Archive for the ‘ Stuff ’ Category

Thank Heavens for OJT

Last week, I managed to crash the keystone of our internal web-based applications platform.

Yes. I crashed the Intranet.

I attempted an upgrade. I had good backups. I had verifiable data in said backups.

But let me tell you what… backups are for shit when Sharepoint bombs out.

I had attempted to upgrade a vanilla Sharepoint 2003 instance to Sharepoint 2007. I read up on the process, and found that for an in-place upgrade, on a vanilla instance, it should be a no brainer.

I ran the preflight check on the install, the logs showed all green. No errors found, no issues found. So I ran the install. The initial install was seamless. Reboot later, all was well.

Then I ran the upgrade wizard. This little magical fairy wizard that ports all your old site over to your new site. Content (like documents and spreadsheets), links, and pages… along with the audiences, security and workspaces are all supposed to be “upgraded” from the old 2003 site to the new 2007 site.

Did not work… and it failed spectacularly. After seeing that it was a lost endeavor, I tried to backtrack. (Had I known then what I know now, I would have not backtracked.) But I removed the new version, and tried to get the old version back up and running.

And… it did not work. I tried to restore from backup.

And… it did not work. Dammit.

So I called Microsoft.

And… four hour phone call later… still not working. Then another four hour phone call… still not working.

So I did what any sane tech would do. I abandoned the install.

Reinstalled from scratch… and just to get done sooner, I reinstalled the old version. Reinstalled the same patches, the same everything. Restored the old databases to the new instance name and viola!

I got it up and running. With everything intact.

Lessons Learned:

  1. When upgrading a complex technology product, do not use in-place upgrade.
  2. When upgrading a complex technology product, do a side-by-side (gradual) upgrade.
  3. Calling Microsoft may be frustrating, but it is the best OJT you can buy. Without Microsoft’s impromptu training session on the inner workings of Sharepoint, I would not have been able to bring it back up on my own with a fresh install.
  4. Sometimes you just have to call tech support.

So thanks Microsoft. You didn’t help me fix the original install, but at least I learned something from it.

2008
09/08
CATEGORY
Stuff
Write comment

Ear worms

I don’t have an mind for music. I can remember details about movies and such, but ask me who this song is by, 98% of the time, I will have no idea. I know a guy that can name any song from any artist for the last 30 years. I can do similar things with movies, but not to that level of details. Song lyrics are generally a complete loss. Unless I google a song, I generally have no idea what the groups are actually singing.

Kind of sad.

I enjoy music, I enjoy a good song, but I seem to enjoy music that doesn’t get in the way of my consciousness. Mindless stuff. Disposable pop, rock, alternative… but mostly electronic music fits the bill.

But for some reason, my subconscious ear picks up tunes all the time. Not lyrics, but melodies are caught within my brain pan. It is weird. I’ll just start humming a tune and it will be from some unidentifiable song. I will think it is a unique creation of my own mind (oh I am such a musical genius!) and then I will actually hear the song on the radio or through some other method.

Turns out I am NOT a musical genius, just a human sized Mockingbird. A subconscious mimic.

Makes me wonder what else I mimic unconsciously. Behavior? Writing? Attitude?

2008
09/02
CATEGORY
Stuff
Write comment

I love a good burger

They are horrible for you, generally don’t have much nutritional value, and can vary wildly in quality. But I think burgers are my favorite food.

When you find a good one, and I mean good, it has almost keeps a visceral, elevated position in your psyche. The outcome of a foodgasm perhaps?

I don’t know. But I have had very few elevated burgers. Very few.

In fact I can name them… but then I realize it wasn’t necessarily the quality of the burger, it was the emotional buildup of anticipation.

All that we hold in an elevated position as good food is like that I think. Since there is required physical need tied to food consumption, just like sex is tied to procreation, there is an emotional, subconscious buildup for some conclusion to satisfy that need.

You’re hungry, you have a craving, you wait and wait, and then boom – foodgasm.

A good burger backed by a solid amount of expectation is the recipe for a great meal.

2008
08/20
CATEGORY
Stuff
Write comment

In the clearing at the end of the path

The power of the human mind is extraordinary. Chew on this:

At the Fourth of July, my wife commented that her Grandfather did not look to good. Which is not surprising considering about four years ago, he had really bad hospital scare. Most of the family thought he was going to pass on. In fact, I remember many of my wife’s family saying it was going to happen within the week. Grandpa was a lifelong smoker, diabetic, and definitely not in the best of health. He had pneumonia something fierce and the doctors told Grandma that he was in the final stages of critical emphysema.

But he walked out. On an oxygen bottle… but he walked out nonetheless. He stopped smoking, and for a while he got better.

At the Fourth, my wife said he looked a bit off. I agreed… he did not look his best. She mentioned that their 50th wedding anniversary was coming up in August. She hoped that he would make it… she said he was looking forward to it.

I replied that with many people it is all about determination. That if they have something to live for they continue to live. We talked about my wife’s Great Grandma that was put into a nursing home. Before she was moved in by her kids, she had had her own house, baked pies everyday, and was very active. But after they moved her, she just gave up. She died within the year.

I have heard of other examples of it to. My mom told me that my grandmother died in much the same way. I have heard

Well Grandpa made it to his Anniversary on Saturday without much issue. He had his party, saw all of his kids and grand kids, and great-grand kids. He had his picture taken with the family, he ate his cake and made his jokes. Heard a funny poem written by his youngest son about his long marriage and raising the kids. Saw friends, ate, drank, and was merry. He lingered and talked with his kids as much as he could.

And that night he died.

We don’t know why. But I can venture a guess.

He decided to.

In some fashion, he knew.

Scary.

2008
08/11
CATEGORY
Stuff
Write comment

Sometimes you just wonder

If chocolate was made out of puppies, would I still enjoy it?

…

Food for thought.

Something to snicker at?

2008
08/05
CATEGORY
Stuff
Write comment

Beneath a mountain majestic

A mountain is above me. I wish I could climb it and summit with pride.

Too bad I am underneath the mountain… with a spoon worn down to a nubbin, a cracked headlamp that only shines half the time, and enough rations to see me through to next week sometime. I have found some tools lying about, but nothing to really speed me along. And I am an adventuring party of one.

Oh, and did I mention the goblins?

I keep hearing them bark and snarl from not too far behind me.

But they are catching up.

The drums. The drums from the deep.

…

Shit, I have somehow stumbled into Moria. (A mine they call it. A mine!)

…

And here I thought it was only a job. I guess I will have to follow my nose.

That way smells less foul.

2008
07/23
CATEGORY
Stuff
Write comment

Transferrence

Looking at my newborn, it is amazing how all your hopes and dreams you had for yourself automatically becomes your deepest desires for your kids.

Success. Love. Health.

My dreams are no longer my own.

They belong to my kids.

…

Sad in a way. Notch it up to the fate of a parent.

2008
07/11
CATEGORY
Stuff
Write comment

I am so tired my eyes ache

END OF LINE

2008
07/03
CATEGORY
Stuff
Write comment

Firefox 3 stumble

I upgraded to Firefox 3 kind of late. Well if you can consider a week from time of release late. But nonetheless, I didn’t really read up on any of the new features, I just dived right in.

And I found that Google Browser Sync was not supported. Plus, Google is not going to continue support. Sucksville. I had been using Google Browser Sync to sync all my bookmarks between PCs.

Then I stumbled on FoxMarks. Oh good golly… so much better.

And the big plus?

I can hit my bookmarks from any PC anywhere from any browser if I need them. I just log into the FoxMarks site and bingo, I have a http version of all my links.

Handy.

Firefox 3 is an improvement. Not night and day, but definitely an improvement.

2008
06/27
CATEGORY
Stuff
Write comment

The magic performance ratio

When it comes down to who actually does the work, it is about 2 people for a moderate sized IT project.

When it comes down to who talks about what work needs to be done by the group, it amounts to about 8 people.

So for every 4 people talking, only 1 actually has any ability to accomplish work. And that person has the least to contribute.

And guaranteed, that 1 person that has the ability to do the work is actually playing video games right now.

In some mild relationship, ran across this today.

OMFG, Hilarious.

2008
06/24
CATEGORY
Stuff
Write comment