The INTERACTIVE UNIX System Provides Solutions and Saves Money

"We had already determined that the UNIX® operating system running on a network of high-end PCs would offer the power and reliability we needed," says Bob Ford, the Phillies' Network Adminstrator. "At the same time, it would deliver significant cost savings over our minicomputer, a proprietary system which we are currently using."

As the staff evaluated the available Intel UNIX implementations, SunSoft's INTERACTIVE UNIX® System, a 32-bit operating environment for 80386, 80486, and Pentium-based computers, emerged as the number one choice. The staff was impressed with the system's high reliability and the fast performance of its enhanced file system. Another important factor was that the INTERACTIVE UNIX System supports a broader range of hardware and peripherals than other Intel UNIX systems. "We demand a lot from our hardware," Ford says. "A typical system is a 486 with a 1GB disk drive, 64 MB of memory, and a DPT disk caching controller. It's important that our operating system vendor keep up with 'bleeding edge' products from reliable vendors."

The Phillies' network comprises two LANs connected to a WAN using a 56 Kbps leased line. The production system, which is located at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, includes 12 x86-based PCs supporting approximately 20 users. About half of those users are running DOS. The LAN in the development center in State College, Pennsylvania, includes two UNIX-based x86s and one DOS-based x86.

According to Ford, the Phillies network will continue to support DOS because the team's Baseball Administration and Public Relations departments need to run several specialized DOS applications. These programs and the associated data files require a lot of disk space, so MIS has boosted peformance by placing the files on a UNIX server and providing access from the DOS machines. Users are benefitting in several ways. Data access is faster because the files are stored on larger, faster UNIX ® disks; users have more room on their local disks; and their files are better protected because backup is handled from a central point. "People have autonomy at their local system," Ford says, "but they don't have to worry about backups."

Within the next two years, Ford expects that the new ticket sales application will be fully implemented on the INTERACTIVE UNIX System. "Ticketing is an extremely complex operation that includes telephone sales, season ticket sales, and printing of tickets. At peak times, our sales office employs about 30 operators who handle a variety of different orders online. We also provide ticketing services for other organizations, such as Philadelphia's National Football League and National Basketball Association teams."

The new ticket sales system will offer a number of advantages over the existing one. "A major benefit will be lower computing costs," Ford explains. "We expect to save thousands of dollars a year in maintenance costs by replacing the mini. Expanding the system will also be more affordable. It's very expensive to add users and capacity to the mini. With the network, we can add a new machine or upgrade to a faster processor at a very low cost."

Ford also says the new system will be more reliable. "On the current system, the minicomputer keeps a paper log of all transactions. If the mini crashes, the operators have to re-enter all sales that occurred after the most recent backup. Our long-term vision is to have four PCs dedicated to ticket sales. Because of the significantly lower PC hardware costs, we can have redundant systems. The system containing the primary database for ticketing will be fully mirrored - up to the very transaction where the system crashed. If the system goes down, we can switch immediately to the backup server, without any interruption in service."

With the exception of a few DOS applications, virtually all the Phillies business applications will ultimately run under the INTERACTIVE UNIX System: ticketing, accounting, word processing, spreadsheets, and many others. Ford is evaluating such applications as expanding the use of the Digiboard fax boards to send and receive faxes right from the phone center. For example, if a fan needs to know where the handicapped entrances are located, the operators can fax a map of the stadium right from their terminals. Ford also sees closer integration with the telephone system for tracking phone calls and reconciling them with phone bills.

"We're very pleased with the INTERACTIVE UNIX System, " Ford concluded. "We envision a number of new applications. We're excited about the system, and the entire organization is behind it. They've seen the potential and the expectations are high."

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