Issues:
- The present buying advice for Athena is a mess.
- The hardware recommendations are long obsolete.
- The services offered and pricing are incorrect.
- The presentation is confusing.
Approach to resolving Issues:
- Simplify.
- Identify the few services we wish to continue offering.
- Create simple descriptions of the services.
- Align the hardware recommendations with other recommendations.
- Delete obsolete pages.
- Replace unique "Buy Athena" pages with paragraphs added to other recommendations.
Current Entrypoints to "Buy Athena"
- Hardware at MIT:
Buying Hardware: and Recommended Hardware
Athena Workstations (purchasing.html)
Hardware Repair and Upgrades:
Athena System Deployment and Repair
(WAY out of date Cluster Services Page) - Computer Buying Advice:
Related Links: Athena Workstations & Hardware (saws_configs.html) - Linux at MIT:
Hardware:
MIT Linux Hardware Recommendations
Has short Athena: paragraph at end pointing to saws_configs.html and server_configs.html - Athena at MIT:
Getting an Athena System:
Options for Purchasing an Athena System (options.html)
New Service Models
Desktop:
Originally, two classes of desktop Athena, "Full Service Athena" and "Minimal Standard Athena" were created to answer the concern that customers would dodge paying Athena fees and then show up asking for services we normally charge for. The model of "You pay Athena fees, and get a monolithic distribution on circumscribed hardware, but get to call someone to make a house call to do a re-install," has become progressively less important. The model of, "Customers buy what they want, and accept some responsibility for taking care of what they bought, but we help where we can," is becoming more important.
Athena10 will still support a monolithic install for present users of the Athena Cluster Workstation model, but will be primarily designed to be installed on top of pre-installed Ubuntu Linux Systems.
The Hardware Core Team discussed the direction Athena is headed and the consensus was to create two classes of desktop Athena:
- DIY (Do-It Yourself) Athena: You buy hardware and are responsible for installing Linux, Athena, and all hardware and software issues. Resources available to you are:
- IS&T Linux Hardware Guidance Page
- Choosing between Athena and RHN.
- PC Service: How to get a system repaired.
- How to install Athena
- OLC for OS and Application Support
- Full Service Athena: For an initial fee, and follow-on annual maintenance fee we will:
- Purchase the standard recommended administrative desktop.
- Deliver it to you
- Install the OS and Athena applications and services.
- Provide house-call service to deal with software and hardware issues.
Server:
Originally it was commonplace to purchase an Athena workstation and deploy it as a server, or to look to Athena recommendations for server hardware. In practice the server configuration docs were not as well maintained as the desktop configuration documents. Although there are still some customers following the Athena links for server advice, this services is almost unused. Instead let's exit the "Athena Server Recommendation" business, nuke athena/server_configs.html, and instead point people at Server Operations: Pricing.
Proposed Next Steps
- (Improve) Hardware at MIT:
Buying Hardware:
Delete link:
Athena Workstations (purchasing.html)
Recommended Hardware
Replace Link:
Athena Workstations (purchasing.html)
with Link:
MIT Linux Hardware Recommendations
Related Services
New Link: Athena at MIT
Hardware Repair and Upgrades:
Cut old link to:
Athena System Deployment and Repair (web.mit.edu/dcnshtml/support/support.html)
and link to new page that describes the service on offer, the annual fee, and any additional restrictions like compliance with currend Linux recommendations. - Computer Buying Advice:
Related Links:
Delete link:
Athena Workstations & Hardware (saws_configs.html) - DONE Linux at MIT:
Hardware:
MIT Linux Hardware Recommendations
Athena:
Rewrite this paragraph. Instead of server_configs.html point to: Server Operations: Pricing. - Athena at MIT:
Getting an Athena System:
Leave unchanged.
Options for Purchasing an Athena System (options.html) - Options for Purchasing an Athena System (options.html)
Simplify but follow same structure. Make it more fully summary page relying on DIY and Full to do the heavy lifting.Full Service Athena
New paragraph; delete table
DIY Athena
New paragraph; delete table
DONE Athena Server (All new prose. Delete table.)
Previous Athena Server recommendations were focused on helping customers pick out hardware to deploy and maintain their own server based on Athena. Although it is still possible to buy hardware and utilize the Athena Release for a server deployment, there are many more options including virtualization and co-location.
Customers interested in provisioning a server are advised to consult <link>Server Hosting and Management (http://web.mit.edu/ist/topics/servers/
)</link>.Related Topics
Delete link Recommended and Supported Athena Server Configurations (server_configs.html)
- Athena at MIT: Purchasing an Athena Workstation or Server
Nothing should be pointing at this page. Nuke. - Full Service Athena
Amend to reflect current services; point at desktop recommendation; give pricing. - Minimal Standard Athena
Rename as "DIY Athena", and revise. - Athena at MIT: Recommended and Supported Athena Configurations
PROGRESS Salvage any useful text for Options page then nuke. Linux hardware guidance and Admin Desktop will carry us.
Put a redirect for "saws_configs.html" to the new options.html. - Athena at MIT: Recommended and Supported Athena Server Configurations
PROGRESS Salvage any useful text for Options page and then nuke. - Athena Workstation and Server Configurations: Life-Cycle Summary
DONE Spin Dead list into separate doc.
PROGRESS Update with current situation.