ADV: SCO/filePro system for sale...

[John Esak]

Hi,

I have a 300Gb SATA 2.0 drive with a SCO 5.7 5-user license and a licensed
DevSys loaded on it. There is also a 15-user filePro 5.6 system with Fpxfer
loaded, and a 15 user FacetWin license loaded as well.  With this hard drive
goes an Intel Pro 1000 1Gb NIC, a 256Gb DDR-2 memory stick, and a *NEW* Sony
SDT-11000 DDS-4 DAT tape drive.

I believe all three licenses can be transferred legally since they are
staying on their original drive and network card.

I will be putting these main components together with a case and motherboard
specified by the buyer.  If no one buys this stuff, I will put it into a
small mini-tower case with a motherboard that has a2.4Gb Core II Duo chip.
It will go on my shelf as a super spare server for any of the myriad clients
I have out there who will one day need such a thing.  How do I know someone
will one day need it?  Believe me, I just know. I've done dozens of upgrades
from old systems to new ones like this.... It's just that they have usually
been done under the duress of a crashed old machine.

For a forward thinking person, though, this could be a ready to go upgrade
that will smoothly replace a system you currently rely on now, but are
getting worried about. Perhaps, the tape drive is old, or the whole system
is old. The SCSI hard drives we used to buy lasted far longer than the 5
years they were warranted for and now are probably going on 10 years if you
upgraded around the 2k scare.  Moving your users, filePro and other apps to
this new box while you are comfortably working instead of trying to do it in
the aftermath of a serious system stopping crash would be so much more
comfortable and profitable, wouldn't it?  For whoever buys this unit, I can
be cajoled into helping with the transfer and upgrade as well, however,
there is a substantial charge for this since that is the last thing I want
to do these days.  I think I would charge $1k for taking responsibility for
the transfer/upgrade and making sure everything works properly on the new
system.  

I want  only $2,500 for the main pieces all put into a fully working box
with a brand new motherboard. That's the licenses, the hard drive the
motherboard, memory and tape machine. An extra $1.500 would get me for a day
as well. If you are in the NYC area, I would come to your place for a day
(preferably a Sunday (and possibly adding Saturday as well... Depending on
the size/complexity of your existing system). Doing it on a weekend usually
ensures that the transfer/upgrade doesn't interfere with your working
system, and the transfer is smooth and unnoticed by your users.  It could be
a situation where you are working the next day (Monday).  If you are far
away from Harrisburg, I would have to have net access to your old system to
do the work. My feeling is that a weekend will easily allow enough time for
the changeover to the new system. I need to be allowed to work through the
night. You do not have to stay up with me... :-)

This is a deal in two completely different ways. A completed box with what
it has in it is worth far more than $2,500.  So, just by itself it's a deal,
and for technically minded administrators who have done this kind of upgrade
before, this is a very inexpensive way to move to a new machine with new
licenses... While *keeping* your old system and its licenses. Actually, I'm
hoping this is the kind of sale I make for this system. I hate
responsibility and work these days. :-)

If my talents (??) are purchased to manage the transfer/upgrade from your
old Unix box to this new one, then that also is a great deal. Why?
Well, $1.5k for my guarantee that everything will work fine on the new
system whether it takes me 1 or 2 days ... Is a really good deal since I
don't usually work for any amount of money these days. :-)  For a small
operation, mom and pop business, perhaps, without a Unix guru on hand, this
kind of an upgrade would be virtually impossible. So, in order to make the
sale, and to offer this good stuff to the widest audience here on the list,
I will do the transfer/upgrade for the $1.5k.  I will not make this offer to
anyone who buys the unit off eBay. I will be posting it on eBay as a
complete box for a starting price of $2.5k Saturday (April 10th) if no one
on the mailing list takes advantage of it before then.

Now, there are a few serious caveats to this otherwise staggeringly
well-priced deal.  Whether you buy my services in conjunction with the
hardware or not, you need to be well aware of these things. Mostly they deal
with my participation if I'm retained to do the transfer.

1. 
The SCO license is only 5 user. So, you would need to access the system
through only 5 legacy type terminals or the console, and the rest of the 15
users would need to use the FacetWin license... Meaning any PC can login and
use the SCO and filePro without problem. Any serial printers in your system,
you need to count them up and be sure the whole legacy SCO access does not
exceed 5 users. Network printers and FacetWin printers do not tick the
license count. (Or, of course you can purchase a user bump from wherever one
gets such a thing these days.)

2.
For any applications other than filePro which you want to work on the new
system, you must have a movable license for them. Also, the operation of
said application must be totally your concern and worry.  With the
exception, perhaps, of WordPerfect (and even Scripsit I suppose) there
aren't many applications I can make work without problem... And even those
two are a little iffy. :-)  Basically, I know my limitations, I can handle
anything that comes up related to SCO and related to filePro, and related to
FacetWin. I can move all O/S based scripting and PATH things correctly to
work on the new system.  All else will have to be your concern.  I will
help, but I can't be the final guarantor of anything outside the three
programs, SCO, filePro, FacetWin. (AnzioWin and PrintWizard will work on the
new system with no problem, and maybe one or two others... But I'm not going
to count on anything other than the big 3, SCO, filePro and FacetWin.)

3. 
For the time I'm working on the transfer, I will need root privileges on the
old and new Unix box, as well as Administrator privileges on any PC that
needs to connect with the Unix box through FacetWin. If my help is purchased
for the transfer/upgrade, I will help set up old Facetwin shares, and
printers.

4.
If I can not be physically "on-site" to do the transfer, I will need a
reasonably "technically competent" person to assist me at various points
during the upgrade. For example, if for some reason a network connection can
not be established with the old box to move the user data to the new
machine, then I would need to have the assistant attach the Sony DAT drive
to the old machine so backups can be made.  The, it would need to be moved
to the new machine.  Other physical help may be needed from time to time if
I can not be on site.

5.
Any work done on the GUI side of the SCO 5.6 can not be supported by me.
Should you need to work on a scologin screen, you must set this up yourself.
I will put a working GUI on one of the 12 console logins and you must take
it from there. (Sorry, like I say, I know my limitations.)

6. If more than 5 users are going to be accessing this system
simultaneously, I suggest that another 256Gb memory stick be installed in
the unit for at least 1Gb of memory.

7.
I must suggest that whoever buys this system from me, obtains a new
BackupEDGE support contract for this box.  It already has a licensed copy of
BackupEDGE loaded on it, and this may be transferable, I'm not sure at the
writing of this message. I will find out shortly and post the answer.  If it
can be transferred, great, you get it as part of the price of the unit. If
it can't, you really should buy a license so the machine can be backed up
securely and often.

8.
At some point, the purchaser of my services will have to "release" me from
service.  I suggest that this will happen when a full backup tape of the new
machine is made in a completely working state. By working state, I mean viz
the terms above... SCO, filePro, FacetWin... Some standard extras like
AnzioWin and PrintWizard, etc.  The network will function. You will have
access to the net or not from the Unix box as desired.

9.
There may be some things I've forgotten. Nothing major.  If my services are
purchased as well as the hardware and licenses, I may require that a simple
written contract that states essentially what I've listed here be signed
between us.  I am usually not so careful, but since I am retired, I do not
want anything to be taken for granted after the buyer is satisfied with the
initial transfer/upgrade.

10.  Remember, this system goes on eBay next week (April 10th). If you're
interested, contact me soon.

John Esak
john at valar.com (put SCO system in the subject...)
(717) 889-4689