Let’s skip the “ado” and go right to the email I sent to my Corporate Boss a few minutes ago:

The story so far: Last summer, strapped for network storage space on the main office network, our hero researched alternatives and chose a Network Attached Storage device (the Snap! server) over attempting to upgrade the second RAID array in his existing Netware server. This solution cost about $2500.

Late last year problems arose; the Snap! server began a monthly cycle of crashes, costing the office a day of downtime on every occurrence. This became increasingly unacceptable, and Quantum’s tech support was lacking. (“We have no idea what’s wrong with your machine. We’d send you a replacement, but we don’t have any.”)

After one crash too many, more accurately two crashes on the same day, our hero swallowed his pride and admitted his mistake in choosing the Snap! appliance instead of expanding the Dell Poweredge server’s storage capacity. Hard drives were ordered, to the tune of about $1600.

Then the other shoe dropped. It is impossible, according to Dell, to delete only one array from a Poweredge 2300. One must remove all arrays, then recreate. This would mean fully reinstalling Netware onto the core office network server. All of a sudden, the “upgrading the Netware array” solution has become utterly unworkable.

The problem as it stands: Live with a day of downtime every month, in addition to the other problems the Snap! appliance is causing? Spend somewhere between two and five days attempting to recreate the Netware environment we currently enjoy, with no guarantee of completion date or even success of any kind? Drop another big bundle of cash on Some Other Solution?

I’m at a loss, and so I’m punting this up to the Powers That Be at the home office. I look forward* to discussing this at some very near date.

Yours, etc.

( * Okay, that’s a lie. I don’t look forward to anything involved in this giant ugly snafu anymore. I’m ashamed and disheartened at the whole damned affair. But we need a solution, so I’ll carry on until we have one.)

There are days when just being me is enough to wear me out. This is one of them.