Rasberry PI
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2001
Posts: 10,815
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Rasberry PI
Well my bombed up Linux contractors 386 laptop went to the wind after saving the day many a time. I think the record was 2000 users hanging off it for email along with 200 print Q's.
Boss getting charged a ridiculous amount for email.
Was thinking a couple of PI's and couple of usb drives should be good enough to hang 100 folk off including a web interface.
Job done for 150 quid and an internet connection.
Boss getting charged a ridiculous amount for email.
Was thinking a couple of PI's and couple of usb drives should be good enough to hang 100 folk off including a web interface.
Job done for 150 quid and an internet connection.
Official PPRuNe Chaplain
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Witnesham, Suffolk
Age: 80
Posts: 3,498
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I gave my PI away - never got round to doing anything with it.
I have 100-odd ecclesiastical users on a purchased service from an excellent outfit run by a pilot friend. Very simple to drive, minimal hardware
I have 100-odd ecclesiastical users on a purchased service from an excellent outfit run by a pilot friend. Very simple to drive, minimal hardware
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Earth
Posts: 3,663
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Was thinking a couple of PI's and couple of usb drives should be good enough to hang 100 folk off including a web interface.
Job done for 150 quid and an internet connection.
Job done for 150 quid and an internet connection.
Have you not figured out in the world of IT that trying to do things on the cheap is only going to come back and bite you in the backside !
I honestly don't know where to start with your hair brained idea there are so many things bad with it.
If you are going to do it in-house, then do it properly. Otherwise outsource it somewhere where you get SLAs and someone else takes care of keeping the thing running for you.
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2001
Posts: 10,815
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Its just a couple of Linux servers. Same as I used to set up for big networks using 10's of thousands worth of Solaris boxes.
And if you mean properly get an exchange server in
right off.
sendmail and an imap demon will do nicely thanks.
And if you mean properly get an exchange server in
right off. sendmail and an imap demon will do nicely thanks.
Last edited by mad_jock; 27th Apr 2013 at 15:00.
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Earth
Posts: 3,663
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
nd if you mean properly get an exchange server in right off.
I meant using Raspberry Pi with USB sticks is an absolute joke.
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2001
Posts: 10,815
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Its no different to using a couple of spark5's load sharing.
It may seem like a joke but really you could have a hundred of them with battery packs for the price of one normal server and UPS. Distribute them across subnets. You don't have to have USB sticks there are top boards now with proper HD and timing chips. Its the lack of timing chip which would actually cause most problems with the raw unit.
It may seem like a joke but really you could have a hundred of them with battery packs for the price of one normal server and UPS. Distribute them across subnets. You don't have to have USB sticks there are top boards now with proper HD and timing chips. Its the lack of timing chip which would actually cause most problems with the raw unit.
Last edited by mad_jock; 28th Apr 2013 at 19:16.
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Earth
Posts: 3,663
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Yes mad_jock, I am aware of that style of cheap component architecture, the sort Google use in certain areas of their operations.
Trouble is, I doubt you have the resources or operational experience that Google have. I can tell you for a start that Google most certainly do not use USB sticks, but that's just the tip of the iceberg.
Which is why I have been humbly suggesting that you will be fighting a loosing battle with your plans, and that a more traditional setup would serve you much better (I don't care if you run a Windows or Linux based system on it).
I'm telling you. You need to realistically consider the full lifecycle cost. What may appear to be an "expensive" third party managed service may not necessarily be as expensive as you think.... and I've doubts about your definition of expensive too.... getting hosted email can be done relatively cheaply yet robustly these days. Your solution may appear cheaper than anything out there... but that's only because you're seriously devaluing other lifecycle elements.
Trouble is, I doubt you have the resources or operational experience that Google have. I can tell you for a start that Google most certainly do not use USB sticks, but that's just the tip of the iceberg.
Which is why I have been humbly suggesting that you will be fighting a loosing battle with your plans, and that a more traditional setup would serve you much better (I don't care if you run a Windows or Linux based system on it).
I'm telling you. You need to realistically consider the full lifecycle cost. What may appear to be an "expensive" third party managed service may not necessarily be as expensive as you think.... and I've doubts about your definition of expensive too.... getting hosted email can be done relatively cheaply yet robustly these days. Your solution may appear cheaper than anything out there... but that's only because you're seriously devaluing other lifecycle elements.
Last edited by mixture; 28th Apr 2013 at 22:32.
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2001
Posts: 10,815
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I don't have googles combined skill set obviously.
But I have done about 10 setups for corporations from fresh and 5 micro****e exchange rip outs.
Also worked 2 years for a blue chip on contract.
It payed for me to become a pilot.
But I have done about 10 setups for corporations from fresh and 5 micro****e exchange rip outs.
Also worked 2 years for a blue chip on contract.
It payed for me to become a pilot.
Join Date: Apr 1999
Location: The frozen north....
Age: 49
Posts: 547
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like
on
1 Post
Well if all else fails you can always install RASPBMC onto your Pi and it makes an awesome cheap home media centre!
Even my wife was impressed and she normally just rolls here eyes at anything geeky.....
Even my wife was impressed and she normally just rolls here eyes at anything geeky.....
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Earth
Posts: 3,663
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
But I have done about 10 setups for corporations from fresh and 5 micro****e exchange rip outs.
Also worked 2 years for a blue chip on contract.
It payed for me to become a pilot.
Also worked 2 years for a blue chip on contract.
It payed for me to become a pilot.
Anyway... each to their own, but don't come back here crying looking for tea & sympathy (or just technical advice) when it all blows up in your face. If you're a full time ATPL then you've got even less time to waste babysitting some cheapo solution.
Good luck.... you'll need it.
Last edited by mixture; 29th Apr 2013 at 15:47.
C'mon mixture, it all comes down to hardware reliability - the software is the same. Maybe mad_jock's client is happy to forgo that extra decimal point of availability to save 90% of the cost. Horses for courses.
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Earth
Posts: 3,663
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
C'mon mixture, it all comes down to hardware reliability - the software is the same.
(b) The software is not quite the same, its not like you can run any nix/nux of your choosing... you have to run very specific operating systems that have been heavily cut-down to fit the limitations of the product.
I'm sorry. I've seen too many penny pinching clients in my time. Most get denied their request, but for special customers I've occasionally complied with their request because I know I've had solid T&Cs in place and the solution wasn't for production use. The penny pinching always ends up blowing up in their face once the full lifecycle kicks in.
Using the Raspberry Pi in this scenario doesn't even comply with the old "pick two" motto .... its more like "pick one".... the one being price at the expense of quality and reliability (or whatever other two factors you wish to name).
Extra decimal point ? More like dropping from somewhere in the late 90s to somewhere in the early 80s !
Last edited by mixture; 29th Apr 2013 at 17:11.
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2001
Posts: 10,815
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
100 is relatively small.
Last email I set up was for 3000 with a couple of spark5's with a couple of NIC's each # linked to a solaris file server with samba running the file system to link to PC's on the back of NIS+
Worked a treat and the load factors never got above 0.6 Only down time was planned.
There was mucho moaning from across the atlantic about joining the exchange enterprise but that would have cost an absolute fortune in hardware and licenses and 3 admins. Job done for 2 recycled work stations and about 5 hours a month admin patching after setting up all the cron jobs.
Was still running 7 years ago and had been up for 5 years. How much for 3 exchange servers for 3000 users and licenses for 5 years?
Even though I am an ATPL I still have a black belt in vi and still have all my old scripts.
Will let you know how its goes I may through throw caution to the wind and get 5 raspberry's and 5 rechargeable battery packs which will bring the hardware price up to 250 euros.
Last email I set up was for 3000 with a couple of spark5's with a couple of NIC's each # linked to a solaris file server with samba running the file system to link to PC's on the back of NIS+
Worked a treat and the load factors never got above 0.6 Only down time was planned.
There was mucho moaning from across the atlantic about joining the exchange enterprise but that would have cost an absolute fortune in hardware and licenses and 3 admins. Job done for 2 recycled work stations and about 5 hours a month admin patching after setting up all the cron jobs.
Was still running 7 years ago and had been up for 5 years. How much for 3 exchange servers for 3000 users and licenses for 5 years?
Even though I am an ATPL I still have a black belt in vi and still have all my old scripts.
Will let you know how its goes I may through throw caution to the wind and get 5 raspberry's and 5 rechargeable battery packs which will bring the hardware price up to 250 euros.
But what is cut down? If you're running a mail server and printer queue all you need are the relevant parts. Quality? It's using the same mail server and print queue software as any other equivalent Linux installation. Sure, it won't be an enterprise equivalent but that isn't required.
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2001
Posts: 10,815
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
He is doubting the hardware of the raspberry PI. Which you can over come by sheer numbers. For the same price as one "server" PSU you can buy 4 Rasberrys.
A full installation of Fedora has been ported onto it as a standard build.
Not that you would need that for a mail server.
Half a G of ram is more than enough.
They are mass produced and aren't soak tested before dispatch which server hardware would be. But for 35 quid and producing 30 000 of them a month what do you expect.
And for all the server hardware gets tested you still get the occasional wonky one.
A full installation of Fedora has been ported onto it as a standard build.
Not that you would need that for a mail server.
Half a G of ram is more than enough.
They are mass produced and aren't soak tested before dispatch which server hardware would be. But for 35 quid and producing 30 000 of them a month what do you expect.
And for all the server hardware gets tested you still get the occasional wonky one.
Join Date: Apr 1998
Location: Mesopotamos
Posts: 5
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Can Rasberry Pi do the following?
Recently I set up a full webmail solution under guidance from someone who has done a dozen of them before, and it was pretty full on in terms of configuring all the moving parts.
On the backend I used:
- SAN for the mailstore.
- Dovecot for IMAP access (SSL & POP)
- Postfix as the MTA
- SpamAssassin, Amavis, ClamAV for virus checking.
- postgrey for blocking spammers.
- A bunch of SQL databases.
On the frontend I used:
- Roundcubemail for webmail client.
- Maia webinterface for managing quarantined messages with viruses
- Postfixadmin for managing e-mail domains and e-mail addresses.
- SendmailAnalyzer for sysadmin reports.
Both the frontend and backend servers where running Linux High Availability.
All servers had management:
- SNMP (Nagios)
- logrotate/rsyslog
- puppet
- ntp
- package management
As I said, lots of "moving" software parts but it worked extremely well once I got everything setup perfectly.
Best thing is all the software is free
.
Now I've also used MS-Exchange and was once a fan of it but not now for lots of reasons.
If you can do the above with Rasberry Pi I would be very impressed.
Recently I set up a full webmail solution under guidance from someone who has done a dozen of them before, and it was pretty full on in terms of configuring all the moving parts.
On the backend I used:
- SAN for the mailstore.
- Dovecot for IMAP access (SSL & POP)
- Postfix as the MTA
- SpamAssassin, Amavis, ClamAV for virus checking.
- postgrey for blocking spammers.
- A bunch of SQL databases.
On the frontend I used:
- Roundcubemail for webmail client.
- Maia webinterface for managing quarantined messages with viruses
- Postfixadmin for managing e-mail domains and e-mail addresses.
- SendmailAnalyzer for sysadmin reports.
Both the frontend and backend servers where running Linux High Availability.
All servers had management:
- SNMP (Nagios)
- logrotate/rsyslog
- puppet
- ntp
- package management
As I said, lots of "moving" software parts but it worked extremely well once I got everything setup perfectly.
Best thing is all the software is free
.Now I've also used MS-Exchange and was once a fan of it but not now for lots of reasons.
If you can do the above with Rasberry Pi I would be very impressed.
Last edited by cattletruck; 30th Apr 2013 at 11:35. Reason: forgot to add postgrey
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Earth
Posts: 3,663
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
If you can do the above with Rasberry Pi I would be very impressed.
You're dead at point one. SAN storage.
And no, trying to fudge it over the NIC won't cut it.
Last edited by mixture; 30th Apr 2013 at 10:11.