Real User
USER PROFILE
FrancisM
Job function:
Data Center Head
Company size:
500-5000 Employees
Industry:
University
Reviews
Apache
A reliable web server for developing Java and Android web and application development.
Pros:
Apache Tomcat has become almost the defacto server for serving Java-based applications on the internet. We use Tomcat for our Java web applications and just recently also for our Android software...
Cons:
The main gripe that I have with Tomcat is it's speed and size. Understandably, Java-based systems have the pre-conceived notion of being slow. However, being exposed to other web servers like...
Other:
Overall, Tomcat is still a recommended product for use with Java web application development and Android application development. Though it has speed and size issues, it's still the most widely-...
VMware
An excellent product with proven track record. Plan properly the deployment and use as this products is expensive.
Pros:
VMware vSphere is a proven product with an established track record. We bought it as part of our server system upgrade project to accommodate our new student management system from Oracle. At first,...
Cons:
With all the desirable features of vSphere and its proven track record, its no wonder that it's also the most expensive virtualization platform out there. This is the first major disadvantage...
Other:
Despite the inherent high cost associated with using this product, I will still highly recommend this for use in production environments. The benefits that will be enjoyed far outweighs the...
New Relic
Great monitoring product. Potential privacy and security issues but the cons might just be too tempting not to try it..
Pros:
New Relic has proven itself as a very reliable and convenient way to monitor your servers and applications. Compared to other cloud-based offerings, New Relic is easy to install and provides a lot of...
Cons:
One major issue for me with New Relic is data privacy. Though installation is a breeze for most operating systems, the thought of installing a monitoring application and seeing a lot of information...
Other:
Overall, New Relic is a great product is recommended for use. Just make sure that you understand the potential privacy and data theft issues associated with cloud-based services.
Personally, I...
Personally, I...
Oracle
MySQL is undoubtedly one of the best open-source database products available. It's fast, easy to use and very reliable.
Pros:
MySQL has established itself not only as the most popular open-source database, but the most reliable one as well. In my more than six years as system administrator managing various websites and web...
Cons:
Back in the days, our only gripe about MySQL was that it was a purely command-line based system. We don't really see it as disadvantage though, as it allowed it to be fast and very reliable....
Other:
MySQL is a highly recommended product. I give it five stars as it really gets the job done without much of a hassle. Being available for the many platforms also makes it a very compelling choice for...
Apache
Clearly one of the best open-source products for running web servers. Our web server of choice for running web servers for more than 7 years and counting.
Pros:
The Apache Web Server is our software of choice for running our web servers for the past seven (7) years. It's clearly one of the best open-source projects in world, as its continuing existence...
Cons:
The only thing that gives me a frown about the Apache Web Server is the command-line configuration. Though it can be configured via web control panels like webmin, you really have to dig deep into...
Other:
The Apache Web Server is undoubtedly one of the best web server software in the world. What's even better is that it's free and remains free even after years of existing. Truly one of the...
Nagios
Nagios is a great network and equipment monitoring system. Installing and configuring it from source is not easy but there are prepackaged bundles that can get you started with Nagios in a jiffy.
Pros:
We started experimenting with Nagios six years ago to get a feel of it as a recommended network monitoring system. We tested other products like opennms, zabbix and zenoss but we finally decided to...
Cons:
Nagios' great customizability is also one of it's greatest drawback. In the early days, installation and configuration of nagios was not for the faint of heart. You need a lot patience and...
Other:
Nagios is a great product. I would highly recommend this to organizations which requires a great deal of flexibility in terms of customizing their network monitoring system.
Though the core...
Though the core...
Cisco
Our Experiences with Cisco UCS
Other:
Hi,
Since you are asking about our experiences with Cisco UCS, here is what we've accomplished so far.
Our greatest accomplishment is server consolidation with the use of virtualization....
Since you are asking about our experiences with Cisco UCS, here is what we've accomplished so far.
Our greatest accomplishment is server consolidation with the use of virtualization....
Digium
Question regarding Asterisk VOIP system
Other:
Hi,
I have been tasked to prepare a plan to upgrade our analogue telephone system into a full-IP unified communications system. We have an experimental Asterisk VOIP system running and its working...
I have been tasked to prepare a plan to upgrade our analogue telephone system into a full-IP unified communications system. We have an experimental Asterisk VOIP system running and its working...
Avaya
Question regarding Avaya's Aura system
Other:
Hi,
I have been tasked to prepare a plan to upgrade our analogue telephone system into a full-IP unified communications system. We have heard about Avaya's Aura system, and we are very...
I have been tasked to prepare a plan to upgrade our analogue telephone system into a full-IP unified communications system. We have heard about Avaya's Aura system, and we are very...
Cisco
Question regarding Unified Communications
Other:
Hi,
I have been tasked to prepare a plan to upgrade our analogue telephone system into a full-IP unified communications system. A local system integrator and long time Cisco partner recently...
I have been tasked to prepare a plan to upgrade our analogue telephone system into a full-IP unified communications system. A local system integrator and long time Cisco partner recently...
Microsoft
Question regarding Microsoft's Lync server
Other:
Hi,
I have been tasked to prepare a plan to upgrade our analogue telephone system into a full-IP unified communications system. Since we have a subscription-based licensing deal with Microsoft,...
I have been tasked to prepare a plan to upgrade our analogue telephone system into a full-IP unified communications system. Since we have a subscription-based licensing deal with Microsoft,...
HP
HP ProCurve 2510 and 2610 are excellent products. HP ProCurve products come with lifetime warranty, but please verify with re-seller as some products only come with limited warranty.
Pros:
We first bought HP ProCurve 2510 and 2610 ethernet switches just to try the product line out. We liked it, and decided to go ProCurve all the way.
What I really like about HP ProCurve is the...
What I really like about HP ProCurve is the...
Cons:
The only thing that I can find wrong with the product is the web interface. Compared to Linksys, the web interface just lacks the usability that other brands offer. I don't like command line a...
Other:
Despite its cons, I would still recommend HP ProCurve switches. Even if it costs more than products with the same specifications and performance, the added cost comes with lifetime warranty. If this...
The Cisco SFE2000 24-port 10/100 Ethernet Switch offers exceptional performance at a very low price point. Limited warranty might be a concern for some but at the price point that it is at, its hard to find a better solution.
Pros:
What I find truly remarkable about Linksys Ethernet switches is that it offers great value at an unbeatable price point. We have been using Linksys ethernet switches for the past four years and it...
Cons:
It's hard to write something negative about a product that just works at a low price point. However, the only thing that probably set us aback with the Linksys switches is that there were some...
Other:
Overall, I would highly recommend this product. At the price point that it is at, if offers excellent value and performance for your business. What's more compelling is that it is not backed by...
Cisco
Cisco 3560X delivers outstanding performance, manageability and reliability. Specialized skills are required for configuring them, so make sure to have someone around during implementation.
Pros:
Cisco Ethernet Switches bring outstanding performance and manageability. We have been using ethernet switches from various vendors like 3Com, Allied Telesis, LInksys and HP before we bought our Cisco...
Cons:
Set-up and configuration of Cisco ethernet switches can be a daunting task, and you need someone experienced with configuring Cisco devices for this task. Configuring a Cisco switch via CLI can be a...
Other:
Overall, Cisco Ethernet Switches are highly recommended. They really improve overall network performance and gives you the peace of mind you deserve. Just be sure to have someone very knowledgeable...
Symantec
Symantec Anti-virus is a good AV solution. However, just make sure your computer has ample memory as it tends to consume more resources compared to other AV products out there.
Pros:
Symantec Antivirus is a good anti-virus software. It has a very good scanning engine and it's user interface really looks awesome. Their live support is also very professional. There was this...
Cons:
One problem that I have with any Symantec product is the heavy consumption on resources. Though they claim that they have made inroads on this issue, their newest products still suffer from the same...
Other:
I would less likely recommend this product to users who only have average RAM and CPU power. It will just eat your computer's resources and there are other products out there that can do the...
Microsoft
A very good anti-virus solution if you have a Microsoft license subscription. Just make sure to have an internal update server to help speed-up definition updates and reduce bandwidth consumption.
Pros:
We have been using Microsoft Forefront for almost three (3) years now and so far we are very satisfied with it. From a cost perspective, it very economical when packaged with our Microsoft software...
Cons:
In our experience, you really need a local Windows Update Server so that product and definintion updates can be easily downloaded. Without it, the client seems to update very slowly and may take a...
Other:
I would definitely recommend Microsoft Forefront if you have a Microsoft license agreement. It will not only save you on cost, it will also give you an enterprise anti-virus system which can be...
HP
HP ProLiant servers are one of the most durable and reliable servers ever made. Just make sure to stock-up on parts which might fail in the long run.
Pros:
The HP ProLiant line has proven to be a very durable and reliable product. This is the greatest thing that I love about HP servers. They just work and keep on working. We have HP ProLiant servers...
Cons:
The only con I can think off with using HP ProLiant is the limited parts of the old servers. This is understandable though, as it is also not feasible for vendors to stock parts which might never be...
Other:
I would definitely recommend HP ProLiant servers. They are very reliable and very easy to configure. Just make sure that you stock-up on parts which you think might not be available any more in the...
Cisco
Cisco UCS is a great server system. Just make sure you have a knowledgeable implementation partner as this is a very complicated server system to set-up.
Pros:
The Cisco UCS Blade Server system is our newest blade server system. We bought the server as the winning server system for our Oracle Peoplesoft Campus Solution system. It bested bids from Oracle,...
Cons:
The downside when using anything from Cisco is the required knowledge needed to ensure proper implementation. The server system can be very daunting for an untrained system administrator to configure...
Other:
I would definitely recommend this product as its benefits far outweigh its drawbacks. Just make sure that you buy all the necessary components to have a complete system.
Choosing the right...
Choosing the right...
IBM
Great value for money but be sure to have all the right components to prevent data loss if using the disk storage system.
Pros:
I recommended the purchase of an IBM BladeCenter S Chassis with four HS 22 Blade Servers and 1 Disk storage system. I came up with the recommendation after reviewing other blade servers at that time...
Cons:
It was quite unfortunate that I lost data while using this blade server. There were a lot of factors, but I believe it should not have happened. I base this from the fact that we haven't lost...
Other:
Overall, the product has great value for money. Under the right circumstances, I would definitely recommend this product. You should select a vendor that is knowledgeable about the solution and...
VMware
Easy to install and configure, but lacks central management
Pros:
- Free
- Easy to install and configure
- Very low overhead
- Great management features
- Enterprise Ready
- Easy to install and configure
- Very low overhead
- Great management features
- Enterprise Ready
Cons:
- Free version limits server memory to 32GB
- No central management of other ESXi servers, each one needs to be logged-in individually if you have multiple servers.
- No central management of other ESXi servers, each one needs to be logged-in individually if you have multiple servers.
Other:
My experience with VMware EXSi is that it's the fastest Virtualization platform out there. This is basically because of the very good architectural design of the underlying hypervisor, which...
Citrix
XenServer Free Virtualization Platform is one of the most full-featured free hypervisors available.
Pros:
XenServer Free Virtualization Platform is one of the most full-featured free systems available. It's main advantage over the free VMware ESXi hypervisor is that the management applications is...
Cons:
- New versions removed the option to automatically start a virtual machine on power-up.
- Host OS consumes more memory than competing products.
- No high-availability and clustering options
- Host OS consumes more memory than competing products.
- No high-availability and clustering options
Other:
I have been using the free XenServer product for the past three (3) years and I'm very satisfied with it.
The product is free to download and use. It's also very easy to install and...
The product is free to download and use. It's also very easy to install and...
Skills
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Android SDK
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Apache Web Server
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Blade Servers
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Cisco Ethernet Switches
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FAS Series
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Forefront
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Linksys Ethernet Switches
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MySQL
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Nagios
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New Relic
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ProCurve
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ProLiant
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Symantec AntiVirus
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Tomcat
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Unified Computing System
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VMware ESXi
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VMware Player
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VMware Server
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vSphere
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Windows Server IIS
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XenServer