This not really in my area, but some of you would like it.

-Brian

Begin forwarded message:

Date: Sun, 30 Nov 2003 16:06:39 -0600 From: Phillip Holbrook philliph@mb.sympatico.ca To: bdoob@acm.org Subject: Request for Linux Help

Hello, My name is Phillip Holbrook and my family owns a retail store in Winnipeg which uses Redhat Linux as its operating system.

We are looking for a person with enough knowledge of Linux software to help us finish our system. I am writing to you since your email address was on the MUUG user's web site, looking for Linux Software jobs. I thought you might be able to help us get started in fixing a problem, or you might know somebody who can do this for us.

In June 2002 we set up an integrated Retail Point of sale and Inventory control system, which uses Redhat 7.2 over a small network of about 8 desktop computers each accessing a desktop server. Each computer is essentially a cash register, and a data input terminal. We print our own Bar code tags, receipts etc. Our system works well enough for our needs and is stable.

Our needs were unique, so we could not use an "off the shelf" system, and we had ours designed on the fly. I was quite proud of the fact we didn't go with the Bill Gates system. The chap who built it and designed it did a great job and we are very happy with the way it works. He would come in on Saturdays and work on this one day a week as a work in progress over the past year and a half. Suddenly he has disappeared, and the system is not quite finished. Since we can no longer contact him, I would like to find somebody who can finish the job.

There are a couple of minor tweaks to the software we would like to see added, but the real need is that we never got to the stage where proper backups for the system were implemented. If we ever had a work station go down, or worse still, if the server died, we would be in trouble. I only have minimal knowledge, and would I mess up the system, so I don't want to touch it. I would like to have server redundancy added, as well as some backups of the program which we could easily implement on the fly, if we ever had a machine failure. I do not know where to start, and am afraid to touch anything for fear of screwing up a configuration and dragging down the whole operation. My knowledge of Linux is nowhere near enough to touch this.

Do you know somebody in Winnipeg who would be available to give us some guidance? I expect this would entail visiting the site, and setting it up. We are not looking for charity, and would be happy to pay for the service.

Your assistance would be appreciated.

Thank You.

Phillip Holbrook

B-949-8039 days R-224-2437