This is certainly a good point, but it's really not a matter of either/or. It is quite possible to use a distributed storage model (and remain reasonably efficient as well), without losing the ability to tolerate network failures and even operate off-line for extended periods of time.
I've long argued against the model that everyone wants to embrace (all writes must be to a single centralized "master"), but this model is frequently taken as a requirement because it is easily understood, and it does ensure the integrity of data updates. That being said, maintaining all data locally (without any synchronization or sharing) is, in my opinion, unnecessarily extreme. --- Nancy Anthracite <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I think this will serve as an excellent test for the local > contingency plans > for catastrophic failrues. As an example, as the VA moves more and > more > toward centralizing their databases, this sort of thing becomes more > and more > of serious an issue. This is one of the reasons that I am not in > favor or > purely ASP solutions with no local backup or operational capability > for even > small clinics. > > Paper backup is, of course, always an option in a non-critical > setting, but in > a hospital that has to continue critical care with need for access to > > existing data, for pharmacy, etc., at least until transfer of that > critical > data to paper, there needs to be a local, battery and generator > backed up > system. > > The flip side of this is what happens if the central data repository > fails if > the local sites do not have backup operational capabilities? > > We have been thinking in terms of terrorism a lot lately, not mother > nature as > "terrorist", but it matters little what is causing the problem in the > last > analysis. Terrorists speak of causing the maximum economic > disruption for > the US as a goal, and causing a catastrophic power or communications > failure > is likely high on their list. Local backup could at least > temporarily deal > with this sort of problems until there is no fuel to keep the > generators > going. > > Roy, you have lived through a minor version of this at Bay Pines so I > know you > know much better than most of us what they are facing now and in the > days to > come in the wake of Katrina. > > > > ------------------------------------------------------- > SF.Net email is Sponsored by the Better Software Conference & EXPO > September 19-22, 2005 * San Francisco, CA * Development Lifecycle > Practices > Agile & Plan-Driven Development * Managing Projects & Teams * Testing > & QA > Security * Process Improvement & Measurement * > http://www.sqe.com/bsce5sf > _______________________________________________ > Hardhats-members mailing list > Hardhats-members@lists.sourceforge.net > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/hardhats-members > === Gregory Woodhouse <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> "Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away." -- Antoine de Saint-Exupery ------------------------------------------------------- SF.Net email is Sponsored by the Better Software Conference & EXPO September 19-22, 2005 * San Francisco, CA * Development Lifecycle Practices Agile & Plan-Driven Development * Managing Projects & Teams * Testing & QA Security * Process Improvement & Measurement * http://www.sqe.com/bsce5sf _______________________________________________ Hardhats-members mailing list Hardhats-members@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/hardhats-members
