Scalable Internet Architectures (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

As a developer, you are aware of the increasing concern amongst developers and site architects that websites be able to handle the vast number of visitors that flood the Internet on a daily basis. Scalable Internet Architecture addresses these concerns by teaching you both good and bad design methodologies for building new sites and how to scale existing websites to robust, high-availability websites. Primarily example-based, the book discusses major topics in web architectural design, presenting existing solutions and how they work. Technology budget tight? This book will work for you, too, as it introduces new and innovative concepts to solving traditionally expensive problems without a large technology budget. Using open source and proprietary examples, you will be engaged in best practice design methodologies for building new sites, as well as appropriately scaling both growing and shrinking sites. Website development help has arrived in the form of Scalable Internet Architecture.

About the Author

Theo Schlossnagle is a principal at OmniTI Computer Consulting, where he provides

expert consulting services related to scalable internet architectures, database replication,

and email infrastructure. He is the creator of the Backhand Project and the Ecelerity

MTA, and spends most of his time solving the scalability problems that arise in

high-performance and highly distributed systems.

 

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Sams (July 31, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 067232699X
• ISBN-13: 978-0672326998
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #122,760 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #40 in	Books > Computers & Internet > Hardware > Microprocessors & System Design > Computer Design
  #78 in	Books > Computers & Internet > Hardware > Design & Architecture

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The previous reviews don't really do it justice, November 23, 2006

By	AngryCoder (Western United States) - See all my reviews

This is a fantastic book about scalable systems. If you want specifics, he presents opensource and cost effective solutions that can be implemented, but in my opinion that isn't the real value of the book.

The real value is the way he leads you through the thought processess that need to occur as you plan for releasing and using such a system. I really like some of the stuff that is emphasized and has caused me to realize that I had gaps in my knowledge. Gaps like better release planning, and actual cost of such a system, especially as it grows, or shrinks.

I've been extremely happy with this purchase.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I could not put this book down, January 31, 2008

By	Michael Mee "mikemee" (San Diego, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I picked up this book the other day on the recommendation of a friend, and I can't put it down. I like it because:

* its small (the number of pages 225, the print, the format, the thickness) , but its pithy. Every page has useful stuff.
* the real world experience (pain!) just oozes out of this book. So many times while reading I thought: "Oh yes ... hadn't thought of that."
* its not stridently opensource, nonetheless ends up most there anyway - but only after addressing commercial products and their role
* its business focused, not geek focused - while still being incredibly geeky

Most of all its just really well written and edited. I've caught a couple of minor typos, but nothing that interfered with reading or enjoying the book.

In a world of many great technical books, and insufficient time to read them, its hard to know which ones are worth the effort. This one definitely is.

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unique and realistic perspective on Scalability and HA, September 16, 2007

By	S. Hirsch "ennui buster" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is the type of technical book that comes alone all to infrequently. Instead of giving "cookbook" recipes that are inapplicable to the majority of real-world environment, this book discusses how to apply techniques (not recipes) to increase the flexibility (and hence scalability) of your infrastructure. This author obviously has in-depth knowledge of real-work production environments and the unnecessary risks that companies expose their infrastructures to. For example, from my own experience it is pitiful how rampant the concept of HA is confused with load balancing! I have seen CIOs of Fortune 500 companies tout their "risk-free" scalable environment implemented with load balancing. When I explain to them that HA has nothing to do with load balancing, and to insure a high availability infrastructure they need to revamp their architecture, they look at me suspiciously as if I'm trying to squeeze money out of them. When I ask to speak to the Director of Operations and pointedly ask how HA is implemented, and get a response alone the lines of "we have redundant load balancers fronting redundant servers" I know I'm dealing with yet another instance of a gross misunderstanding of HA. When I point out the multiple single points of failure, I'm treated as an adversary intent on discrediting the technical staff! This book reveals the fallacy of such an approach.

The author also discusses elements of a robust HA environment that others book only touch on if not completely ignore. For example, revision control and business continuity among other often overlooked processes. All in all an interesting read that will open your eyes to what is truly a misunderstood topic.

The books handling of scalability, including a discussion of "scaling-down" (or scaling back), is first rate as well.