06-13-05 10:58 PM
> Customer Name eGlobal Solutions
> Contact Name George Niece
> E-Mail Address george.niece@eglobal-sol.com
> Phone Number 760-807-8823
>
> Who does the initial install of WebSphere Commerce? What role do they
> play in your organization? DBA, System Admin, Developer, etc
Depends on the size of the installation. For really complex installations
we split it up to include a DBA/System Admin. Normally we do not have
developers do installs with the exception of WSAD/WebSphere Commerce Dev
plugin
>
> What skills does the person performing the install typically have? For
> example, they have no database knowledge, they are network experts, etc.
Have to have specific database for installation, TCPIP, Commerce
installation training
>
> What do you think should be the purpose of the installer/configurator:
> Get the product installed as quickly and easily as possible
> Install/configure the product in a way that performs best
> Options for both
Options for both. Many times our customers do the default installs and then
leave them there. This makes for a poorly performing system typically.
>
> Do you currently use the Quick Install or Custom install option?
Always use Custom, never use Quick install
>
> Do you typically have software pre-installed (WAS, DB2, etc) that you
> want the installer to use?
Yes and no. We usually only allow the installation on top of a preinstalled
DB, as this option is the only one that consistently results in a working
system.
>
> What topologies do you use:
> 1 Node
> 2 Node Remote DB
> 2 Node Remote WebServer
> 3 Node (Remote Db and WebServer)
> n-Node with WAS Cluster
> n-Node with WebServer cluster
All of the above
>
> Which toplogies do you expect our installer/configurator to create out
> of the box?
> 1-Node
> 2-Node Remote DB
> 2-Node Remote WebServer
> 3-Node (Remote Db and WebServer)
> n-Node with WAS Cluster
> n-Node with WebServer cluster
All of the above would seem like a Christmas present, but basic 1 node and
the instructions for each of the above seems like a good way to go, based on
the different webservers/database options that are possible.
>
> Would you prefer to have an installer/configurator that allows you to
> focus only on a single tier? For example:
I like this idea, but for a single node you should be able to chain all
three steps so that you are only interacting with the installer 1 time. The
installer should verify the installation for each of these three steps
individually.
>
> Step #1
> Setup the Application Server Tier (with no webserver and cloudscape
> database)
> Ensure that the Application Server tier works
>
> Step #2
> Setup the Database Tier (DB2, Oracle) by moving data from cloudscape
> into the more robust database
> Testing the site to ensure that the new database works
>
> Step #3
> Setup a WebServer Tier (IHS, SunOne, IIS)
> Test the site to ensure that the new webserver works
>
> Note: If all three were on the machine, it would be a 3-step process.
>
> Is the time to install the product a concern? If so, what is the
> expected time to install the product?
Can be but usually only in custom configuration. The single node setup is
usually a breeze, although as I mentioned earlier it results in an
inefficient system typically.
>
> Do you need command line tools to:
> Install Commerce
> Create a Commerce Instance/Server
> Modify the Commerce Instance/Server configuration
> Migrate a Commerce Instance/Server
We want command line tools for everything that are well documented
>
> Do you need graphical tools to:
> Install Commerce
Yes
> Create a Commerce Instance/Server
Yes
> Modify the Commerce Instance/Server configuration
Yes
> Migrate a Commerce Instance/Server
No
>
> If the product was not shipped on CD and only on DVDs or available for
> electronic download, would that be a concern? Do you have any
> restrictions on the size of the download? For example, would one 3 GB
> file be too large?
Most of our rackservers do not come with DVD currently, so that might be
problematic. The file size you mention is fine through download, provided
you can use Download Director. We have had customer datacenter and site
locations that Download Director did not function, so it might need to be
split up, as well.
>
> Do you use the Installation Guide? If not, why?
Yes, at least as a guideline
>
> Do you prefer documentation in a PDF, hard copy or on-line/info-center?
PDF for the initial release with link to online infocenter. Ability to
download the infocenter by version and minor would be useful.
>
> What could be improved in the documentation?
Keep It Sweet & Simple
This continues to be the largest money maker for us as Commerce consultants
so I hesitate to go there, but here goes.
Some of the most basic features of the product are almost completely not
used because they are so hard to configure based on documentation for anyone
other than a Journeyman Commerce Developer with years of experience. For
example, I want to add a scheduled job that sends an email to users based on
some demographic field. The instructions for doing this are just not
available anywhere to my knowledge through the infocenter. I can give you
dozens of other examples, but this is a recent one that made us some money
and allowed us to create some saleable assets.
>
> Do you have any additional feedback?
Sure, how much do you want?
>
>
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