Development Costs
Building and hosting a Web site
is not going to be cheap. The intrinsic nature of IT is one of great
expensive. Granted, it is possible to purchase cheaper equipment, however,
it is either a brand of ill repute, out of date, or both. Equipment of this
type, must be avoided, otherwise problems are likely to reveal themselves
further down the line in time.
Hardware
The server machine will be the
most expensive item that you will have to purchase. Its cost will vary,
depending on its configuration. The sites functionality will determine to a
large degree the choice of components to be made, and the way in which they
will be configured. If you are running a mission-critical application, then
you will need to buy the fastest, and the most resilient available.
You may wish to consider the
following for your system:
Multiple CPUs
Since the CPU is able to
process only one instruction at a time, then it will make sense to install
perhaps two or even four, depending on the server load. The CPU is the most
expensive part of any computer system, so multiple CPUs will drive costs up.
RAID (redundant array of
inexpensive disks)
RAID is a technique that uses
multiple hard disk drives. When a file is saved, it is striped across the
disks, with parity information being created also. Should one of the disks
fail, the technician is able to quickly swap the disk out without having to
down the server. Once the new disk is in place, the parity information on
the other disks will rebuild the lost information on the damaged disks. Even
though the cost of storage is decreasing, multiple disks still incur greater
costs.
SCSI (small computer systems
interface)
This is an interface standard,
required to connect devices to the system. SCSI hard disk drives are used in
servers because they are faster and perform better. Of course faster means
costlier.
RAM (Random Access Memory)
The greater the amount of RAM
the better. RAM is not anywhere near as expensive as it used to be, and a
gigabyte of memory is very affordable these days.
Motherboard
The main system circuit-board,
which facilities the connection of all devices to the system. Using the
components mentioned above, by nature drives up the cost of the motherboard.
A motherboard with at least four SCSI controllers, and two CPU sockets, will
be required, these do not come cheap. Some motherboard manufacturers build
boards with a propriety bus and multiple CPU sockets, which further
increases costs.
Backup
Statistically speaking, the hard
disk is the component most likely to fail. RAID cannot account for fire or
flooding, and is therefore limited in what it can do. This is why backup is
essential. Should disaster strike, having backup copies of the hard disk
drive will allow you to reinstate the server. There are many different
backup drives and techniques available, these can be internal or external to
the server. External drives tend to cost more, due to the extra casing.
UPS (Uninterruptible Power
Supply)
This is an essential component
to keep your server running if the power fails. Power spikes, brown outs and
black outs can be very damaging to your sensitive electrical equipment.
Fluctuations in the power supply can cause memory and hard disk errors, and
black outs can totally corrupt the operating system. The UPS is like a
battery pack. It is plugged into the main power supply, and the server is
then plugged into the UPS. The UPS then takes care of drops and surges in
power, providing a smooth electrical current to the server's sensitive
components. In situations of total power failure, the UPS will hold charge
for a certain amount of time, until either the power is resumed, or the
administrator is able to get to the server and close it down gracefully, to
prevent data corruption. UPS vary in price, the more expensive they are, the
better they handle rogue power outlets and will hold charge for longer in
power-failure situations.
Below, is an excerpt from the
Dan Web site, that the price of a typical server. Many of the options
mentioned above are not listed, so the price will likely rise by at least
another £1000 perhaps double, or even treble that.
· www.dan.co.uk
Software
Software is not cheap either.
Unfortunately, there are many software components required, again driving up
costs. You will most likely need most of the following.
Server Operating System
The core of your Web site is
obviously the server machine, therefore it required a stable and reputable
operating system that will not fall over under increased stress. As
mentioned in other modules, the choice comes down to two types, Unix or NT.
These days, more and more people are opting for NT (now Server 2000), simply
because it is easier to operate, maintain and configure. The server machine
comes with Server 2000 per installed, but is likely to cost around £1000 if
you but it separately.
Web Server Software
This software is required to run
in coalition with the server operating system, and provides Web services on
your machine across the Internet. There are many free solutions available
from the Internet, that are often better than the commercial versions. NT
users need not worry about cost in this department, since they get fully
functional Web server software integrated with the NT software. It pays to
research and test the various freebies, before throwing money at software,
which may be more than you need.
Below is an example of a
commercial solution, $995. per licence!!!
·
www.us.apache-ssl.com
Development Applications
It is possible to build quit
elaborate and functional Websites from basic tools. In fact, many designers
will still use the Windows Notepad and browser software to design Web pages,
however, most professionals enjoy the functionality and ease of design tool
software. These can be purchased individually or in suites. Macromedia is
one such company who provide a suite of applications to aid With Web design.
These applications automate the design process, with the users not really
having to know a great deal about things like HTML JavaScript etc.
An example is shown below.
· www.macromedia.com
Testing Software
As
mentioned in previous units, software is required to perform load balancing
and monitoring. Again, Windows NT users enjoy the pleasure of having
integrated monitoring tools for "free", however, load-balancing software is
very expensive. It may actually be advantageous to enlist the services of an
external contractor to test your system for you. Alternatively, be prepared
to pay big money if you decide to buy your own.
Staff Training
One expense often over looked
in IT, is staff training. Training is a much-needed provision. There is
little point in deploying state-of-the-arts systems when no one knows how to
use it or maintain it. Keeping staff on the ball, will compliment your IT
strategy. Training can be provided in-house, which will require the services
of a dedicated team with a broad skills and knowledge base. Often the
services of a third party training team can save money, since they can be
used as and when required.
Major players in the IT market
have begun to set up creditable qualifications that are becoming widely
known and accepted in industry.
Microsoft has a whole range of
different modules available to individuals and companies. These modules can
be acquired and built into group awards, like Microsoft Certified
Professional, Microsoft Certified System Engineers, Microsoft Certified
Systems Administrator etc. Training of this type normally assumes the form
of 3-day and 5-day courses, followed by a multiple choice test taken at a
later date in a Microsoft approved test centre. These courses normally cast
around a minimum of £1000 pounds each, however, it is possible to buy a
Microsoft approved textbook, study the material, and apply for the test when
you are ready to take it. The tests cost around £100 each.
·
http://www.microsoft.com/traincert/default.asp
Cisco is another major player
who has joined the training market. They provide training mainly networking,
and so their qualification is extremely advantageous to individuals working
in the Web server branch of IT. The CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate)
involves a web-based teaching approach, with an in-class tutor to help with
enquires, set-up on-line tests and oversee practical tasks. The course runs
over 4 semesters and can cost around £1000 per semester.
·
http://www.cisco.com/warp/public/10/wwtraining/certprog/testing/exam_list.htm
Acceptance Trials & Pilot Schemes
Part of the development budget,
will involve acceptance trials and pilot schemes. Acceptance trials will
likely involve installing a prototype solution that will allow the
organisation to test their ideas and modify them as required. In other
words, should an idea fail, it is either discarded, or improved. The newly
improved idea is then subjected to the same testing regime until it
functions sufficiently well. The new server machine can be purchased and run
alongside the existing system, until it is safe to migrate to the new
system. .
Alternatively, an organisation
may adopt a pilot scheme of sorts. This will involve building a system
entirely separate from the existing system, to serve as a tentative model
for future experiment or development. Like before, this system would be
deployed and monitored, often modified and re-assessed, until acceptable
results are acquired. The model may well remain after a satisfactory
conclusion is reached, and an entirely new system purchased and deployed.
The testing system may well remain as a tool for future development, either
for entirely new systems or to test modifications to the existing system.
Data Conversion
It should be noted, that the
deployment of any new system, is very likely to impact applications and/or
data, causing them to function undesirably on the new model. This depends
upon the extent of the change. If the new system is the same in principle to
the older one, i.e. moving from Windows NT to Windows Advanced Server 2000,
then perhaps all that will be required are upgrades in the applications.
However, if the new system is an entirely different one, with cross-platform
data formats, i.e. Unix to Windows, then all previous applications will not
run on the new system, and a new suite of applications will must be
purchased. On the other hand, there are two options with data, either hard
copy formats are maintained and then painstakingly re-entered, or it may
actually be possible to convert the cross-platform data to the new formats.
There are companies who offer these services for a fee, one such example is
noted below.
· http://www.datarecoveryrichmond.com/conversion_197.html |
