The order form shows five different server configurations. While it would be impossible to show all of the possible servers configurations that we offer, the attached order form is a good cross section of what we offer. As you can see we have servers in just about every price range and all of them are custom built here at IAS™. All of these servers are based on Intel® processors.
With fast Intel Pentium IV® systems the computer is capable of running much faster than the hard disk. With any of these systems the hard disk will be a bottleneck. This bottleneck can be greatly reduced by using an Ultra 320 or Ultra 160 SCSI Controller and a high speed hard disk.
The 3.0 Gigaherz Pentium IV® top end servers shown is available in either an rack or tower case configuration. The rack server is intended to be mounted in an existing rack. If you do not have an rack alsoThey contain a Ultra 320 SCSI RAID controller and dual high speed SCSI hard drives with 64 MB cache for the ultimate in reliability and in performance. This dual disk RAID array uses two identical 36 GB high speed SCSI hard disk in a "mirrored" configuration. Any writes to the hard disk gets written to both hard disk drives simultaneously. A failure of either hard drive, at any time, would allow the agency to continue normal operations until the failed hard disk can be replaced. A dual disk RAID array also increases hard disk performance. In a traditional single hard drive system if the hard disk is busy any additional read or write requests would have to wait for the hard drive to finish processing the current request. In a dual disk RAID system performance is increased as any reads to the hard disk can be read from either drive which effectively doubles hard disk read performance. It also includes a DDS4 DAT Tape Drive for backup. This top end server is the ultimate in todays state of the art servers for agencies.
A High Performance Ultra 160 SCSI Controller is included in the 2.8 GHz Pentium IV system and it also is available in a rack mount or tower configuration. It contains a single 18.4 GB U160 SCSI Hard Drive and a DDS3 DAT tape drive for backup. While this system does not contain the capacity and fault tolerance of the top end sever it still is a very quick server.
Both the 3.0 GHz and 2.8 GHz Pentium IV servers are available in rack or tower cases. Rack servers are designed to be mounted in existing computer racks. A computer rack can hold multiple servers, monitor, keyboard, UPS and other network hardware such as switches, hubs, routers, etc. all in a single organized rack. Computer racks are also available from us but are not included on the order sheet. Please contact our office if you are considering switching to a rack so that we can discuss the many rack options available to you.
The low end 2.66 GHz Intel Pentium IV server contains a 20 GB IDE hard drive instead of a SCSI hard drive. It also contains a TARVAN tape drive instead of a DAT tape drive. This is basically a high-end workstation that has been configured as a server to keep costs down. This is a good choice for the smaller agency that needs to be more concerned with price than with performance.
When considering the many options available, please keep in mind it will take a lot longer for a fast high performance server to become obsolete and the higher performance the system is the longer it will last your agency
All of these systems can be configured with different size hard drives and different memory amounts. You may also remove items like tape drives, fax boards, etc. from your old system for transfer to the new system. This can be done in Sarasota prior to shipping the system to you or by a local hardware person with our assistance over the phone. Please call if you would like to consider changing any of the configurations shown.
Only two different monitor options are shown. They both are Flat Panel Monitors and the only difference is the size of the screen. The larger screen is nice for Microsoft Windows® and internet users or for those users that prefer larger type. We also have conventional monitors available for less money as well.
Next is shown the faxboard and IAS™ Fax Software. This is added to the server and allows you to send and receive faxes from your computer. Normally the fax system sells for $1,644 and the IAS™ Fax Software cost $500. We are offering this in a combined package for $1,644.
If you wish to add an exsisting Windows PC to your network please keep in mind that the Termilator II Software is needed for each PC you wish to attach to the network. Each PC will also require a network interface card (NIC) which is attached to a hub via a category 5 network cable. Both 8 and 16 port hubs are shown on the order form.
These systems will be assembled, configured and tested with the SCO OpenServer Release 5.0.6 Enterprise System, device drivers and the IAS™ software loaded in Sarasota prior to shipment. The system will then be shipped, via insured UPS, to your agency.
Please call for a shipping cost estimate which consists of the costs of shipping the components to Sarasota and then shipping the system to your agency. We will notify you at the time of shipment of the actual shipping costs and the COD amount.
Please allow 4 to 6 weeks from the time of the order till the actual installation at your agency.
All prices and availability are subject to change without notice.
If you decide to get this equipment locally we also offer an option of shipping the system to Sarasota to be configured. For this option we charge $500 plus shipping to configure and test your system. All hardware support on a system purchased locally will need to be provided by your local dealer as we can not guarantee any items not purchased from us. I strongly recommend that if you do purchase locally that you have us configure the system in Sarasota prior to installation.
Please let me know if I can assist you with any of these options or answer any questions. Thank you for your time and interest.
Dave Armbrust
President - Insurance Agency Systems, Inc.