being your own CIO?

Published 6 years, 9 months ago in leadership + management, small business

Been working on our server for my new company a lot lately, and that’s taking a lot of time. As I work on it with our new sysadmin (who comes highly recommended by Scott Johnson) I’m starting to realize how little I really know about server administration, and for that matter network architecture.

I’ve always thought that I was just knowledgeable enough to be dangerous, while at the same time, smart enough to figure it out given the time, but I’m realizing more and more every day how precious my time really is. Thus, we’ve turned to someone else to set up our server the way that it needs to be set up, and with the speed that we need (and the price is right also).

It’s coming along nicely, but I also sort of fear that I/we are making decisions without having the time to research them, primarily because we’re already behind schedule (or so it feels). Decisions like sendmail vs. qmail? Apache 2.x vs Apache 1.x? MySQL 3.x or 4.x? What modules to include in apache? Bind?

I’m not knowledgeable enough to make an completely informed decision, and neither are any of my partners (yet). So, instead of holding up the project any more, we’re asking our friends what they think, and why, so that we can make a more imformed decision than we could before we asked them… but I still have a nagging feeling that I’ve got a lot (read a shit-load) of reading and tinkering, and asking to do this weekend…

The good news is that we should have FTP, http+php and mysql working by 9/19, and email up by 9/20 or so. So, things are progressing and our developer can get into the box and start tinkering.

Starting a business is tough. Being your own CIO when you know about as much as the Easter Bunny about the technology is just plain scary. But, I guess that’s what open-source is all about. Dive in head first and learn fast. Also, hire smart people to advise you, for those times when you just don’t have a clue, or the time to find one.

[later - ftp, httpd+php, mysql all done. Scott was right about the new sysadmin]

4 Responses to “being your own CIO?”

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1 Ask Bjoern Hansen Sep 19th, 2002 at 2:59 am

Those are easy questions.
> sendmail vs. qmail?

If you are processing lots of mail; have users on the boxes; want it very modular; want it very secure - or any of the above - then choose qmail.

If you have barely any mail at all and simpler requirements (or really old (say uucp)) then choose sendmail.

Otherwise choose postfix.

I’m a qmail person.

> Apache 2.x vs Apache 1.x?

Static content: Apache 2.x.
Reverse Proxies (front end proxies): Apache 2.x
Dynamic anything: Apache 1.x.

> MySQL 3.x or 4.x?

MySQL 4.x is getting cooler and cooler. This depends really. Can you use the new features? Do you require more stability? Is it feasible to upgrade more frequently?

> What modules to include in apache?

As few as possibly; compile them all and load them as needed.

> Bind?

For recursive dns servers I like dnscache much better. It doesn’t crash. It doesn’t bloat to use all memory. It doesn’t have security problems left and right.

For authoritative dns servers I like tinydns much better. Very easy to write programs to deal with the data. If you run all your nameservers it makes it really easy to transfer the database consistantly.

If you need dynamic dns it’s not the right choice (for those domains anyway).

- ask (for hire too, but at first you might not think the price is right)
2 Jeremy Zawodny Sep 19th, 2002 at 11:47 pm

For hire? Gee, Ask… Word on the street is that you’ve already got your hands full at work?
Actually, I just like that line. “At first you might not think the price is right.” That says so many things. I should start using that. It occurs to me that I’m always “for hire” to some degree or another. Adam Goodman (publisher of Linux Mag) likes to refer to me as a free agent. He’s partly right.
3 Ask Bjoern Hansen Sep 20th, 2002 at 6:20 am

> For hire? Gee, Ask… Word on the street
> is that you’ve already got your hands
> full at work?
What are you talking about? It’s only 4.30 and I am already on my way to bed. (Okay, so I didn’t work all evening…)

As you point out, it’s tricky to measure your availability sometimes.

I am plenty busy with big things to suck up the majority of my time (so the price for something like that would right now be really high as I otherwise wouldn’t be much interested).

However, smaller projects. Architecture reviews, recommendations, small but efficient sessions putting out fire, … that kind of thing. Well, that kind of thing is fun. And a limited scope makes it easier to find time and energy to pump into it.

- ask
4 gav Sep 23rd, 2002 at 8:31 pm

I recently bought a server and stuck it in the rack at work. It has really taught me to appreciate the work a sysadmin does. It’s managing to run apache+mod_perl+sendmail+spamassassin+proftpd and keep my email and the couple of tiny websites I help admin going. I think in the end it took about 24 hours to get everything set up and running the way I wanted. I’d put myself in the “dangerous” category, but hopefully a bit more knowledgeable now

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