Server
Configuration Estimates Based on Transaction Data
Volumes
I was recently asked by the CEO
of a medium-sized cargo consolidator firm on how
he can really gain good understanding of the basis
used by his IT Manager in determining the size
and capacity of new computer servers his company
has been buying since the start of this year.
My first reaction was to feel dismayed
since his experience reminds me of what I have
written about in November last year: the "MGM"
complex of technology-savvy IT managers.
"MGM" complex pertains
to the unfortunately uncontrollable propensity
of IT specialists to talk with non-technical business
users in terms of megahertz (unit of measure for
computer processor speed), gigabyte (unit of measure
for computer storage or memory capacity) and middleware
(software that connects 2 or more software applications
across networks or the Internet).
In order to assist our CEO, I am
describing below a simple approach on how to understand
the technicalities of server capacity and configuration
in terms of easily understandable business information
such as transaction data volume.
Let us assume the server being proposed for purchase
will host a container database consisting of both
inbound and outbound transactions (or import and
export movements).
Using the container number as primary record reference,
let us identify additional information details
that will make our database useful.
These additional information would
normally include the following:
vessel particulars :
vessel name
voyage number
import/export identifier
vessel registry number
vessel arrival date
vessel departure date
identity of cargo owner:
bill of lading
name of consignee
description of cargo commodity inside container
customs processing reference: import entry number
export declaration number
payment details:
arrastre & wharfage invoice number
arrastre & invoice amount
storage invoice number
storage invoice amount
container release details:
shipping line container release order
arrastre equipment intercharge receipt (gatepass)
name of truck carrier
truck plate number
container movement events:
date/time discharged from vessel
date/time loaded into vessel
date/time of exit from the port
date/time of entry into the port
We will now assign appropriate quantifiable
characteristics into our database:
total length of 1 container record - 256 characters
assume: 50 containers handled daily
- 50 x 256 = 12,800 characters
(Monday to Saturday)
26 days in a month - 26 x 12,800 = 332,800
12 months in a year - 12 x 332,800 = 3,993,600
characters
The resulting figure means that
your server hard disk must provide for a storage
capacity to handle a yearly database size of 3,993,600
characters.
From this simple computation, you
can now add more estimates to correspond to the
yearly transaction volume increment you assume
to handle each. At the same time, you can apply
the same approach in understanding how your IT
Manager will estimate server capacity size for
your company's other databases: payroll, invoicing,
general ledger.
Does this sound very simplistic?
Indeed, this is the very purpose
of our article today - remove the technical confusion
and instead relate easy-to-understand business
transaction data to server capacity configuration.
The author has more than 20 years
experience in the development, project management
and implementation of IT projects in Philippine
ports, transport and logistics. He is presently
an independent consultant for IT projects and
initiatives in Philippine ports and transport
industries. For comments or inquiries, email him
at leo@morada.name.
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Sample
Approach to Supply Chain Vulnerability Assessment
ONE of the key developments
arising out of the comprehensive studies, policies,
action plans and initiatives about supply chain
security during the last three years is supply
chain vulnerability assessment in the cargo transport
industry. This slide shows a sample approach on
how vulnerability assessment of the supply chain
is undertaken. It describes the process of export
movement from the warehouse to the port then to
the shipping line enroute to the destination foreign
port.
The potential points
of vulnerability are clearly described: inadequate
physical and personnel security at the warehouse
and seaport, lack of visibility on road and shipping
line transport status, unsecured access to the
container and its cargo contents within the port
and onboard vessel, and non-availability of information
on shipment location at any given time. One way
of addressing these vulnerabilities is through
the use of technology solutions that are generally
classified into currently available technologies
and those which are projected to become commercially
available within two to three years. These include
smart cards and biometrics that are widely used
in access control environments and authentication
requirements. Another category is asset tracking
and the commercially available technologies in
this aspect are global positioning systems, barcoding
and radio frequency identification. GPS-based
systems were already implemented as early as the
middle part of the 1990s. Barcoding and radio
frequency identification are now extensively utilized
in modern warehousing operations. Close-circuit
TV systems (CCTV) constitute another category.
In the country's biggest ports of South Harbor
and the Manila International Container Terminal,
CCTV systems are used to monitor perimeter security
of these facilities, personnel and vehicle security
monitoring of key cargo storage areas, and monitoring
of ongoing vessel discharge/load operations.
A growing number
of ports abroad have installed container inspection
systems based on the x-ray or gamma ray technology.
The use of electronic cargo seals are already
actively being evaluated by shipping lines while
numerous facilities are now available for both
importers and exporters to track their shipments
over the Internet. Submission of the cargo manifest
in electronic format is already in wide use even
in the ASEAN region and its electronic submission
is required by customs, port authorities and port
operators to be made in advance of actual date
of vessel or cargo arrival.
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An
Initial Look at BlackBerry
(Part 1 of a 2-part article)
During the last 45 days, I noted with great interest
an escalated marketing campaign to introduce into
the local ports industry a wireless connectivity
solution reportedly gaining commercial success
all over the world (if one is to believe the numerous
press releases issued by the company that developed
it).
I am referring to the BlackBerry® wireless
platform which is being pushed by the country's
two leading mobile phone service providers. One
of them already started making product presentations
to their large corporate clients in Manila's business
district and port area. The other one made a special
presentation to the Bureau of Customs that focused
on potential applicability for mobile commerce
transactions with customs.
Our column today is the 1st part of a two-series
feature article on BlackBerry®. I have yet
to encounter independent reviews of this technology
solution so I must inform our readers that the
bulk of information I shall include are obtained
mainly from press releases and the web site of
the Canada-based company that developed BlackBerry®.
What Is BlackBerry®?
BlackBerry® is a wireless connectivity solution
providing access to a wide range of business applications
on a handheld device: wireless email, full phone
functionality, SMS capability, internet browsing,
document attachment viewing (such as Microsoft
Office and Adobe Acrobat PDF documents), full-featured
organizer with PC synchronization, and wireless
access to corporate databases.
Imagine receiving and sending email while sipping
coffee in the shopping mall, viewing an attachment
PowerPoint presentation while riding a taxi on
your way to a business meeting, receiving an SMS
message, and calling your home while reading email
messages - all of these features on one and the
same handheld are possible through BlackBerry®.
Not impressive enough? Then take look at these
comprehensive features:
- Single, integrated handheld
for all your data and voice needs.
- Access your existing email
wirelessly.
- Integrated phone, SMS, browser
and organizer applications.
- BlackBerry 'push' technology
means you don't have to retrieve your email
or data - it finds you.
- View email attachments in popular
document formats.
- Easy-to-use BlackBerry Wireless
Handhelds™ support voice services, and
make creating and retrieving
- information amazingly simple.
- Choice of handhelds, networks
and service providers.
- Operates on 50 networks in
over thirty countries
BlackBerry® platform
is designed, manufactured and marketed by Research
In Motion (RIM), a company based in Ontario, Canada
(www.rim.com).
The Components of BlackBerry® Solution
The BlackBerry® platform offers enterprise
server software (Microsoft Exchange and Lotus
Notes), desktop/web-based software and handheld
software, which work together to manage the link
between your BlackBerry® handheld, your email
and other applications.
Every BlackBerry® handheld includes advanced
wireless technology. They also have an optimized
keyboard, thumb-operated trackwheel, easy-to-read
backlit screen, intuitive menu-driven interface
and integrated software applications. Existing
handheld models are shown below:
  
You also need to subscribe to the BlackBerry®
service being offered by mobile phone service
providers.
When Did BlackBerry® Become Available In the
Philippines?
According to Smart Telecommunications, it first
introduced BlackBerry® last year. It recently
made available two new BlackBerry Wireless Handhelds™
- the BlackBerry 7230™ and BlackBerry 7730™.
Supporting international roaming on GSM/GPRS networks,
the new Java-based BlackBerry handhelds feature
high-resolution color screens while maintaining
superior battery life. The BlackBerry 7730 features
a large screen providing extra workspace for data
applications, while BlackBerry 7230 comes in a
handy, compact design.
The significance of being Java-capable is that
it allows Smart to develop customized software
solutions for corporate applications such as real-time
order processing and inventory management.
Initial Market Response To BlackBerry®
If you read the press releases of both RIM and
Smart, BlackBerry® is a huge commercial success
abroad and is rapidly being adopted by users in
the Philippines.
But some port industry business users have observed:
"What happened to MMS?" and "why
does the keyboard give me the impression you have
to learn a new way of typing text messages?"
(Next column: Where BlackBerry® Is Most Useful)
The author has more than 20 years experience in
the development, project management and implementation
of IT projects in Philippine ports, transport
and logistics. He is presently an independent
consultant for IT projects and initiatives in
Philippine ports and transport industries. For
comments or inquiries, email him at leo@morada.name.
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Where
BlackBerry is Most Useful
(Part 2 of a 2-part article)
In the first part of our article last 02 August,
we described BlackBerry® as a wireless connectivity
solution providing access to a wide range of business
applications on a handheld device: wireless email,
full phone functionality, SMS capability, internet
browsing, document attachment viewing (such as
Microsoft Office and Adobe Acrobat PDF documents),
full featured organizer with PC synchronization,
and wireless access to corporate databases.
As an example, we explained specific situations
of using this technology such as receiving and
sending email while sipping coffee in the shopping
mall, viewing an attachment PowerPoint presentation
while riding a taxi on your way to a business
meeting, receiving an SMS message, and calling
your home while reading email messages - all of
these features on one and the same handheld are
possible through BlackBerry®.
In today's column, we shall look at the results
of a research study on what business applications
has BlackBerry® demonstrated its usefulness
and benefits. These pertain to a study conducted
by Ipsos-Reid (a leading international survey-based
marketing research firm) from which we are quoting
from.
An independent Ipsos-Reid study of 1,000 active
Internet users in June 2001 found that 61% agree
that they preferred communicating via email than
other methods. This same study found that half
of active Internet users agree that they couldn't
live without their email.
While online shopping and other activities receive
the most attention, email remains the Internet's
true killer application. The key weakness with
email for the busy professional is that keeping
up with it can be an arduous task. The study quoted
above found that 39% agree that they can hardly
keep up with all the email they receive. This
is not difficult to fathom. Professionals who
find themselves consistently on the road or busy
in meetings can become overwhelmed with the number
of emails that have accumulated. Additionally,
it is unavoidable that many of these emails are
time-sensitive and require immediate attention.
Not being able to immediately address these types
of messages in a timely manner can have severe
consequences.
BlackBerry Addresses
Productivity and Immediacy
The value returned by BlackBerry, on the lives
and work practices of users, is a direct result
of several key distinguishing features of BlackBerry
such as: integration with an existing email address,
"Always On, Always Connected®" functionality
and ease-of-use.
The Ipsos-Reid study concludes that BlackBerry
returns value in three fundamental ways:
1. By increasing Productivity;
2. By providing Immediacy and improving responsiveness;
3. By offering Direct Savings in the form of
alternate communications and mobile device expenses.
BlackBerry® is
an effective tool for enhancing productivity.
An extensive recent study with users has found
that almost all users (93%) agree that BlackBerry
has allowed them to convert downtime into productive
time by giving them access to their email at all
times. In fact, the typical user recovers an average
of 53 work minutes a day because BlackBerry enabled
them to convert what traditionally was downtime
(traveling, waiting for meetings, waiting at the
airport) into productive time.
While the value of turning downtime into productive
time is quantifiable, an intangible benefit also
arises. Ninety-one percent of BlackBerry users
surveyed in the research study agree that BlackBerry
has improved their quality of life (42% strongly
agree and 49% somewhat agree).
Due to its ability to enhance user's responsiveness
and awareness, BlackBerry also returns value in
the form of immediacy.
The same study with BlackBerry users found that
almost all users (94%) agree that BlackBerry has
improved their ability to stay on top of email
without having to exclusively devote time to their
inbox. Therefore, regardless of where they are
or what they are doing, BlackBerry has empowered
users to address immediacy concerns with email.
Emails that need to be addressed right away are
immediately responded to upon receipt, rather
than when the user returns to the office or has
a chance to dial into the corporate network with
their laptop.
A third benefit of BlackBerry as found in the
study has been users' reductions in usage of devices
such as wireless phones, basic PDAs, and laptops.
For example, BlackBerry users find that they do
not have to dial into the corporate network as
frequently as they did before they used BlackBerry,
nor do they have to spend as much time dialed
in.
BlackBerry users who use standard or advanced
wireless phones are discovering that they are
spending less time on their wireless phone. Based
on the surveyed group of users, standard wireless
phone users were using a total of 715.2 minutes
a month prior to using BlackBerry. Since using
BlackBerry, these monthly wireless minutes have
dropped to 606.7. Over one year, this decrease
results in savings of $72.91 per average BlackBerry
user (assuming a charge of 10 cents per minute
and adjusting for the proportion of BlackBerry
users with standard wireless phones).
The same pattern emerges with advanced wireless
phones. The average usage minutes per month per
BlackBerry user were 854.9. After deploying BlackBerry
these minutes dropped to 761.2 per month, for
an annual reduction of 1,124 minutes a year.
It will be very interesting if the same return
on investment benefits identified in the Ipsos-Reid
study can also be confirmed for existing users
in the Philippines sometime in the near future.
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How
Good is Your Anti-Virus and Anti-Spam Software?
During the last three months I
received several inquiries from a number of colleagues
on how to resolve recurring problems of computer
virus infections and spam email. All of them had
one common theme in their inquiries: What do the
big companies in our industry use as effective
anti-virus and anti-spam software solutions?
I did not have to look far in order
to provide a satisfactory answer. Based on my
checklist of the biggest companies and leading
technology users in the ports, shipping and transport
sectors, I soon found out that those belonging
to the top group use the same solution - Sophos
anti-virus and anti-spam.
Sophos is considered a world-leader
in corporate anti-virus protection (www.sophos.com
). Its enterprise solutions provide reliable,
high-performance, multi-platform protection against
viruses and spam across even the most complex
networks.
These consist of three main components.
Sophos Anti-Virus which detects, reports and disinfects
viruses on laptops, desktops and file servers
and is an ideal solution for large, complex multi-platform
networks. PureMessage protects email servers against
viruses, spam and other email-borne security threats.
This threat reduction technology allows you to
prevent even new, unknown email-aware worms from
entering your business. For operating systems
that PureMessage does not currently support, Sophos
MailMonitor protects your email servers and gateways
against mass-mailing worms and viruses.
Sophos small business solutions
include Sophos Small Business Suite that provides
multi-tier protection, blocking viruses and spam
at the email server, and checking for viruses
on desktop computers, laptops and network servers;
Sophos Anti-Virus Small Business Edition that
defends Windows and Macintosh computers against
viruses at the desktop and server levels; and
Sophos PureMessage Small Business Edition to protect
networks from viruses and spam on Exchange and
SMTP email servers.
Business Presence in the Philippines
Sophos has been in the Philippines since 2000
and been doing business in the country through
channel partners.
It has eight local partners in Manila
as of 2002: Micro Genesis, InfoBahn, Gable Computing,
I-Secure, TechSecure, Tridel Technology Inc and
Trends & Technologies, Inc. It also appointed
last year two other partners outside of Metro
Manila. These are Bitstop, Inc for northern Luzon
and HPS Software & Communications Corp for
Cebu.
These companies will offer Sophos's
extensive suite of anti-virus solutions to all
levels of businesses - including multinational
corporations, educational institutions, utilities
and government entities in the country.
In May 2002, Sophos MailMonitor
for Exchange 2000 was launched as a gateway anti-virus
solution specifically developed for Microsoft
Exchange 2000 servers in the Philippines. This
solution provides Microsoft Exchange 2000 users
at large and mid-sized enterprises with high-performance
and reliable protection against more than 73,000
computer viruses, worms and Trojan horses.
When Sophos announced last August
2003 the appointment of Bitstop Inc as its latest
business partner, Charles Cousin, managing director
of Sophos Anti-Virus Asia remarked that "As
an IT company, Sophos is committed to the Philippines
and will continue to appoint partners to raise
business security standards. He HHe further added
that "As more companies invest in the Philippines,
having reliable anti-virus solutions available
is critical to protect their investments".
Customer Success
Story A customer success story published in the
Sophos web site is that of Transnational Diversified
Group of Companies (TDG) which has over 30 member
companies.
When the Nimda worm infected three
of its companies in 2001, the Group's various
operations were paralyzed for almost 24 hours.
The main difficulty for TDG was that at the same
time they had to try and contain the virus and
prevent it spreading to the other member companies.
Unfortunately, it took the group's IT administrators
such a long time to disseminate the patches needed
to update each member's anti-virus solution, the
group suffered a marked drop in efficiency and
productivity.
The incident is said to have prompted TDG to investigate
standardizing all its computing platforms, including
its anti-virus solution. A comprehensive selection
process via tender was put into place to ensure
the right solution was selected. After evaluating
the key features of several available anti-virus
solutions, TDG chose Sophos Anti-Virus.
This customer success story reports
that TDG has a three-year Sophos Corporate Connect
Plus licence, which incorporates Sophos Anti-Virus,
Enterprise Manager and MailMonitor, and provides
total protection against virus attacks. The license
protects up to 799 users on up to 79 servers,
as well as desktops, laptops and email gateways.
It also protects TDG's 8,800 employees who have
access to over 1,300 desktops and laptops distributed
throughout 70 sites groupwide.
Companies within the group use
a wide variety of platform architecture and network
configurations. Nevertheless TDG's installation
plan has ensured that most of its member companies
now have Sophos's solution in place.
MailMonitor enables TDG to check
all email traffic passing through its Lotus Notes
and Exchange email servers, while Enterprise Manager
provides the group with automated downloads of
program updates and virus identity files via the
internet. After checking the integrity and origin
of the downloaded files, the software automatically
deploys them across the network, which further
simplifies the task for TDG's IT Administrators.
The author has more than 20 years
experience in the development, project management
and implementation of IT projects in Philippine
ports, transport and logistics. He is presently
an independent consultant for IT projects and
initiatives in Philippine ports and transport
industries. For comments or inquiries, email him
at leo@morada.name.
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Updates on Cold
Storage Data Collection Systems
I can still vividly recall several
years ago while I was still in the corporate world
when some expatriate consultants would tell stories
about how quay cranes and container yard shifters
would become non-operational and some key equipment
components literally freeze when temperatures
plunge several degrees below zero in some Russian
ports.
In trying to relate this real-life
situation to a cold storage warehouse, just imagine
the effects of such harsh environment on data
collection equipment such as barcode scanners,
handheld radio data terminals, and vehicle-mounted
terminals.
According to industry experts,
"the tough part is not really the extremely
cold environment - but moving in and out of the
cold, which causes condensation to become an issue.
Extreme fluctuations in temperature create condensation,
and condensation causes screens to fog up, keyboards
to seize up, and internal parts to corrode - reducing
operator productivity levels and increasing operator
frustrations and equipment repair costs".
It is further pointed out that
there are wireless network issues that one has
to overcome in a freezer setting that are not
as prevalent in the typical warehouse. Since freezer
walls are heavily insulated and lined with stainless
steel, these a radio frequency (RF) environment
conducive to a technical situation referred to
as "multipathing".
RF multipathing is the phenomenon
that occurs when radio signals bounce off obstacles
and arrive at the receiver at slightly different
times, causing the receiver to fail to pick up
either signal. This is similar to what are being
experienced when radio date signals bounce off
containers in a vast container yard.
Fortunately, the latest updates
disclose that leading technology providers for
wireless data collection systems have designed
new products that efficiently operate in harsh
cold storage environments.
One of them is LXE Incorporated (based in Georgia,
USA), reported to have recently made available
to the market new freezer radio data terminals
as part of a comprehensive line of of cold chain
wireless data collection products.
LXE introduced what is described
as the "cold-loving" VX6 and VX7 rugged
vehicle-mount models that operate as wireless
computers for any freezer or cold storage application.
Both models are based on the Windows® CE .NET
environment thereby enabling cold warehouse operators
to run the same CE .NET applications on both their
handheld and vehicle-mount computers, thereby
greatly reducing user training and support costs.
This is good news for IT developers
in logistics firms that offer cold storage facilities
since many software programmers are quite turned
off by the DOS-based environment of previous models
in the market. In addition, LXE's ultra-rugged,
heated MX5 handheld computer, with its magnesium
housing, is reportedly designed to handle harsh
environments beyond just cold temperatures.
Another leading radio data technology
provider that offers proven solutions for cold
storage wireless data collection, is Psion Teklogix
(the company is actually a strategic merger between
U.K.-based Psion Enterprise division of Psion
PLC, and Canadian-based Teklogix Inc).
Its custom-designed 7030 Hand-Held
Freezer Terminal is described as a rugged, portable
unit. It is said to be the first heated hand-held
terminal engineered to perform in condensing environments
fluctuating from a humid 50 °C/122 °F
down to an icy -30 °C/-22 °F and already
proven to overcome typical cold storage performance
issues: frozen keyboard, window fogging, display
failures, and internal corrosion.
Another technology player in the
field of cold storage data collections system
is US-based Intermec.
In one of its customer sites in
Tacoma, Washington it was reported that Intermec's
radio frequency (RF) products and scanners operated
in temperatures approaching minus 31.7 degrees
Celsius (minus 25 Fahrenheit). Site implementation
involved a number of creative solutions such as
installing heated copper strips for the RF units
& access points and supplying heated holsters
for the scanning devices.
For those interested in knowing
more about LXE, Psion Teklogix and Intermec, all
three are represented in the Philippines by designated
business partners.
Erratum: In the September
13 issue of this column, I enumerated the list
of channel business partners in the Philippines
of Sophos anti-virus and anti-spam solutions.
Romy Arambulo of Sophos PR consultant Phang and
Naughton recently called my attention to the fact
that some of those firms were no longer active
channel partners. The updated list of Sophos channel
partners in the Philippines now consist of the
following:
1. Microgenesis Business Systems
2. MicroBase Inc
3. Infobahn Communication
4. Keystone Solution, Inc
5. BitStop Network Services, Inc
6. HPS Sofwtare & Commu-nication Corporation
7. i-Secure Networks & Business Solutions
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