Thanks to everyone for their comments so far.
The "server" in question is a basic 2 node cluster connected to an MSA500.
It runs a variety of applications including Oracle, Apache, Samba, and a proprietary app built by another vendor.
The hardware is monitored, maintained and backed up regularly.
The setup is mission critical to my client. They spent a lot of time and money to make sure it wouldn't go down.
The list's point is well taken that old *nix installs are very reliable long term. I've had similar experiences. Given this particular client's need for a reliable, stable, redundant system, I was contemplating alternatives or future upgrades rather than letting things age.
Shawn
Hi Guys,
I have a client who hopes to keep their server another 5 years making it 10 years old at that time.
At this point there are no plans to add new infrastructure or a new server to the mix. Their business model is fairly static.
I'd like to see them upgrade. Can anyone suggest specific reasons why running a business on 10 year old equipment is a bad thing?
Specific arguments I can think of would be:
- Hard/Impossible to find replacement hardware
- Lack of support for both H/W and S/W
- Possibly unable to run current versions of CentOS
- Higher probability of hardware failures over time
- Performance bottlenecks
Any other thoughts?
Shawn
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