[WEB4LIB] Re: web server suggestions

[Tom Klingler]

on 9/6/00 10:00 PM, Peter Murray at PMurray at law.uconn.edu wrote:

> --On Tuesday, September 5, 2000 4:26 PM -0700 George Fowler
> <FowlerG at cts.db.erau.edu> wrote:
>> I have recently been tasked with looking into the purchase of our
>> library's own web server.  I am not going to mention the types of
>> servers that are currently used on campus so that I don't bias any
>> of  the responses.
> 
> You said you didn't want to influence responses, but I think what you can
> find support for on your campus is an important part of the decision
> process.  In an extreme example, I could tout the wonders of a web server
> under the MacOS platform, but if you don't have any Macs on campus it
> wouldn't do you much good.
> 
> There are good web servers for all flavors of UNIX, Windows, Mac, Netware
> -- and who knows...maybe even Apple II and Amigas?  So what you are familar
> with should greatly drive you decision.
> 
> As for my preferences, I'd pick Apache running on a Linux platform using a
> Pentium machine of some sort (as it happens, that is the platform just
> installed at the UConn Law School).  If you use a recycled Pentium machine
> with not enough horsepower for a desktop Windows platform and buy the
> RedHat Linux CD (for convenience sake -- you could download everything from
> the net), you could do it for under $100.  Add a tape drive for backups
> (one normally wouldn't find that on a desktop platform) and you'd be in
> business.
> 
> Disk space shouldn't be a problem for your PDF files -- it is easy to add
> to any platform.  The web databases are a more interesting issue -- if they
> are already in something like Microsoft Access, there is something to be
> said for putting your web platform under WindowsNT/IIS because the
> integration of the database onto the web will likely be easier.  Others
> will say that using MySQL with PHP is a good option.
> 
> Good luck!
> 
> 
> Peter
> --
> Peter Murray, Computer Services Librarian              W: 860-570-5233
> University of Connecticut Law School             Hartford, Connecticut
> 
> 


Can't quibble with any of Peter's comments.......except maybe the "Amiga"
comment!  Sheesh!!!  ;-)

In any case, on the hardware side, we've bought about eight of the Dell
PowerEdge 2400 boxes over the past couple years and are very happy with
them.   For the price of a beefed-up PC just a few years ago you get a real
beefy box, SCSI, RAID, dual power, dual fans,  good slots, fast bus, 4 RAM
slots, room for 4 - 36GB hot-swap drives on board.....a real box that is
built to be a server.....good grief we love these boxes.  I sound like a
salesman; I'm not.  We've had no problems or failures with any of these
boxes.  Of course, they're equally happy running NT, or Linux, or
Netware.....    [But now that you mention it, it looks like Novell
....1,4000 layoffs announced....is headed the same way as the Amiga....to
the Museum of Excellent Technologies That Got Killed by the Opponent's
Marketing/Monopoly......]

We've got a couple of the Dell PowerEdge 4400's as well....but you likely
don't need that kind of beef unless you're needing to run a
battleship.........or have a REALLY big web site!


---------------------------

Tom Klingler
LMS Systems Dept
Libraries & Media Services
Kent State University
Kent, OH, USA 44242-0001
330-672-1646 voice
330-672-4811 fax