parsnips@dasys1.UUCP (David Parsons) (07/18/89)
I work for Uncle Sam, and my organization is on the brink of purchasing a brand new UNIX minicomputer to act as a database server for an NFS network of PC's, about 60 to start. The people in Sodom on the Potomac are being EXTREMELY casual about planning for this... installation is in 6 weeks, and as of today there has been no training for our current operators and only vague plans for hiring a contract systems administrator. I fear that they think they'll be able to run the whole show from remote- control... they've been doing that with our IVPhase, which is still more-or-less creaking along, with only marginal success, and UNIX is just a tad more complicated than JCL. I am way down in the decision-making ladder, and I need some compelling arguements as to why such a system needs more than just training by rote for our operators. I would VERY MUCH appreciate hearing from anyone who has started a similar system from scratch about the first ten disasters they encountered, or what vital functions they served and what procedures they established that spelled the difference between a working system and a disaster. Dave Parsons Big Electric Cat Public UNIX ..!cmcl2!{ccnysci,cucard,hombre}!dasys1!parsnips P.S. I know this all sounds silly, but we're routinely stranger than fiction... -- David Parsons Big Electric Cat Public UNIX ..!cmcl2!{ccnysci,cucard,hombre}!dasys1!parsnips