periodic and expensive upgrades of proprietary software, the need for onsite service calls, and the often associated down-time.
The change from the Novell Groupwise e-mail server to the NetGateway was planned for a weekend, when no BIO-WEST employees would be in the office. Before the upgrade, all employees were briefed on the impending changes and received basic training with the new e-mail client. The training took only 2 hours and was conducted during a BIO-WEST company meeting. Internet browsing from the desktop would be the same as before (except it would be faster), so no employee training was needed for that aspect of the upgrade.
The Phase 1 installation was conducted on a Saturday and took approximately 8 hours. The Windows computers were reconfigured to use the NetGateway for e-mail and Internet access, and the old e-mail server was disconnected from the network. When employees returned on Monday, the new system was up and running, fully configured and tested. Iodynamics personnel were on hand to ease the transition, but aside from a few minor Windows configuration issues with individual computers, there were no concerns. Within one week, all employees were proficient with the new e-mail system.
“The transition from the Novell e-mail system to the Linux system was very smooth,” said Turner. “We were nervous, of course, but the upgrade was almost completely painless and now everyone loves it,” she added.
Several months after the initial e-mail system upgrade, BIO-WEST requested a solution to the growing problem of unsolicited commercial e-mail, or spam. Iodynamics proposed implementing a server-based open source program called SpamAssassin. This program was installed on the NetGateway (without any Internet or e-mail service interruptions). Since its installation, SpamAssassin and a companion program called MIMEDefang have blocked thousands of spam e-mail messages, viruses, and otherwise malicious e-mail, saving BIO-WEST employees hours of sorting through and deleting unwanted e-mail.
The second phase of the BIO-WEST infrastructure upgrade involved replacing the file and print server. Iodynamics proposed a custom-built AMD PC server running Redhat Linux. The server was equipped with a set of LVD SCSI hard-drives arranged in a RAID array for performance and redundancy and a Sony AIT-2 tape drive backup. The hardware upgrade would introduce a significant improvement in speed and performance, but it still cost approximately $3,500 less than a comparably equipped Novell server. Also, because Redhat Linux does not have per-seat license fees, BIO-WEST saved an additional $4,500 by going with the open-source solution.
File and print services for BIO-WEST's Windows-based computers were provided by Samba, a widely used, award-winning server software package. Samba provides functions similar to those of Windows or Novell server software, but Samba delivers better performance at a much lower cost.
The Iodynamics file server has advanced features similar to the NetGateway server such as Webmin and the Apache web server software. Webmin would allow BIO-WEST personnel to maintain the server, configure Samba, and back up the server remotely. Apache would allow the server filesystem to be accessible from the Internet so that people away from the office could log in via a web browser to access stored documents and other data.
“We just outgrew our old servers,” said Turner. She added that not only did BIO-WEST need a bigger and faster server, but they needed something that could grow with the company.
Barton said this was no problem for Iodynamics. “We build our servers so they can be scaled up as new technology becomes available and as the company’s needs change. No hardware can last forever, but with a little forethought and some wisely planned interim upgrades, it can last longer than just a few years.”
Again, the upgrade was scheduled for a weekend, when the office would be empty. Employees were informed about the time of the upgrade. However, the only functional changes for users were new login prompts and a slightly different Windows directory structure. Instead of a formal training session, employees required only a short briefing and a memo, which was distributed via e-mail.
During the Saturday upgrade session, all PCs were configured to authenticate on the new server and to locate and mount the new network drives. Network printers and a central accounting system also had to be configured. The file server upgrade took longer than the e-mail system upgrade, but it was still accomplished in a single day.
On Monday morning, most users required little or no assistance with the new network. A small percentage of PCs required some additional configuration changes, but as with the previous install, the issues were minor.
While both phases of this project involved some minor troubleshooting, during which unforeseen issues were addressed, this period was relatively short (a few hours out of a few days), painless, and caused no interruptions in company operations. The new Iodynamics Linux servers have created a fast and stable backbone for all critical IT operations. Monthly software upgrades – included in Iodynamics' monthly maintenance service – keep the operating system and programs 100 percent up-to-date. Iodynamics also performs periodic hardware checks to monitor equipment and advise BIO-WEST when hardware upgrades are in order. This managed approach to BIO-WEST’s IT infrastructure means the company will not hit another “IT wall” where many systems fail and require major upgrades. BIO-WEST and their new servers have become fast friends. Instead of being daunted by a major IT hurdle, Iodynamics helped BIO-WEST convert to a stable, scalable system. Even better, the open-source system assembled by Iodynamics cost BIO-WEST considerably less than a comparable Novell solution. Said Barton: “We made it possible for the client to again concentrate on their business and not on their IT issues.” The best part of this story is that BIO-WEST is not an exception to the typical IT situation. In fact, BIO-WEST’s story is typical. Linux and other open source software can quickly and quietly meet the IT needs of businesses of almost any size, at substantial cost savings over proprietary solutions such as Microsoft or Novell. Linux-based solutions are particularly effective in situations where the existing technology is hopelessly outdated and upgrades are needed soon. For connectivity, productivity, or web applications, there is a Linux-based or open source alternative that is cost effective and enterprise ready. In other words, Iodynamics is able to conduct major IT upgrades without freezing the IT manager’s blood, without bringing business operations to a complete halt, and without breaking the client’s bank account.