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14 Comments
- rgvlife, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3Thanks for the analogy.
- asura, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3Thanks for putting that in a way us laypeople understand!
So is BMC going to provide you with a Veyron for your live presentations? - whurley, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3Glad you liked it. Thanks for reading it :)
- fn24950, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2I too like the analogy.
- whurley, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2You're welcome, and I'll have to check on the Bugatti...that wouldn't be a bad perk ;)
- tlockney, on 10/11/2007, -1/+2While I'm not so sure that scaling from 150 systems to 300 is quite so readily analogous to building a car that can go as fast as the Bugatti, I think the general statement is quite true and important. I've found even in typical IT management that this point is often overlooked or just completely not understood.
- whurley, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1Many thanks.
- somacowgeoff, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1I am your test market. I have no idea about the complexities of systems management, and yet your article did a phenomenal job in imparting the difficulties inherent in high end development/scaling an operation. I intend to employ the reasoning for our podcast network. Sometimes the big leap isn't worth the expended energy, and sometimes having the megatype is simply not practical. Thanks! And maybe m zero b one u five can provide us with a better analogy. Tick. Tick. Tick.
- AlexTurner, on 10/11/2007, -0/+0I like the post. I would agree. I would go further though. The really hard thing is not making the software to manage huge systems. The hard bit is putting together the team, knowledge and corporate culture to do it. The big guys could give away they software (and in the reality of a lot of deal - do!) and still make a mint from installation, support or managed services.
- dognose, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1Wow is this analogy wrong!
If you're talking about scaling ONE computer, then, it's about right. Scaling one computer to handle millions of users can be difficult, and can get very expensive.
But, once you get 150 servers, you better have some automated load balance system in place. Doubling capacity is as easy as the first half.
If you want to analogize with scaling cars: you have 5 toyotas that can do 50 mph (for a total of 250). You want to go twice as fast, at 5 more. Easy.
I know, I manage a huge load balanced online site. If I need more capacity, I can double it in days. I just order a few hundred more servers from the datacenter (which is already running tens of thousands of machines). I have a few simple automated scripts to install and configure the machines, load balance and monitor them. It's really NOT rocket science (or automotive science). - inactive, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1WTF does this have to do with Halo 3?
This is digg, people. - folson19, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1The Bugatti story "drives" your point home about the challenges of scale with system management. I look forward to more details around open source systems management and the Big Four.
- schestowitz, on 10/11/2007, -2/+1Will, just try to keep all the Microsoft apologism down, especially after what we saw a fortnight ago. Ta.
- M0b1u5, on 10/11/2007, -2/+1This is not "a principle". The analogy is weak at best, and disingenuous at worst. You can't compare scaling of PCs against the scaling of velocity: the resistance encountered by velocity is far greater than scaling PC systems. You could double your PC numbers and create 2.2 times the amount of work required, whereas the Veyron requires hundreds and hundreds of percent extra to double its speed.
It's also a really poor example because the Veyron is the world's Best Value Car. It has nothing to do with "The Market" - as VW lose 4.15 million pounds sterling each and every time they sell one. It is a technological showcase, and is designed to do nothing except show VWs engineering prowess, and snatch the "fastest" title for the foreseeable future (However, Gembala is hoping to top 253 in their version of the Carrera GT). As such, it's fairly nonsensical to talk about "scaling" as it applies to the car.
I think you laboured your points too hard, and could have found a better way to explain the situation.
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