(M. Gray - Scottsdale, AZ) Today, it seems like every IPO is based on a .com company.  But how do these companies deploy a mission critical web site?  Lets take a tour of our Web Site and how we put it together.  The ESS Web Site is designed for 24 x 7 operation.  After all, if you can't reach the web site, we've lost a potential client or employee 

The hardware is based on a low-cost COTS (Commercial Off The Shelf) system.  It consists of an Intel Pentium II 233 MHz system with 128 MB of ECC-SDRAM.  ECC-SDRAM is the error correcting stuff that prevents system crashes and locks up due to random memory errors.   Mass storage is provided by a pair 4.3 GB EIDE drives.  The drives are configured as RAID 1 (Redundant Array of Inexpensive Drives).  With RAID 1, if one drive fails, the system will continue to run until the defective drive can be replaced.  The system is intended to be run remotely and is configured without a monitor, keyboard, or mouse.  Finally, the internal cooling fans and power supply have been augmented to support our warm Arizona climate.

The software is also a COTS solution.  The Linux operating system provides core functionality.   The web server, Apache, is provided by the Apache Software Foundation.  At last count, Apache Web Servers powered over 60% of the world's web sites. Dynamic web pages, such as our Current Job List and 60-Second Survey, are generated and processed with Java Servlets.  The Java Servlet is an extension to the Apache web server.   Java is cross platform languages developed by Sun Microsystems.  The Servlet communicates through the web server and access a SQL database.   Our web data is stored in a Sybase database.  The static web pages, such as this one, are edited with Microsoft Front Page.

The Web Site is connected to the Internet through a DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) with a symmetrical uplink and downlink data rate.  DSL provides comparable data rate Internet access at a fraction of the cost of a T1 line.