Self Hosted to RAMP

We did this long, long ago, long enough ago that the specifics, if I remembered them, would be very different anyway (for instance, it was still actually called RAMP).

I'll second Kathleen: the biggest difference for me was the change in permissions structure.  I actually got to ease into that, since RAMP was initially more open with local admin accounts, then tightened up a bit, and then with the move to AWS and the rebrand to THS things tightened up a bit more.  Some specifics: file access is generally less (and of course more awkward) although they'll generally post most folders you request into FileMover.  API server configuration, which I think still has some functional items built in (like ticket reservation limits and maybe seatserver timeout) will have to go through support.  Two big changes that I still haven't fully resolved are the fact that scripts/procedures you build will not have the file access and you will not have 100% control over SQL Server Agent Jobs.  Some things are negotiable, like being able to build and edit your own SQL Server Agent Jobs, others are not.

I'd also like to do some expectation setting.  When we were locally hosted, we had magnificent uptimes: generally speaking they lasted unbroken between upgrades.  At the time of the change I pointed out to everyone who would listen that we had replaced two points of failure (the server and the router in our building) with about 35 points of failure (every hop between Berkeley and Dallas).  This turned out to be painfully true as for years we wrestled with a handful of servers in LA that were just misconfigured enough to saddle us with unpleasant latency but not enough for us to find a way to route around them.  That particular headache is gone and many of those points of failure eliminated with the move to AWS, but there are still many networking but also software and server layers that can, and routinely do, cause issues.  Issues are usually resolved within a few hours, but it is something that will just happen.  What I remind our staff about is that when we did have downtime before it usually wasn't resolvable in a couple of hours because, for instance, the server room had filled up with water.

Good info to have.  I learnt the limited amount I know about DBAing being in a RAMP/THS environment for 6 years before comming back over here to self-hosted.  For my current DBA (who actually has career training, outrageous I know) moving from self to THS will be another shock.  eg: I always had decent access to SSAgent, but not DBmail - which makes sense. The Support environment is small enough down here that we are pretty close and a lot of us have worked both sides. 

Good info to have.  I learnt the limited amount I know about DBAing being in a RAMP/THS environment for 6 years before comming back over here to self-hosted.  For my current DBA (who actually has career training, outrageous I know) moving from self to THS will be another shock.  eg: I always had decent access to SSAgent, but not DBmail - which makes sense. The Support environment is small enough down here that we are pretty close and a lot of us have worked both sides.