Capacity Planning has been a discipline practiced by IT since before the invention of the mainframe. It encompasses different measurement, analysis, modeling and reporting techniques and strategies. But with the advent of distributed computing, with hardware resources competing in what may be termed a commodities market, should Capacity Planning be treated with the same reverence as in the past? This paper will tackle this question head on. § The research described here was performed by the author while on a sabbatical leave of absence from the College of Staten Island/City University of New York during the 1996/1997 academic year. Executive Summary Capacity Planning has been a discipline practiced by IT since before the invention of the mainframe. It encompasses different measurement, analysis, modeling and reporting techniques and strategies. But with the advent of distributed computing, with hardware resources competing in what may be termed a commodities market, should Capacity P...