Tim let me clarify
We do use a reduced package build and JASS. We strip "the bloat" out before we deploy. Our SLAs are defined on the application availability not the servers so much. We do patch on a annual basis and apply patches when we are affected by a security issue all be it very very rare. That said, we meet our SLA and for the most part we as of yet have had to drop a box because of a critical security patch that needed to be applied outside our one patch window. Most of the time we will look for workarounds before we result to rebooting the server outside our window. For the most part we update so things like Oracle are happy when we upgrade the databases so its two birds with one stone.
Yes i agree with you about Sol9 it easier but like everything else with time things become more complex. I just have to stand up and look over at the WIndows admins with their zombied looks when they play the monthly patch raffle to know us *NIX admins are in a much better place :)
Matt Bryant:
I assume your point was Linux not HP-UX. I think a search of the register will show you that HP is not a safe bet vs Sun, IBM and yes RH.
I'm not going to fan the UNIX vs LINUX debate if possible but you have your opinion and i have mine. Linux has a place in datacenters but not in ours. The reasons why people move away from UNIX to LINUX are diverse as the people that use it but the driving factor was price. Sun did themselves some great disservice by screwing clients royally before the .bust . They weren't alone, IBM and HP we dryhumping clients too. Now because of their actions we are seeing Sun have to realign on price and delivery to meet the LINUX challenge. HP where are they going? Some days it looks like they don't know never mind the clients. IBM, nice gear, pricey; nice OS pricey, LINUX sure lets go with the flow. Sun has the most to loose out of the 3, so they want to give you as many compelling solutions to upgrade even if you are stuck with a legacy app, yes?
I would be interested to know what the fortune 500 are using for dB/app/web servers these days. I'm sure everyone is in there. I would guess that the world != F500 Linux % though i've eaten my words before. Does someone know?