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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