| As the old saying goes, somebody
has got to do it (and I don't mean entering a twelve-step program for bad puns).
The job in question is that of file server, and the new candidate, with the
potential to revolutionize the Local Area Network market, is the independent
Network Attached Storage or NAS device, with an emphasis on independence. Before
we get to the details of independent NAS devices, we need to cover what
Hollywood might call the "back story" leading up to my current
enthusiasm for this product category.
Once upon a time in the deep,
dark woods . . . oops, wrong back story. One of the most frustrating things
about being a VAR (Value Added Reseller) or, more specifically, that subcategory
known as Systems Integrator, is the fact that there are times when you just
can't provide a solution for a prospective client. The need is obvious to both
the integrator and the client, but either the actual funds, or, at least the
willingness to spend them is lacking. In this case, the loss of a potential
client is not to a competitor, but to complacency and the status quo.
There are different categories
of existing computer systems that are eligible for this technological torpor.
The first is a client with no network at all. The old term "sneakernet"
is most apt in this situation. Floppies, tapes, or some form of removable drives
are used to pass data between computers. In particular, I've seen a lot of old
Iomega Bernoulli Boxes put to creative use. Since they are nearly
indestructible, it is often quite difficult to get someone to retire them.
(Note that I still remember
Iomega's old trade show demo in which they attached their drive to a standard
hardware store paint can shaker and performed continuous - and flawless -
read/write tests. Every few minutes, they would remove the cartridge and whack
it really hard against the edge of a table before reinserting it into the drive
and resuming the tests. I once encountered a 12-year-old original 10MB model
that was starting to malfunction. It seemed to be overheating, so I removed the
filter and found it clogged with a 12-year accumulation of fuzz and dust,
totaling about a quarter of a pound. I carefully washed and dried the filter and
reinserted it. The drive worked perfectly after that, and I was unable to
convince the client to even consider discarding it.)
Some form of data isolation is
often used to reduce the need for data transfer, typically by dedicating
specific computers to specific tasks. Billing is done on computer A, mailing on
computer B, and general word processing on computer C, etc. Either data switches
or primitive printer sharing boxes are used to reduce the number of printers
needed. Sometimes there will simply be one printer per computer. It's not
pretty, but it gets the job done. In a similar vein, a bucket-brigade will
successfully put out small fires.
The next category up the scale
is the peer-to-peer network in which data and printers are shared by a
collection of computers. Microsoft's Windows 3.x and Windows 9x networking are
the two most common systems found, with Artisoft's Lantastic not far behind. I
have also found a veritable potpourri of other uncommon software driving these
networks, most of which would be disqualified on a computer trivia test for
being just too obscure.
As a practical matter, the
peer-to-peer nature of these systems was often violated by dedicating one
computer to a specific file serving task. To paraphrase George Orwell in Animal Farm all peers are created
equal, but some peers are more equal than others.
There are severe compromises in
terms of performance and reliability when a workstation (or desktop) operating
system is made to do double duty as a server operating system. Even if you do
dedicate a computer to a server task, you are still running a
workstation-oriented operating system along with its inefficient and potentially
unsafe file system.
Then there is the issue of
security. Multiple crisscrossing file and other resource sharing can get very
complicated, very fast. Also, remember that security isn't just an issue of
watching out for those with malicious intent. It also includes keeping people
from accidentally destroying or scrambling data, applications, and system
settings, or accidentally spreading viruses.
Again, even though many of these
potential clients have long outgrown their peer-to-peer networks, they get the
job done. Now they have a fire hose, but, depending upon the vintage, it's
attached to either a hand, or a steam-powered pump.
Finally, there is the system
that includes a true server-oriented LAN that is either out of date, or darn
right obsolete. Considering its historic LAN market share, a lot of these
systems are running old, unsupported versions of Novell's NetWare. Some are
running old versions of Microsoft's NT. An amazing number are running terribly
obscure brands that don't even exist anymore.
(Around 1993, I had a potential
client that was a huge corporation. They switched from the then-current version
of NetWare to an incredibly rare Network Operating System that was actually a
modified form of UNIX. I looked it up and found that it had - at the time - less
that one-half of one percent market share. Shortly thereafter, the software
company went under. It took that prospective client years to recover from the
switch. They are just now finishing becoming a full NT shop. I doubt that they
even considered going back to NetWare, as that would have been like admitting a
huge mistake.)
With these true LANs, they are
now up to real fire trucks along with an integrated system of water delivery (as
in pipes). Next month, I'll show you how independent NAS devices can solve the
problems of these and other categories of businesses. Meanwhile, I'll be
reminiscing about the days before file servers, when disk servers ruled the
earth and OmniNet was the latest, greatest way to connect computers. (Hmmm. I
wonder if Grecian Formula will work on these gray hairs.)
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