Synoptix Limited - It's got to be Synoptix

ZFS Pool & File Creation

Synoptix embraced the ZFS (Zettabyte File System) early in its release and have deployed this stunning filesystem on many client machines. The advanced features of ZFS, apart from ease of use, are many. Synoptix have successfully deployed and manage Solaris SPARC and Solaris x86 systems with this file system and are making full use of the built in SNAPSHOT and REPLICATION features that come as standard.

We provide pre-sales technical consultation on all aspects of ZFS and how this can help you in your environment.

ZFS is a combined file system and logical volume manager designed by Sun Microsystems. The features of ZFS include support for high storage capacities, integration of the concepts of filesystem and volume management, snapshots and copy-on-write clones, continuous integrity checking and automatic repair.

Storage pool composition is not limited to similar devices but can consist of ad-hoc, heterogeneous collections of devices, which ZFS seamlessly pools together, subsequently doling out space to diverse filesystems as needed. Arbitrary storage device types can be added to existing pools to expand their size at any time. If high-speed solid-state drives (SSDs) are included in a pool, ZFS will transparently utilize the SSDs as cache within the pool, directing frequently used data to the fast SSDs and less-frequently used data to slower, less expensive mechanical disks

Excerpt and more data from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZFS

Flash Archiving

You have invested time and money on an older SUN server and want to reuse the whole system but on lower cost, newer hardware. Don't start from scratch, we can "Flash Archive" your old system and reuse your legacy time and effort on the new hardware. If you are using new CMT servers and your applications will run in Solaris 10 we can even put them in a virtual logical domain for you.

Jumpstart Server

A jumpstart server can be used to automate the installation of multiple Solaris systems simultaneously or one at a time. The use of a jumpstart server removes the tedium of answering the time consuming manual install questions. You configure the Jumpstart servers with a series of profiles just select the one you need for your latest install. Press enter and away you go to do something more productive.

You can configure it to patch and load programmes automatically for you so it is more than just a Solaris install tool. You might even choose to allow it to do the security hardening for you at the same time.

Allow us to build a jumpstart server for you and free yourself from CD's/DVD's and mind numbing boredom. It needn't be expensive or complicated, it can sit on a simple single CPU x86 servers and can build both SPARC and x86 servers.

Want to see one in action before you decide? Visit our offices for a live demo.

LDOM Design & Creation

Logical Domains (LDoms) provides built-in and no-cost virtualisation capabilities for Sun Chip Multithreading (CMT) Servers. It allows you to create virtual machines that take advantage of the massive thread scale offered by these platforms. Create up to 128 virtual servers on one system... for free!

We can create multiple LDOMs for you on SUN CMT Servers with best practices and design constraints in mind. Let us advise you on what can and cannot be done on an LDOM. Our experience is not from a manual but in real life LDOM deployment on customer sites and our own CMT server. Not sure - come and see us and we can create LDOMS for you on our hardware to test, or better still try & buy a SUN CMT server yourself and no obligation.

Security Hardening & RBAC

Security Hardening of systems is accomplished to your specific requirements and industry standard hardening specifications.

Hardening is the process of locking down systems to prevent unauthorised access to your systems and data. The process involves setting policies such as password length, longevity, strength, shutting down unwanted and unused applications and closing insecure ports and access. A full audit of a system is carried prior to hardening to determine the current state of a system so you can see the full benefit of the procedure.

Audits

There is a multitude or commands and scripts Synoptix can use to get a full picture of your existing server. We can tell you what state it is in, how it is performing and what might be done to improve its performance or reliability. We often go to site and find broken swap mirrors, broken OS mirrors and degraded filesystems that the user is completely unaware of, living off borrowed time. If you have a system or systems that you need evaluating contact us and we can do it remotely or on-site and discuss our recommendations or generate a health report for you.

Advanced Systems Monitoring & Alarming

If you have a requirement to monitor a Sun Solaris server there are a few choices out there. Some are free, most are complex and all require a server and time consuming integration. Many users have a one off Solaris server and resourcing up with the required admin skills is expensive and just not an option. Synoptix offers a monitoring solution which does not require an onsite server, is quick to install and simple to use. A local agent is installed by us providing you with a web based view of your system, with event notification and resource monitoring. System views are easy to understand giving you a quick and simple way to monitor that Solaris server.

The Synoptix monitoring solution supports Solaris 8, 9 and 10 for SPARC and Solaris 10 x86 with support for UFS, Veritas and the ZFS Filesystem. See our detailed web page complete with screen shots at http://www.synoptix.ie/remote.html

Remote Dial-in & Fault Diagnosis

Synoptix currently support a number of clients via VPN and act as System Administrators for hard pushed IT departments. Maybe you only have a handful of Solaris Servers in your environment and up-skilling your existing IT staff is not cost effective, their time better spent on more prolific systems.

We can act as your Ad-Hoc Solaris Administrators and allow us to VPN in for timely fault diagnosis or just planned system configuration changes. Almost all issues are configuration related and we can solve most problems on-line. We can identify failed hardware components and log a call with your service provider be it Sun or another third party and provide them with diagnostic outputs such as "explorer" for a speedy resolution.

Ideally we would fit a console server to the system serial port for almost guaranteed access no matter what the state of the server was but a standard network connection will also suffice if the system is not completely down.

SAN Integration

If every Sun Server user had a Sun SAN we would have an easier time but the fact is they don't. Synoptix have integrated non SUN SANs with Solaris Servers for a long time and pretty much know every gotcha out there. Whether it is a problem with HBA's, Drivers or routing we can always sort it out with your switch/SAN provider, working cooperatively to a working resolution.

Custom Scripting

Ah, the beauty of UNIX! If it can be scripted we can do it. We will write custom scripts for you and test on your (or our) hardware. These might include performance monitoring scripts, data gathering, activating events and run manually or automated using cron. Give us a challenge, if you need to script something in Solaris ask us to do it, if we can't you don't pay!

Veritas HA

Synoptix are Symantec GOLD Partners and have in-depth experience on Veritas Cluster High Availability Solutions. Whether you want to cluster existing systems or start from new talk to our pre-sales Technical Resources for a no obligation evaluation on whether clustering will help you. We will tell you why you might cluster or give you alternatives if it is not appropriate for your environment.

Solaris on non Sun Hardware?

Dell, IBM and HP all now support Solaris x86 on their volume servers but you don't see much hype about it on their websites. If you want to stick with your preferred non SUN hardware vendor and run Solaris x86 give us a call and we can advise you if it will run and provide the professional services to install, configure and customise for you. Of course we think Sun x86 servers are best designed for Solaris but we will admit to running Solaris on some De** platforms, works nicely too!















	ZFS Pool & File Creation ZFS Pool & File Creation Synoptix embraced the ZFS (Zettabyte File System) early in its release and have deployed this stunning filesystem on many client machines. The advanced features of ZFS, apart from ease of use, are many. Synoptix have successfully deployed and manage Solaris SPARC and Solaris x86 systems with this file system and are making full use of the built in SNAPSHOT and REPLICATION features that come as standard. We provide pre-sales technical consultation on all aspects of ZFS and how this can help you in your environment. ZFS is a combined file system and logical volume manager designed by Sun Microsystems. The features of ZFS include support for high storage capacities, integration of the concepts of filesystem and volume management, snapshots and copy-on-write clones, continuous integrity checking and automatic repair. Storage pool composition is not limited to similar devices but can consist of ad-hoc, heterogeneous collections of devices, which ZFS seamlessly pools together, subsequently doling out space to diverse filesystems as needed. Arbitrary storage device types can be added to existing pools to expand their size at any time. If high-speed solid-state drives (SSDs) are included in a pool, ZFS will transparently utilize the SSDs as cache within the pool, directing frequently used data to the fast SSDs and less-frequently used data to slower, less expensive mechanical disks Excerpt and more data from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZFS Flash Archiving You have invested time and money on an older SUN server and want to reuse the whole system but on lower cost, newer hardware. Don't start from scratch, we can "Flash Archive" your old system and reuse your legacy time and effort on the new hardware. If you are using new CMT servers and your applications will run in Solaris 10 we can even put them in a virtual logical domain for you. Jumpstart Server A jumpstart server can be used to automate the installation of multiple Solaris systems simultaneously or one at a time. The use of a jumpstart server removes the tedium of answering the time consuming manual install questions. You configure the Jumpstart servers with a series of profiles just select the one you need for your latest install. Press enter and away you go to do something more productive. You can configure it to patch and load programmes automatically for you so it is more than just a Solaris install tool. You might even choose to allow it to do the security hardening for you at the same time. Allow us to build a jumpstart server for you and free yourself from CD's/DVD's and mind numbing boredom. It needn't be expensive or complicated, it can sit on a simple single CPU x86 servers and can build both SPARC and x86 servers. Want to see one in action before you decide? Visit our offices for a live demo. LDOM Design & Creation Logical Domains (LDoms) provides built-in and no-cost virtualisation capabilities for Sun Chip Multithreading (CMT) Servers. It allows you to create virtual machines that take advantage of the massive thread scale offered by these platforms. Create up to 128 virtual servers on one system... for free! We can create multiple LDOMs for you on SUN CMT Servers with best practices and design constraints in mind. Let us advise you on what can and cannot be done on an LDOM. Our experience is not from a manual but in real life LDOM deployment on customer sites and our own CMT server. Not sure - come and see us and we can create LDOMS for you on our hardware to test, or better still try & buy a SUN CMT server yourself and no obligation. Security Hardening & RBAC Security Hardening of systems is accomplished to your specific requirements and industry standard hardening specifications. Hardening is the process of locking down systems to prevent unauthorised access to your systems and data. The process involves setting policies such as password length, longevity, strength, shutting down unwanted and unused applications and closing insecure ports and access. A full audit of a system is carried prior to hardening to determine the current state of a system so you can see the full benefit of the procedure. Audits There is a multitude or commands and scripts Synoptix can use to get a full picture of your existing server. We can tell you what state it is in, how it is performing and what might be done to improve its performance or reliability. We often go to site and find broken swap mirrors, broken OS mirrors and degraded filesystems that the user is completely unaware of, living off borrowed time. If you have a system or systems that you need evaluating contact us and we can do it remotely or on-site and discuss our recommendations or generate a health report for you. Advanced Systems Monitoring & Alarming If you have a requirement to monitor a Sun Solaris server there are a few choices out there. Some are free, most are complex and all require a server and time consuming integration. Many users have a one off Solaris server and resourcing up with the required admin skills is expensive and just not an option. Synoptix offers a monitoring solution which does not require an onsite server, is quick to install and simple to use. A local agent is installed by us providing you with a web based view of your system, with event notification and resource monitoring. System views are easy to understand giving you a quick and simple way to monitor that Solaris server. The Synoptix monitoring solution supports Solaris 8, 9 and 10 for SPARC and Solaris 10 x86 with support for UFS, Veritas and the ZFS Filesystem. See our detailed web page complete with screen shots at http://www.synoptix.ie/remote.html Remote Dial-in & Fault Diagnosis Synoptix currently support a number of clients via VPN and act as System Administrators for hard pushed IT departments. Maybe you only have a handful of Solaris Servers in your environment and up-skilling your existing IT staff is not cost effective, their time better spent on more prolific systems. We can act as your Ad-Hoc Solaris Administrators and allow us to VPN in for timely fault diagnosis or just planned system configuration changes. Almost all issues are configuration related and we can solve most problems on-line. We can identify failed hardware components and log a call with your service provider be it Sun or another third party and provide them with diagnostic outputs such as "explorer" for a speedy resolution. Ideally we would fit a console server to the system serial port for almost guaranteed access no matter what the state of the server was but a standard network connection will also suffice if the system is not completely down. SAN Integration If every Sun Server user had a Sun SAN we would have an easier time but the fact is they don't. Synoptix have integrated non SUN SANs with Solaris Servers for a long time and pretty much know every gotcha out there. Whether it is a problem with HBA's, Drivers or routing we can always sort it out with your switch/SAN provider, working cooperatively to a working resolution. Custom Scripting Ah, the beauty of UNIX! If it can be scripted we can do it. We will write custom scripts for you and test on your (or our) hardware. These might include performance monitoring scripts, data gathering, activating events and run manually or automated using cron. Give us a challenge, if you need to script something in Solaris ask us to do it, if we can't you don't pay! Veritas HA Synoptix are Symantec GOLD Partners and have in-depth experience on Veritas Cluster High Availability Solutions. Whether you want to cluster existing systems or start from new talk to our pre-sales Technical Resources for a no obligation evaluation on whether clustering will help you. We will tell you why you might cluster or give you alternatives if it is not appropriate for your environment. Solaris on non Sun Hardware? Dell, IBM and HP all now support Solaris x86 on their volume servers but you don't see much hype about it on their websites. If you want to stick with your preferred non SUN hardware vendor and run Solaris x86 give us a call and we can advise you if it will run and provide the professional services to install, configure and customise for you. Of course we think Sun x86 servers are best designed for Solaris but we will admit to running Solaris on some De** platforms, works nicely too!