[Dovecot] Follow-up re: gcc 2.96 - Re: PATCH: compile dovecot-1.1.beta14 with gcc 2.95

[Scott Silva]

on 2-29-2008 2:36 AM Stephen Usher spake the following:
> Scott Silva wrote:
>> How much longer can a system be expected to run? 8+ years at 24/7 is 
>> about a half a million hours. Drives are getting old and expensive to 
>> replace. Processors are probably slow. Energy use is high. Motherboard 
>> capacitors are probably drying up. The systems are past a safe point 
>> and are getting closer to the "great e-waste pile in the sky".
> 
> I retired a 13 year old DEC AlphaStation 5/266 yesterday... Legacy 
> systems are still doing useful things. You just have to make sure that 
> they're isolated from the outside as they can't be patched or upgraded. 
> (e.g. newer versions of OpenSSH won't compile under Digital UNIX 4.2C)
> 
> Steve
> 
> P.S. For the record, the DEC box has only ever needed to be shut down 
> for power outages and (in its early life) OS upgrades. It ran 24/7 and 
> never had a hardware fault (and still doesn't). Now that's reliable 
> hardware!
True,
but just because it hasn't failed in 13 years doesn't mean that it wont fail 
tomorrow. Or next week. Everything wears out sooner or later. I don't feel 
right using a server for critical systems for more than 5 years. I usually 
will warranty them to that age, and then move them on.

The servers that used to handle our e-mail needs a few years ago are now 
terabyte backup targets. A new raid controller and some new drives, and the 
critical part of them is as good as new. If a MB or power supply dies I can 
move the drive cage to another system and get to the data in less than an hour.


-- 
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You hope everybody uses it, and
you notice quickly if they don't!!!!

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