100% Exchange Availability

[Rogue]

We recently added a 16TB SAN into our Exchange environment, during which time we had downtime related to moving the databases, etc. A new, high profile leader within our business is pissed off that we had this downtime, despite the fact that it was planned and communicated widely.

Anyway, he is now demanding 100%, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week Exchange e-mail availability. Despite several attempts to explain that this is impossible, he will accept nothing less. I hate overbearing a$$holes who demand the impossible without understanding what goes into it. Anyone else have to fight these fights at work?

 

[Ornery]

...he is now demanding 100%, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week Exchange e-mail availability.

Is that what he thinks he's paying for? Is he willing to pack it all up and move elsewhere? Where does he have in mind?

 

[Rogue]

Originally posted by: Ornery
...he is now demanding 100%, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week Exchange e-mail availability.

Is that what he thinks he's paying for? Is he willing to pack it all up and move elsewhere? Where does he have in mind?

Without going into too much detail, this is a military application of the system. He is simply refusing to accept that the systems must be patched and maintained and must be taken offline to do so for short periods of time. We pitched an $11 million package to him as a joke and he is kind of taking it serious. That would include redundant fiber paths from his location, UPS systems, generators, redundant networks, redundant servers, etc. and he still thinks that's reasonable because he couldn't access his e-mail while we cutover to a SAN two weekends ago.

 

[Crazee]

The previous CIO where I worked wanted 99.99999% uptime of our exchange environment. We put together a proposal of what it would take to get there and he soon realized how stupid it was to ask that.

 

[RedCOMET]

Originally posted by: Crazee
The previous CIO where I worked wanted 99.99999% uptime of our exchange environment. We put together a proposal of what it would take to get there and he soon realized how stupid it was to ask that.

What, too expensive for him?

 

[KLin]

Must be a dumbass colonel or something.

 

[keldysh]

I hate when Exchange server go down. No excuse for incompetence! If you do not take care of this customer someone else better qualified will. So goes life.

 

[Rogue]

Originally posted by: KLin
Must be a dumbass colonel or something.

I never said that, you did.

 

[Rogue]

Originally posted by: keldysh
I hate when Exchange server go down. No excuse for incompetence! If you do not take care of this customer someone else better qualified will. So goes life.

I'm guessing you will never be the "someone else better qualified" because you can't even begin to understand the complexities of such a system, especially in a military environment at war.

 

[keldysh]

I'm guessing you will never be the "someone else better qualified" because you can't even begin to understand the complexities of such a system, especially in a military environment at war.

This is why war is losing. You can not take joke!

That would include redundant fiber paths from his location, UPS systems, generators, redundant networks, redundant servers, etc.

This is nothing special. VERY common in typical network to use these components.

 

[Rogue]

Wait, you pose a "joke" and then follow it up with political rhetoric? Classic!

Sorry I missed the "joke," I'm sure many other people would have fallen victim to your immense wit and humor as well.

 

[KLin]

Originally posted by: keldysh

I'm guessing you will never be the "someone else better qualified" because you can't even begin to understand the complexities of such a system, especially in a military environment at war.

This is why war is losing. You can not take joke!

That would include redundant fiber paths from his location, UPS systems, generators, redundant networks, redundant servers, etc.

This is nothing special. VERY common in typical network to use these components.

typed sarcasm isn't as easy to detect as spoken sarcasm. :roll:

 

[Rogue]

Originally posted by: keldysh

I'm guessing you will never be the "someone else better qualified" because you can't even begin to understand the complexities of such a system, especially in a military environment at war.

This is why war is losing. You can not take joke!

That would include redundant fiber paths from his location, UPS systems, generators, redundant networks, redundant servers, etc.

This is nothing special. VERY common in typical network to use these components.

Yes, but would you employ these resources to every single desktop in your enterprise? We have all of these systems and then some on our data center. He wants the same redundancy all the way down to the user's desktop, namely his desktop.

 

[keldysh]

Ask for blank check and go on shopping spree.

That is geek wet dream!

 

[EyeMWing]

Originally posted by: Rogue

Originally posted by: Ornery
...he is now demanding 100%, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week Exchange e-mail availability.

Is that what he thinks he's paying for? Is he willing to pack it all up and move elsewhere? Where does he have in mind?

Without going into too much detail, this is a military application of the system. He is simply refusing to accept that the systems must be patched and maintained and must be taken offline to do so for short periods of time. We pitched an $11 million package to him as a joke and he is kind of taking it serious. That would include redundant fiber paths from his location, UPS systems, generators, redundant networks, redundant servers, etc. and he still thinks that's reasonable because he couldn't access his e-mail while we cutover to a SAN two weekends ago.

$11m? Military? Dammit, and I have to pay taxes

That said, you should've pitched higher. No less than a billion dollars worth of stuff.

 

[Rogue]

As a government employee, I am one of the few with a conscience when it comes to spending taxpayer dollars. Granted, I've only been doing it for just over a year, so soon I'm sure I'll stop caring, but until then....

 

[KLin]

I'd say it's time to go to his superior, even if it's the president of the United States. :thumbsup:

 

[Rogue]

Originally posted by: KLin
I'd say it's time to go to his superior, even if it's the president of the United States. :thumbsup:

I make the threat with my superiors all the time and they think I'm joking. I'm all for going over someone's head for things like this. The worst thing my boss ever did was tell me that as a government employee it's damn near impossible to fire me.

 

[m2kewl]

you will need downtime. esp with MS Exchange servers. i had a SVP that had a 21GB mailbox...21 FRIGGIN gigabytes.

who the fvck uses Deleted Items for file storage??? this guy is mid-30s with no concept of technology.

anyway, you will need downtime, i don't care what hardware you got. that is all.