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ALTERNATIVE
TECHNOLOGIES FOR THE ANGEL PROJECT Background ANGEL
stands for Advisory Network for Government Executive and Legislature and
it aims to implement a computer networking setup liking government
agencies involved in LEDAC activities. Computer and networking equipment
had been distributed to participating agencies with the resulting setup of
four server sites and a few independent workstations connecting through
remote access dialup. As
envisioned, the project was to implement a network wide document
management system but the software to implement the system was not
acquired. As a result, the applications have been re-conceptualized into
development of intranet sites on the four server sites of the network
using the freely available Internet technologies. Current
Platform Currently,
the systems are implemented under the Microsoft Windows NT platform.
Microsoft however has stopped further development of the NT platform in
favor of the newer Windows 2000 set of software products. Companies using
the NT platform are now faced with the dilemma of migrating to the newly
developed platform or examining other alternative technologies that may be
more cost effective in the long run. Due to budget constraints, migrating
to Windows 2000 platform is out of the question at the moment. The
question that arises pertains to what possible platform upgrade paths are
possible and which one the ANGEL Project should adopt. Status
Quo Alternative This
alternative does not involve any shift from the current platform we are
using. Since we are implementing very simple web applications and the
present platform is able to support these applications, there is really no
need to change anything. What we need are to improve whatever existing
applications there are by way of updating the information contained in the
applications. Windows
NT With Lotus Notes The
current version of Internet Information Server that we are using is
version 3.0 and this will no longer be further developed as Microsoft
development efforts are now focused on the newer versions of the software.
NEDA has recently acquired Lotus Notes and Domino software which can be
adopted by the ANGEL Project. Since there are only a few more workstations
to support, the NEDA client access license could be easily extended to
cover LEDAC workstation since LEDAC is administratively managed under the
NEDA umbrella. As a matter of fact, LEDAC workstations under the LEDAC
note are already using the Lotus Notes software. Under
this setup, the Lotus Domino Server will be used instead of the Microsoft
Internet Information Server that we are currently using. The Domino Server
can also be used as the e-mail server instead of the existing Microsoft
Exchange Server which again is an old version that will no longer be
further developed. This provides for a simple solution since only one
software will be used for both intranet and e-mail applications. But
the more important benefit that can be derived is the availability of
document management capabilities in Lotus Notes. If you will recall, the
original concept of the ANGEL Project provided for the implementation of a
document management system which unfortunately did not materialize. With
the availability of the Lotus Notes/Domino software, document management
applications can now be developed. The
Linux Alternative This
is the more radical approach which shifts the operating platform from
Microsoft Windows to a Unix based setup. As you know, Linux is a port of
the Unix operating system to the Intel X86 processor. It is now widely
used as a replacement for Windows NT particularly for intranet and web
applications. The main point of argument in favor of Linux is the cost
factor. Linux can be had at the cost of the CD ROM where the programs are
written. It is a very stable and scalable operating system and has now
been made easier to implement using its new GUI based capability. Compared
to Windows, Linux provides a choice of different styles of Windows to use
such as the GNOME, KDE, and others. There is also a GUI based system
configuration tool that can be used to easily configure the whole
operating system. In addition, no other application software need to be
installed since the Internet server (Apache) and the e-mail server (Sendmail)
are already installed by default. The
negative factors for this alternative is the high learning curve for using
this Unix based system. It would be easier to adapt to the Unix ways of
doing things if you would come from the DOS world than from the Windows
world. A more intimate knowledge of the computer hardware is needed during
the installation and system configuration process. However, my opinion is
that it is worth the effort that can redound to substantial cost savings
in the long run. If you love challenge, then you will love learning Unix.
Indeed if more complicated applications will be implemented, we need to be
capable of using the Unix
command line. However, for our purposes of intranet web and e-mail
applications, the GUI based system can be sufficiently used. Demonstration
Setup To help the ANGEL Project participating agencies representatives more fully appreciate the different alternative setups that can be implemented, we have a few computers here where Lotus Notes/Domino and Linux are installed. One computer which will serve as the server is installed both with the Linux operating system and Windows NT with Lotus Notes/Domino. The other computer which will be used as the client is installed with Windows 98. For the rest of the day, we would be looking at how the different setups will function to satisfy our need for an intranet web and e-mail server software. |
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