[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

19990126: platform for McIDAS-X

>From: Chris Novy <address@hidden>
>Organization: SIU
>Keywords: 199901261743.KAA14336

Chris,

>I'm looking into starting up a completely new system to replace my
>existing McIDAS system (LDM under Solaris and McIDAS OS/2).  I've been
>reeading through the web sites and think I will be installing under
>RedHat Linux 5.x.    A web page said the following...
>
>>For those users who do NOT have the compilers needed to build Unidata
>McIDAS-X and McIDAS-XCD and are daunted by the task of FTPing and
>building gcc and f2c, we offer binary installations on a case-by-case
>basis. For more information, please contact Unidata User Support.

OK.

>Is there are binary distribution for RedHat available?

No.  We didn't feel that this was necessary since RedHat Linux comes
with gcc and f2c, so you can build it yourself.  Actually, in the
future, we may not offer any binary distributions for Unix since we are
adding the ability to build McIDAS with the freely available gcc and
f2c packages.  We will also be testing McIDAS on Windows NT.  This
capability is made possible by software from Interix Software Systems,
Inc. ($99).  SSEC (the developer of McIDAS) is planning on supporting
McIDAS-X on NT/Interix in the near future (for version 7.6).  We will
be examining this platform in the next couple/few months to see what
the support issues might be.

>My alternative, if I can convince the sys admin to let me stay on our
>SPARC2000 (where LDM runs now) would be to install McIDAS-X on the
>SPARC and not mess around with new hardware/OS at all.

That would be nice in that the system is already administrated by
a campus support group.

>Do you have any recommendations as to whether it would be easier to
>stay with LDM on the SPARC and just add McIDAS-X or whether there might
>be reasons for moving everything to Linux?   We use McIDAS to process
>satellite and radar data and to feed certain weather products to e-mail
>groups.  My sys admin was concerned about how much extra load McIDAS-X
>will place on the SPARC.

Putting everything on one machine would lessen the burden on you since
you would have one less system to have to worry about.  I don't think
that moving all of your McIDAS processing to the SPARC 2000 would
impact it much _unless_ it is close to being maxed out right now.

Putting all of the McIDAS processing and an LDM on a Linux (or Solaris
x86) PC would, on the other hand, have the advantage of isolating all
of your production work to a machine that is pretty much a dedicated
box (I am assuming that you would load Linux or x86 on the box you were
using for McIDAS-OS2; true?).

>Part of me wants to go to RedHat  --to force me to learn the system.

What about Solaris x86?  The OS is now free (you have to pay media
and shipping costs; this runs to about $17), and the administration
is the same as for Solaris SPARC.  In addition, we feel that the security
on Solaris x86 is better than on Linux (any flavor).  I can tell you
that 4 Unidata sites have been hacked into in the past 1 1/2 to 2 months.
The machines that were compromised were all running Linux!

>Another part says, let the UNIX sys admin manage the existing SPARC and
>all I need to do is manage the applications (not the whole OS and
>security).

This sounds good to me _unless_ you really want to manage the system
and/or learn a new OS.

>Comments?

If it were me, and if the hardware I wanted to run a PC Unix on is
supported by Solaris x86 (not a given, by the way), I would choose
Solaris x86.  At the same time, I can tell you that I will be loading
RedHat 5.2 Linux on my machine at home so I can learn more about the
OS :-).  The good thing for me is that my home machine has no
chance of being broken into since it is not on the net.  (Actually,
I will probably setup the machine to have multiple boots:
RH Linux, Solaris x86, and Windows NT).

I don't know if this helped or not; please let me know.

Tom Yoksas