[Info-vax] Distributed Applications, Hashgraph, Automation

[Simon Clubley]

On 2018-02-14, IanD <iloveopenvms at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> In a growing number of places, one cannot even log into the production environments with admin accounts to even do an OS install or configuration. 
> One must use tools like Chef and do everything at arm's length 
>

That can work both ways. While things like that are certainly needed and
VMS certainly needs a massive dose of automation work, there is one thing
I do worry about here.

If you can manage full networks with these tools, then doesn't this risk
leading to a shortfall of people with the skills to securely design and
implement the next generation of very low level tools and libraries that
these higher level easy to use tools rely on ?

IOW, these higher level tools are needed in today's world but where do
you get enough people with the experience to _properly_ design the next
generation of tools ?

IoT and other embedded devices are a really good example of this in that
some people think that just because they can write some high level code,
then they are qualified to handle all the low level issues that embedded
devices require to be handled.

As the various security issues have shown, embedded devices can have massive
security issues that should never have existed in the first place.

>
> I wonder if Hashgraph has the ability to ultimately replace cluster traffic
> on OpenVMS? It's supposed to scale to I think 200K transactions per second,
> according to the glossy brouchers at least
>

Interesting question as there are clusters and then there are clusters.

There are a number of places where this can be used but I am having a hard
time seeing how it can replace the traditional zero loss of data disaster
tolerant mission critical transaction processing that some VMS clusters do.

If it can do that, then it seems all you are doing is replacing one
clustering protocol with another that has the word "blockchain" in it.

IOW, I am not yet seeing what the unique selling point is for people
who are used to VMS style clustering.

>
> At least people visiting the VSI site might not automatically think of
> OpenVMS as the dinosaur

That depends on whether VSI management can take a reality based approach
to what they place on their website.

Simon.

-- 
Simon Clubley, clubley at remove_me.eisner.decus.org-Earth.UFP
Microsoft: Bringing you 1980s technology to a 21st century world