[mapserver-users] Setup advice please?

Sun Mar 4 12:07:19 PST 2012

Hi Brent,

The setup of the tool and connecting to the data source, i.e. to an UMN
Mapserver layer, does not take long.
I have worked with tileCache and GeoWebCache which is relative straight
forward. But you have to consider the dependencies you introduce within
your environment, i.e. do you want to introduce Tomcat? I don't have
experience with the other tools you refer to, but I assume that getting a
layer ready does not take long. Based on Steve's post, I would tend a
stable release of MapProxy or tileCache which connects to Mapserver.

You introduce a new component to your infrastructure and need to link
existing components to the new data service, I assume besides deployment,
you need to do some integration testing on top of that.

To get a better understanding of your requirements, I would ask you the
following questions:

- What is the spatial extend of the data, what the the scales you need to
support?

When you introduce a map-tile cache, is it important to know if the
filesystem is able to deal with the amount of files you store. It sounds
over-the-top but I really experienced performance problems with ext3
filesystem when I tried to create pre-cached tiles for New Zealand down to
the scale 1:2000, and I also  reached filesystem limitations (exceeded
number of i-nodes) when I tried to pre-seed the layers 1:1000 and below.
This can be managed if you don't require the layer to be seeded completely
and by configuring your filesystem to accommodate that amount of files you
need to store.

- For your infrastructure, are you bound to a specific distribution and if
so, are the tile-cache packages available?
- Is the imagery data already made available via an WMS?
- If not, is the imagery data prepared to meet your business and functional
goals, such as performance, desired projection etc. Is the data available
as a tiled base layer or is the imagery data coming from different sources
and you have to merge those into one layer? I usually use gdaladdo for
GeoTiffs a lot to generate overview images to improve the performance for
larger scale maps.
- If this is a base layer, do you need the GetFeature support?
- How often does the basemap get updated? If it is a static layer which
does not get updated, I wonder if a pre-seeded solution would be more
efficient because you don't really have to maintain the components and use
a wrapper to provide the cache tiles.

Cheers,
Rainer

On Sat, Mar 3, 2012 at 4:31 PM, Puneet Kishor <punk.kish at gmail.com> wrote:

> It is my "expert" opinion that, with documentation and all, tilecache will
> take 35 mins. Any more and either the person doesn't know what he is doing,
> or is hoping to take the client for a ride.
>
> On Mar 2, 2012, at 9:22 PM, pcreso at pcreso.com wrote:
>
> Hi Puneet,
>
> Yep, a simple one off 50Gb image dataset to be configured & then the cache
> populated dynamically. I'd prefer MapProxy, or Mapcache, over Tilecache, to
> be able to support GetFeature requests, but in this instance that will not
> be needed anyway.
>
> That's about my take on it, maybe a couple of hours, but I've just been
> quoted 3 days by a support team to do this, at NZ$170/hr. (current exch
> rate is around .77, so maybe $2600US??? for the job)
>
> I'm not a professional at this, but do such things as a prototyping &
> playing exercise at home... & a formal installation will need documenting,
> etc, to a production server standard, so perhaps a few more hours, but that
> cost seems excessive.
>
> Hence my question here, to get an "expert" opinion of what such a setup
> should cost. Ideally a few such opinions to give me a robust sample size to
> go back with :-)
>
> I've also asked another provider for a cost. My guess is they will be
> considerably cheaper.
>
>
>
> --- On *Sat, 3/3/12, Puneet Kishor <punk.kish at gmail.com>* wrote:
>
>
> From: Puneet Kishor <punk.kish at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [mapserver-users] Setup advice please?
> To: "mapserver" <mapserver-users at lists.osgeo.org>
> Date: Saturday, March 3, 2012, 3:15 PM
>
> Just walked into this conversation so my response may be half-assed, but...
>
> On Mar 2, 2012, at 7:26 PM, pcreso at pcreso.com<http://mc/compose?to=pcreso@pcreso.com>wrote:
>
> > Cheers Steve.
> >
> > I don't think this changes the answer much... whether mapcache,
> tilecache or mapproxy is used, the time to set up a working server with
> 50Gb of geotiffs I would have thought would be pretty similar.
> >
> > So: can anyone experienced in this area suggest what sort of time is
> > reasonable to expect a competent team to set this up in a professional
> > way, with reasonable supporting docs, etc? Remembering we have a
> > supported server to work with.
>
>
>
> What do you mean by "time... to set up" a server? Fwiw, I downloaded,
> configured, and had Tilecache working in less than 30 mins. The cache is
> not pre-seeded. It builds up as it goes.
>
>
>
>
>
>
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> >    Brent Wood
> >
> > --- On Sat, 3/3/12, Lime, Steve D (DNR) <Steve.Lime at state.mn.us<http://mc/compose?to=Steve.Lime@state.mn.us>>
> wrote:
> >
> > From: Lime, Steve D (DNR) <Steve.Lime at state.mn.us<http://mc/compose?to=Steve.Lime@state.mn.us>
> >
> > Subject: RE: [mapserver-users] Setup advice please?
> > To: "pcreso at pcreso.com <http://mc/compose?to=pcreso@pcreso.com>" <
> pcreso at pcreso.com <http://mc/compose?to=pcreso@pcreso.com>>, "Corey
> Carpenter" <fruitwerks at gmail.com<http://mc/compose?to=fruitwerks@gmail.com>
> >
> > Cc: "mapserver-users at lists.osgeo.org<http://mc/compose?to=mapserver-users@lists.osgeo.org>"
> <mapserver-users at lists.osgeo.org<http://mc/compose?to=mapserver-users@lists.osgeo.org>
> >
> > Date: Saturday, March 3, 2012, 1:15 PM
> >
> > MapServer 6.2 isn't ready for production use, however, MapCache is. I've
> been pairing it and 6.0.2 for production use for months... Just another
> opinion. -Steve
> > ________________________________________
> > From: mapserver-users-bounces at lists.osgeo.org<http://mc/compose?to=mapserver-users-bounces@lists.osgeo.org>[
> mapserver-users-bounces at lists.osgeo.org<http://mc/compose?to=mapserver-users-bounces@lists.osgeo.org>]
> on behalf of pcreso at pcreso.com <http://mc/compose?to=pcreso@pcreso.com> [
> pcreso at pcreso.com <http://mc/compose?to=pcreso@pcreso.com>]
> > Sent: Friday, March 02, 2012 2:09 PM
> > To: Corey Carpenter
> > Cc: mapserver-users at lists.osgeo.org<http://mc/compose?to=mapserver-users@lists.osgeo.org>
> > Subject: Re: [mapserver-users] Setup advice please?
> >
> > Hi Corey,
> >
> > Thanks for the suggestion.
> >
> > At this stage the requirement is for a stable production system.
> Mapserver 6.2 & mapcache  are not, still being under development.
> >
> > I realise that this does not preclude the software running robustly, but
> it will not be an acceptable solution in this case. Mapserver 6.01, as the
> latest stable release, is the required platform.
> >
> > Hence my suggestion of Tilecache & MapProxy as suitable applications,
> which are available as binary packages ready to install.
> >
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> >   Brent Wood
> >
> > --- On Sat, 3/3/12, Corey Carpenter <fruitwerks at gmail.com<http://mc/compose?to=fruitwerks@gmail.com>>
> wrote:
> >
> > From: Corey Carpenter <fruitwerks at gmail.com<http://mc/compose?to=fruitwerks@gmail.com>
> >
> > Subject: Re: [mapserver-users] Setup advice please?
> > To: pcreso at pcreso.com <http://mc/compose?to=pcreso@pcreso.com>
> > Cc: mapserver-users at lists.osgeo.org<http://mc/compose?to=mapserver-users@lists.osgeo.org>
> > Date: Saturday, March 3, 2012, 8:40 AM
> >
> > Unless I read your question incorrectly, this is the main function of
> mapcache. You will need to use a fairly new version of mapserver 6.2 /
> trunk. You will be able to seed your cache, so the tiles you define are
> available on the first request.
> >
> > I have used tilecache and other methods, but I have no experience with
> mapcache.
> >
> > On Fri, Mar 2, 2012 at 1:10 PM, <pcreso at pcreso.com<http://mc/compose?to=pcreso@pcreso.com>
> </mc/compose?to=pcreso at pcreso.com <http://mc/compose?to=pcreso@pcreso.com>>>
> wrote:
> > Hi,
> >
> > Hopefully someone here can help.
> >
> > I have about 50Gb of high resolution aerial photos (geotiffs) to set up
> as a cached WMS service.
> >
> > We have a mapserver setup ready to use, with backups, etc. already
> sorted. The dataset is competely static.
> >
> > I'd like to set up MapProxy or Tilecache as a tiled WMS service for an
> OpenLayers front end, and possible other public use.
> >
> > I'm happy with a dynamically populated cache, rather than a pre-filled
> one, so the cache is built up as it is used.
> >
> > Can anyone experienced in this area suggest what sort of time is
> reasonable to expect a competent team to set this up in a professional way,
> with reasonable supporting docs, etc? Remembering we have a supported
> server to work with.
> >
> > It has been asked for by a small local environmental interest group with
> zero funds, and I need to get a reasonable commercial cost for such an
> exercise to start with.
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> >    Brent Wood
> >
> > ..
>
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