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Freaking look in to what you buy and make sure it will work and you are able
to meet the neccessary requirements, especially when it's costing $9,000,
JEEZ!!!!!!!!!

Hi. I work at a major university. Our director of our service area wanted us
to get a new, web based reservation program. The higher people looked
around, found one they liked and bought one to the tune of $9000.

About a month ago, we just got a new dell computer for our scheduling
officer, they had planned that this new PC would put all four computers in
the office on the same base (windows xp, mainly, and being dells), and
planned to make this new pc the server for our new software.

Finally it comes to me. They want me to install it and get it running by
July 1st. I'm no technician, just a worker people trust. well, it turns out
that no one had looked in to, researched or asked about what the new
software required to run. It needs windows server and SQL databases. We do
not have those. I am repeatedly told by several people "We got this new
computer [for our scheduling officer] and planned to have it be the server
for us." I tell them we need windows server, and am told "oh yes the new one
is windows server".... its windows XP. No, it's not. I tried
[unsuccessfully] to explain the difference, saying there is windows 2000 and
windows server 2000...

I'm referred to our facilities website administrator, student help, who I'm
told has access to the server that I needed to install it. He had nothing
more than a login to the web server for moving around website files, no
server access. I go back and forth with the ITS department looking for them
to install our software on their server for us, since they have what is
needed. They can not, but can sell our department a server and manage it for
us. What the cost is, I do not know, I backed out and reported back to the
people who are the reason for all this with my findings and suggestions.

Real great people to work with and for, but not the brightest on this area.
Jeez! I'm not sure where we stand now. We need a server to run this off of.
Clearly one will have to be bought, somewhere, sometime. Surely they wont
throw the $9k software away. Just a little rant I suppose.

Brian wrote:
> Freaking look in to what you buy and make sure it will work and you are able
> to meet the neccessary requirements, especially when it's costing $9,000,
> JEEZ!!!!!!!!!
>
> Hi. I work at a major university. Our director of our service area wanted us
> to get a new, web based reservation program. The higher people looked
> around, found one they liked and bought one to the tune of $9000.
>
> About a month ago, we just got a new dell computer for our scheduling
> officer, they had planned that this new PC would put all four computers in
> the office on the same base (windows xp, mainly, and being dells), and
> planned to make this new pc the server for our new software.
>
> Finally it comes to me. They want me to install it and get it running by
> July 1st. I'm no technician, just a worker people trust. well, it turns out
> that no one had looked in to, researched or asked about what the new
> software required to run. It needs windows server and SQL databases. We do
> not have those. I am repeatedly told by several people "We got this new
> computer [for our scheduling officer] and planned to have it be the server
> for us." I tell them we need windows server, and am told "oh yes the new one
> is windows server".... its windows XP. No, it's not. I tried
> [unsuccessfully] to explain the difference, saying there is windows 2000 and
> windows server 2000...
>
> I'm referred to our facilities website administrator, student help, who I'm
> told has access to the server that I needed to install it. He had nothing
> more than a login to the web server for moving around website files, no
> server access. I go back and forth with the ITS department looking for them
> to install our software on their server for us, since they have what is
> needed. They can not, but can sell our department a server and manage it for
> us. What the cost is, I do not know, I backed out and reported back to the
> people who are the reason for all this with my findings and suggestions.
>
> Real great people to work with and for, but not the brightest on this area.
> Jeez! I'm not sure where we stand now. We need a server to run this off of.
> Clearly one will have to be bought, somewhere, sometime. Surely they wont
> throw the $9k software away. Just a little rant I suppose.

I'll sell you my copy of Windows 2K Server for $9,000.

Seriously, it sounds like you are in over your head. You need an IT guy
to help you out. You could order a copy of Windows Server for about $500
or $600 or so and install it on a fairly beefy, well built computer, but
you're going to need some help I'd wager on configuring and getting the
server communicating properly on the network. Not to mention you need to
figure out how many users are going to be allowed onto that server, MS
doesn't just send you a copy and let you do what you want with it.

You will have to buy the proper server software, the network versions of
specific software's required, and hire an IT person to get it running. Let
the IT person first come in, do an evaluation of what is required, and then
follow his recommendations. After you purchase all the software's you need,
when he comes in, he can set it all up for you. This will be over your head
to set it up.

You will require the assistance of the IT person from time to time to keep
the server system maintained for you. Running a true business network is
fairly involved, requires the proper software and operating systems, and
also requires a properly trained person to set it up and keep it maintained.

If the above is not followed, you will most likely spend countless hours
hacking away and getting no-where, and in the end, you will have a lot of
useless expensive computer equipment sitting around.

--

JANA
_____


"Brian" <> wrote in message
news:6hMog.4660$...
Freaking look in to what you buy and make sure it will work and you are able
to meet the neccessary requirements, especially when it's costing $9,000,
JEEZ!!!!!!!!!

Hi. I work at a major university. Our director of our service area wanted us
to get a new, web based reservation program. The higher people looked
around, found one they liked and bought one to the tune of $9000.

About a month ago, we just got a new dell computer for our scheduling
officer, they had planned that this new PC would put all four computers in
the office on the same base (windows xp, mainly, and being dells), and
planned to make this new pc the server for our new software.

Finally it comes to me. They want me to install it and get it running by
July 1st. I'm no technician, just a worker people trust. well, it turns out
that no one had looked in to, researched or asked about what the new
software required to run. It needs windows server and SQL databases. We do
not have those. I am repeatedly told by several people "We got this new
computer [for our scheduling officer] and planned to have it be the server
for us." I tell them we need windows server, and am told "oh yes the new one
is windows server".... its windows XP. No, it's not. I tried
[unsuccessfully] to explain the difference, saying there is windows 2000 and
windows server 2000...

I'm referred to our facilities website administrator, student help, who I'm
told has access to the server that I needed to install it. He had nothing
more than a login to the web server for moving around website files, no
server access. I go back and forth with the ITS department looking for them
to install our software on their server for us, since they have what is
needed. They can not, but can sell our department a server and manage it for
us. What the cost is, I do not know, I backed out and reported back to the
people who are the reason for all this with my findings and suggestions.

Real great people to work with and for, but not the brightest on this area.
Jeez! I'm not sure where we stand now. We need a server to run this off of.
Clearly one will have to be bought, somewhere, sometime. Surely they wont
throw the $9k software away. Just a little rant I suppose.

Mara wrote:

> Or, you could install Apache for free. But if the OP is inexperienced, this
> won't help a thing.

According to the OP's post, the $9,000 software they bought requires
Windows Server and SQL to work. Sounds like a throwback to the days of
when somebody could either code from scratch or just modify an existing
program and sell it for thousands of dollars.

It requires a version of Windows Server, whether it be 2k, 2003.....

Not to mention, even if windows server were purchased, the pc they want to
run it on is not suited to do the job. The ITS deparment would SURELY not be
happy running such a server out of our office! None the less, the computer
is used heavily for office tasks, not to mention the common internet use and
some students use it for playing various games. It's not stable enough to
handle the dedication needed.

It blows my mind people would just spend $9,000 on such a high-tech software
then not even make sure it can be used, just assume a dell desktop would be
OK!!!! In the end, if they want to use it, they will purchase and contract
with ITS to buy and maintain a server.

God! Its off my back now, though. So, a hui ho!

"Rôgêr" <> wrote in message
news: om...
> Mara wrote:
>
>> Or, you could install Apache for free. But if the OP is inexperienced,
>> this
>> won't help a thing.
>
> According to the OP's post, the $9,000 software they bought requires
> Windows Server and SQL to work. Sounds like a throwback to the days of
> when somebody could either code from scratch or just modify an existing
> program and sell it for thousands of dollars.

Brian wrote:
> Freaking look in to what you buy and make sure it will work and you are able
> to meet the neccessary requirements, especially when it's costing $9,000,
> JEEZ!!!!!!!!!
>
> Hi. I work at a major university. Our director of our service area wanted us
> to get a new, web based reservation program. The higher people looked
> around, found one they liked and bought one to the tune of $9000.
[...]
> that no one had looked in to, researched or asked about what the new
> software required to run. It needs windows server and SQL databases. We do
> not have those. I am repeatedly told by several people "We got this new
[...]

Just out of curiosity, if it's a web based service, why does it require
Windows server to run? Is it because it's a Windows binary? ASP? Does it
only run on IIS and/or MS SQL server?

Keme wrote:
> Brian wrote:
>
>> Freaking look in to what you buy and make sure it will work and you
>> are able to meet the neccessary requirements, especially when it's
>> costing $9,000, JEEZ!!!!!!!!!
>>>
> [...]
>
> Just out of curiosity, if it's a web based service, why does it require
> Windows server to run? Is it because it's a Windows binary? ASP? Does it
> only run on IIS and/or MS SQL server?

There are reservation systems out there that won't cost you a dime to
download and install. Many of them running on any common combination of
database (Sybase, MSSQL, MySQL, PostgreSQL) and webserver (IIS, Apache).
Some even have workflow administration builtin.

All can be integrated with the office system any way you like with some
effort (as long as the office system can establish a database connection).

You won't get SAP, though... Is that what your "higher people" went for?