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Annotation of dssp/dssp-001.ms, revision 1.1

1.1     ! snw         1: .TL
        !             2: DSSP-001: Essential Philosophy Document
        !             3: .br
        !             4: \fIRevision 1.3 (05/09/19)\fP
        !             5: .AU
        !             6: Serena Willis
        !             7: .AI
        !             8: Datashed Proprietor
        !             9: .AB
        !            10: The Essential Philosophy Document, or "EPD", summarizes the overall philosophy
        !            11: of information technology guiding technology decisions in data center design,
        !            12: equipment deployment, and software deployment employed in the Datashed and its
        !            13: environs.
        !            14: 
        !            15: The primary goal of the Datashed is to provide a 1990s-style data center environment,
        !            16: eschewing the modern, homogeneous approaches to equipment and operating system
        !            17: selection. To that end, the Datashed will host the majority of its services on
        !            18: non-commodity hardware, using a wide variety of operating systems.
        !            19: 
        !            20: The Datashed does, however, make concessions to modern practices in select areas.
        !            21: Its physical cabling plant is structured, the core of its network secure and
        !            22: performant, and some commodity x86/Linux equipment is used for monitoring,
        !            23: backup storage, and occasional hardware emulation.
        !            24: .AE
        !            25: .NH
        !            26: Heterogeneous Environment
        !            27: .LP
        !            28: The Datashed offers a heterogeneous hardware and software environment. This means
        !            29: that services will be provided by and available to non-commodity hardware. Racks
        !            30: will not match each other, servers will be more than commodity x86-64 hardware running
        !            31: Linux, networks will be varied beyond the standard UTP-based Ethernet. 
        !            32: 
        !            33: This derives from a belief that choice and variety in IT deployments is a good 
        !            34: thing, and though we value consistency, our adherence to it is not slavish.
        !            35: .NH
        !            36: Relaxed Approach
        !            37: .LP
        !            38: We feel that the IT industry takes itself too seriously. We want to provide an
        !            39: alternative. Just by looking at the decor (such as wall scrolls), one can tell that
        !            40: the Datashed is not a somber place. It seeks to be as inviting to humans as it is
        !            41: to servers, switches, and routers.
        !            42: 
        !            43: Though we attempt to maintain a well-managed structured cabling plant, the Datashed
        !            44: is not unfriendly to the occasional experimental or \fIad hoc\fP deployment.
        !            45: .NH
        !            46: Traditional Administration
        !            47: .LP
        !            48: We don't believe that building up a server interactively is a bad thing. Not everything
        !            49: needs to be scripted and repeatable, except where it's important. One will not
        !            50: encounter complex DevOps orchestration tools in wide use here, although tenants
        !            51: are free to use them in their own colocated environments.
        !            52: .NH
        !            53: Open Community
        !            54: .LP
        !            55: We strive to make technical details of our projects known to members of our community,
        !            56: and the Internet community at large. We believe this will foster an environment that
        !            57: is both fun and educational.
        !            58: .NH
        !            59: DIY Ethic
        !            60: .LP
        !            61: We follow a DIY ethic. With limited resources, a small, non-commercial data center 
        !            62: such as ours must be both pragmatic and resourceful. If a standard practice that is
        !            63: accepted in large, commercial data centers is impractical or financially unfeasible,
        !            64: we will develop a robust alternative, rather than giving up and saying it cannot be
        !            65: done.
        !            66: 
        !            67: We don't typically have support contracts with hardware or software vendors, even if
        !            68: it means that we do not receive the latest and greatest updates. Often, our equipment
        !            69: is old enough that the vendor either no longer exists, or would not provide support 
        !            70: anyway. We mitigate threats ourselves, use secondhand and/or EOL equipment whenever 
        !            71: we can, and don't shy away from exposing old operating systems to the Internet.
        !            72: .NH
        !            73: Reasoning for DSSP Standards
        !            74: .LP
        !            75: The DSSP standards are in place to help us stay on-track with our overall philosophy,
        !            76: and give us reminders for tasks that we want to do consistently each time. There are,
        !            77: however, no committees or bureaucracies dedicated to enforcing them. The DSSP standards
        !            78: exist to serve \fBus\fP; they do not exist for us to serve \fBthem\fP.
        !            79: .LP
        !            80: @(#)dssp-001.ms        1.3
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