High Availability DOESN’T Have to be Highly Expensive

Mission critical systems cannot afford to have any down-time due to running single point servers, storage, or interconnects. Having a high availability IT system through clustering can help companies achieve near-zero downtime.

Soho Corporation has specialists who can:

• Evaluate customer needs and recommend a cluster configuration
• Build the server clusters to fit customer needs
• Layer the application, the queuing software, the management software, and the OS (Linux, Windows)

Cluster Service Levels

Level 1 System Preparation

This level of service is designed for customers with users or IT staff that is skilled in the setup and configuration of technical computers, or technical computing clusters.

This level of service is designed for customers with users or IT staff that are skilled in the setup and configuration of technical computers, or technical computing clusters. Soho with build, rack and label the cluster servers to meet the customer specified configuration. The four hours of technical support at this level can be used for any purpose, but they are typically used to answer vendor-specific questions, and not for basic system administration questions.

Level 2 System Preparation

This level of service is designed for customers with users or an IT staff that has the ability to install and implement workstation or server, but lacks the time, skills, or desire to implement a cluster.

Soho Corporation will configure, build, and test the machines as a cluster, but it is the responsibility of the customer to obtain and install the application-specific license, configure the systems on the network, and perform routine maintenance. All system benchmarking is the responsibility of the customer at this service level. Level two customers typically use the four hours of Soho technical support for cluster specific issues.

Level 3 System Preparation

This level of service is designed to provide a turnkey cluster solution with the onsite implementation done by the customer. Most level 3 customers have an in-house support team that is familiar with the cluster OS, but often an on-site “expert” doses not exist. The cluster will be loaded, tested, and benchmarked in the Soho Corporation applications lab, and shipped to the customer with instructions for re-assembly. The systems will arrive with networking and application licenses configured. Level 3 customers typically use the 4 hours of Soho bridge support for setup questions, basic and advanced user interface questions, as well as cluster specific questions. While no advanced knowledge of the cluster OS is required, an educational commitment must be made by the customer.

Level 4 System Preparation

This level of service is designed to provide a turnkey cluster solution with the onsite implementation done by Soho Corporation.

Many level 4 customers have an in-house support team that is familiar with basic cluster OS operation and management, but often no skills exist. The cluster will be loaded, tested, and benchmarked in the Soho Corporation applications lab, and shipped to the customer. Soho Corporation will install the systems, attach the systems to the customer’s existing network, configure the application license, and re-run the vendor-supplied benchmarks. Soho Corporation will spend 4 hours at the customer site familiarizing users with the systems, answering questions, and helping to configure the local environment. Level 4 customers typically use the 4 hours of Soho bridge support for setup questions, basic and advanced user interface questions, as well as cluster specific questions. While no advanced knowledge of the cluster OS is required, an educational commitment must be made by the customer.