Ok folks, I got the final cost in, and its above the estimated $15k total. It'd be great to get both, but I'll be extremely happy to get one as our new MySQL server.

http://www.ironsystems.com/index.asp
General Purpose Servers | Intel Platform E-M Class Series

Total cost for one system: $10,711.338 including taxes.

I'll update /server_marathon.html to reflect this. Also, the donation bar has been readjusted to reflect the new precise total, rather than the previous $15k estimate.

P.S.

Barracuda was gracious to help CastleCops by donating six servers. Details are here:

/t217576-Thank_you_to_Barracuda.html

EM2550UHS.zip
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I understood the spec up to where it says it is black ...

Seriously, that's one heck of a system!
Will they knock off the 0.8 cents for cash?

That doc is the base for our specs.

So the Barracuda donations don't help knock the number down?

The original intent of the drive was to obtain two each of the /server_marathon.html servers. They would both operate as masters, but also as slaves to each other. If one failed, the other could subsist and the www would continue.

With Barracuda's server contribution, that landscape changes. Once a 2U goes online, I'll migrate MySQL from the 4x1 cpu server to the 2x2 system and monitor performance for a couple days. If it does well, then perhaps we don't need to get the original spec in the server_marathon page.

At this stage I believe a beefier server is the route to take, and Barracuda's systems will act in the front end capacity of apache/php/IRT scripts.

Question is, do I setup NFS for dynamic files? Some say its too slow for web, some say its not.

So to answer your question, Barracuda's donations are hardware and they don't directly influence the donation drive as it is funding. But, the hardware donation may have a dramatic impact on what system(s) the donation drive may acquire.

Greetings,

Paul, would it be possible to tidy up the Donate Here text!?

Those strike-throughs could do with being removed.

Perhaps also CC's banner added to the top of the screen...!?

Also, might it be a idea to highlight the ISC route more - given it's tax-deductable status (??!! ...assuming that's what a "501(c) status" means.)

I'd like to add the link - with suitable text - as a footer to private emails.

Kindest regards,

James

Paul I been looking at the forums for an update on the site performance and the current plan for a site upgrade, but did not find any posting. I believe an update would help the donation drive.

The total of donations has been $9736.22 for a weeks now. Have the donations stopped or has the total just not been updated? With only 45% of the required total raised it must be putting doubts into the minds of people who haven't donated. An updated total would surely encourage further donations if the total is significantly higher than that shown as I suspect it might be.

There are but I have not updated the total yet.

Yes, I am one of the doubters! I would want all the proposed hardware changes to be certain to go ahead. If so, I would be prepared to donate USD50.

If anything changes I will let you know.