Re: Future releases and 1 MB RAM

jason philbrook (jp@c6h22o11.midcoast.com)
Tue, 6 May 1997 17:11:40 -0400 (EDT)

>
> > At least 4 MB of memory is recommended for ComOS 3.5.1b17 on the
> > PortMaster 2E or 2ER. Some configurations may be able to run in 1 MB
> > of memory. Future releases will require 4 MB of memory on the
> > PortMaster 2E and 2ER.
>
> Livingston Sales tells me that new PM-2E's are shipping with 4 MB of RAM
> installed, but what am I supposed to do with the 100+ PM-2E's I already
> own and which are distributed around the countryside?
>
> Most customers will not require every new feature which may be included
> in code-bloated future releases. I suggest that Livingston put some very
> serious effort into modularizing or optimizing their code to allow
> typical configurations to fit in a 1 MB unit and still stay current.
> You are about to turn every 1 MB PM-2E you ever sold into a dinosaur
> (and there must be a LOT of them), forcing your customers to decide
> whether they should:
>
> 1) upgrade the memory - a hassle if you have more than a few units.
> 2) run old code releases - and live with a mix of releases and
> features/bugs if you buy new Livingston gear like the PM3, possibly
> causing Radius and other support complications.
> 3) go out and buy all new equipment.
>
> While it may not be much work for a small customer to choose option 1,
> for a big customer both option 1 and 2 are enough of a pain to force
> serious consideration of option 3, and anytime you force a customer to
> contemplate option 3 you risk losing the business.
>
> Regards,
>
> Mike Kenning
> Senior Technical Analyst
> SPAN/BC Provincial Government Data Network
> 4000 Seymour Place, Victoria, BC, Canada, V8X 4S8
> Ph:(250)387-5454 Fax:(250)387-8419
> mailto:Mike.Kenning@gems1.gov.bc.ca

Sounds like a government to even remotely consider replacing the
portmasters because of a $100 upgrade (labor included)

Here's some common sense:

1) If it's not broken, don't fix it. If comOS 3.3 is doing the job to
your satisfaction, why upgrade to 3.5+?

2) Buy another router or two or three. Clone the configuration onto one
of the new spares and send it out to be replace the one with inadequate
memory. Upgrade the memory and use it to replace another one. Give this
tedious but huge money saver to one of the lower techs on the totem pole.
They'd learn a lot about Portmasters.

3) Things like OSPF, IPX, and SNMP can already be turned or on as needed,
saving a great deal of memory. I would expect this modularization trend to
continue if memory sucking applications make their way into the OS. It's
a valid concern though.

We should be thankful to get the upgraded OS for free. Adding a small
amount of RAM to ensure future OS releases will work is a VERY small
price to pay.

If your 2E's do turn into Dinosaurs in the next 2 years, I will gladly
take them off your hands for the price of handling and shipping :-)

My 0.02.

-- 
/*
Jason Philbrook         |         Midcoast Internet Solutions
jp@midcoast.com         |     Internet Access, LAN, WAN, and Linux
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