Symconnect Problems Release 2008.02

For Symitar users, were having a great time with Symitar Release 2008.02. Stability module...huh??? Well, Symconnect keeps taking a dive off the deep-end and our applications keep crashing.

Symitar's response says we need more memory. hmm.

ugh. I have a stuffy nose.

So the wife and I saw Wilco the other night at the Lyric Opera House in Baltimore. Excellent, Excellent show. They are just a great band. It's amazing how they can play such soft melodies and then go full blown into guitar driven, distorted insanity. It's all constructed very well.

Christmas is near and I'm not prepared..whats new.

I ate Pizza yesterday at a place called "Matchbox" in DC near Chinatown. I got something called "Fire and Smoke". Bad idea. I should have read the description a bit closer. My mouth was on fire, eyes watering, nose dripping and my stomach was left in knots. Next time, I think I'll try just cheese.

Going back to DC, I was actually there for the Network World IT Roadmap tour. It was ok. There were several sessions. I attended the Data Center Infrastructure Management and the Virtualization sessions. The Data Center session started off with a GREAT speaker..lots of good info. But the case study speakers were awful. The Virtualization session was good, lot of info I already knew though. Case study speakers were ok.

Steaks Anyone?

Here is my new favorite way to cook a steak.

1. Get a good cut steak, 1-1 1/2 thick. Marinate if you wish for however long.

2. Before cooking, let steak come to room temperature.

3. Place a good pan in the oven and heat to 500 degrees (just the pan). A little before oven is heated to 500 degrees, turn a burner on high. - Don't ask questions, ...just do this.

4. When oven reaches 500 degrees, pull pan out - with an oven mit!, Place on heated burner and sear each side of the steaks for 30 seconds. Leave the oven on - were not done yet. This may produce a little smoke..don't worry - it's just an effect.

5. After searing, place pan with steaks in the oven for 3 minutes. After 3 minutes, pull steaks out, flip, place back in oven and cook for an additional 3 minutes.

6. Remove steaks from oven...brag and act like mucho badass. Let sit for 5 minutes.

Steaks will have a nice pink center.

ThinkGeek

Find out What's New at ThinkGeek!

My Dog Jack

This is my dog - Jack. He's a Drent and my pal. Best dog in the world and I thought I would show him off a bit. I've been asked well why this dog? My wife and I were searching for a good family dog, good with kids, demeanor, medium in size. In our searches we kept coming across this breed. After a bit of research we learned how rare they are. At the time, there were only several breeders in the US. A breeder out in New Mexico had puppies and we decided to put our name on "the list". After a quick trip, met some fine people, ate great spaghetti...Jack was ours.

The breed is from the Netherlands, part of the Spaniel family originating from France - Spain. They are primarily used for hunting but make for great family pets. Jack can be a bit stubborn but he's loyal, our shadow and excellent with kids. He loves to run in the field and chase rabbits. This is almost sounding like a personal ad.

Recovering a file using Dell EqualLogic snapshots

I thought this video had some good info in it.

Updating EqualLogic Firmware

I see a lot of searches on my blog for this. So..to help you all out. Here you go. This is for the latest firmware release. All your Members should be running the array. After updating, it does require a restart. By the way, I'm an EqualLogic customer, and the 3 arrays we have are excellent. Were using one for SQL/Exchange data and another strictly for VMware. All have been very solid. The snapshots process works great - I recently downloaded and am testing the snapshot plugin for VMware...hope to post results soon. Having an EqualLogic SAN has greatly improved our redundancy and disaster recovery is becoming a breeze - especially when combined with VMware.

PS Series Storage Arrays

Updating Storage Array Firmware

This document describes the considerations and procedures for updating firmware on PS Series storage arrays. It applies to all supported firmware update paths and includes the following sections:

• Planning the Update on page 1
• Obtaining the Firmware Update Kit on page 2
• Updating an Array on page 3

A PS Series storage array includes single or dual control modules, each with a compact flash card running the PS
Series firmware. To take advantage of new product features, enhancements, and bug fixes, you should always run the latest PS Series storage array firmware, located on the EqualLogic Customer Support website.

Planning the Update

When scheduling a firmware update, be sure to allow sufficient time to update and restart the entire group of arrays. Keep in mind the following important issues:

Choosing the Current Firmware Version

Usually, you can update an array directly to the latest firmware version. However, in some cases, you may need to update to an interim version before updating to the latest version. (See the latest PS Series Release Notes for information about supported firmware update paths.)

If an array is currently running a PS Series firmware version prior to 2.2.3, you must use the restart command to restart the array before copying the update kit to the array. In addition, regardless of the current running firmware, you must restart the array after the update procedure completes.

Minimizing Host Disruption and Planning for Downtime

The update procedure requires an array restart. During an array restart, volumes with data on the array will be momentarily unavailable until the restart completes. (The PS Series Release Notes provides examples of operating system and iSCSI initiator configurations that may be able to handle an array restart without disruption.)

• Host Disruption –While the volumes are unavailable, some iSCSI initiators may return errors to the operating
system or applications. You should ensure that the applications themselves can tolerate the restart. In some
cases, you may need to make modifications to the operating system. In other cases, configurations may be able
to tolerate an array restart without disruption. In all cases, you should first test them in a non-production
environment.

• Planned Downtime – If you do not have one of the identified configurations or if you are unsure of your
application’s ability to tolerate the restart, you should consider planning for downtime when updating firmware.
This can involve shutting down the hosts accessing the group before beginning the update procedure. After the update completes, you can restart the hosts. Planning for application downtime may be the best way to protect against unexpected disturbances.


Working with Multi-Member Groups

EqualLogic recommends that all PS Series group members run the same version of the storage array firmware.
The PS Series Release Notes describe which firmware versions can co-exist in a group; however, only features and bug fixes common to all versions will be available.

• Mixed firmware in a group –If you are adding a new array to an existing group, consider updating the group to the latest firmware before adding the new member to the group.

• Multi-member group updates – In a multi-member group, perform the update procedure on one member at a time. If you must update to an interim version, update all the members to the interim version, then update all the members to the final version. Between updating group members, wait for the SAN to stabilize before continuing with the update. For example, use the Group Manager GUI or CLI to ensure that all members and volumes are online. Also, be sure that iSCSI initiators reconnect to volumes (if applicable).


• Disallowed downgrades – If you have run the grpparams disallow-downgrade command in the group
(see the CLI Reference for more information), you cannot return any group member to a PS Series firmware
version prior to V3.2.


Backing Up Data

Regular backups are a vital part of maintaining a storage environment. In addition, because upgrading infrastructure is a critical service procedure, it should be carefully planned and implemented at off-peak hours (if possible) and after a backup has occurred.

Obtaining the Firmware Update Kit

Follow these steps to obtain the update kit and associated documentation:

1. On the host that has the FTP utility available, use a web browser to access the EqualLogic website
(www.equallogic.com).
2. Log in to your support account. If you do not have a support account, request an account from the Login page.
3. Click the Customer Service Home tab in the upper left corner.
4. Click the Downloads tab and select Firmware.
5. Select the PS Series firmware version you want to update to.
6. Download the firmware to the host. The file is approximately 12 MB in size.
7. Unzip or uncompress the file to a directory on the host. This extracts the .tgz file that you will copy to the
array later.

Updating an Array

Use this procedure shown next to update an array to the latest firmware version.

Prerequisite: Review the PS Series Release Notes before beginning the update.

The update procedure requires the information shown in Table 1: Array Update Requirements for each array you
are updating.

Table 1: Array Update Requirements

Requirement

Array IP address
IP address assigned to Ethernet Port 0
Host IP address
IP address where the FTP or SCP utility is located
Network access to each array being updated
Use the ping command to test network connectivity from an array’s IP address to a host.

To update firmware, follow these steps:

1. (If running firmware prior to V2.2.3) Cleanly restart the array.
If the array is currently running a PS Series firmware version prior to 2.2.3, you must use the restart
command to restart the array before copying the update kit to the array.

2. Connect to the array.
You can use a serial connection that is right for your control module model or use telnet or SSH to connect to
an array. Connect through an IP address assigned to a network interface on the array (for example, Ethernet
Port 0). Do not connect to the group IP address.
If you are using a serial connection, the following characteristics are required for CLI access:

• 9600 baud
• 1 STOP bit
• No parity
• 8 data bits
• No hardware flow control

Once connected, press the key and log in to an administration account that has read-write permission(for example, the grpadmin account).
3. Copy the firmware to the array.

Use FTP to copy the firmware .tgz file from the host to the array being updated.

Note: You cannot modify the update kit name at any step in the copy process. If the name is changed, the update will fail.

a. To specify you want to open an ftp session, type: ftp.

b. To open the session, type: open .
(For example: open 192.168.10.20)

c. When prompted for an account and password, specify the grpadmin account and password.

d. To enable a binary mode transfer, type: binary.

e. To transfer a file, type: put .
(For example: put kit_12345678.tgz)

Note: Because some versions of FTP convert file names to uppercase, specify the file name twice with
the put command, as shown in the example below.
f. To close the session, type: close.

g. To end the ftp session, type: bye.
The following example uses FTP to copy a firmware update kit named kit_12345678.tgz from a host to
an array with the IP address 192.168.1.53.

$ ftp
ftp> open 192.168.1.53
Connected to psa1.site.com.
220 192.168.1.53 FTP server ready.

Name: grpadmin
331 Password required for grpadmin.
Password: xxxxxxx

230 User grpadmin logged in.
Remote system type is UNIX.
Using binary mode to transfer files.

ftp> binary
200 Type set to I
ftp> put kit_12345678.tgz kit_12345678.tgz .. Note the file name is entered twice.

local: kit_1234567.tgz remote: kit_1234567.tgz
229 Entering Extended Passive Mode (|||65534|)
150 Opening BINARY mode data connection for 'kit_12345678.tgz'.
100%|***********************| 13191 KB 81.26 KB/s 00:00 ETA
226 Transfer complete.
13508472 bytes sent in 02:42 (81.06 KB/s)
ftp> close
221- Data traffic for this session was 13508472 bytes in 1 file.
Total traffic for this session was 13509009 bytes in 1 transfer.
221 Thank you for using the FTP service on 192.168.1.53.

ftp> bye

4. Update the array firmware.

At the Group Manager CLI prompt, enter the update command, as shown in the following example.
Note: On a dual control module array, both control modules will be updated.

> update

This command will update the firmware on the array's flash card memory using the kit
that is already loaded onto the array.

If you choose to proceed, you will be shown the current firmware version and the
version to which you will update. You will then be given the choice to proceed again.

The firmware update will not take effect until the array is restarted.

Do you wish to proceed (y/n) [y]: y

.

.

.

5. (Optional) Shut down the hosts accessing the group volumes.

Before you restart the array in the next step, consider whether you want to shut down the hosts accessing the
group volumes. (See “Minimizing Host Disruption and Planning for Downtime” on page 1.)

6. Cleanly restart the array.

You must restart the array to apply the new firmware. It is recommended that you restart the array as soon as
possible. Wait until the update completes. Then, at the CLI prompt, enter the restart command.

7. Verify the firmware update.

• In the GUI, you can view control module information by expanding the members list in the leftmost
panel, selecting a member name, and then clicking the Controllers tab.

• In the CLI, use the following command, specifying the member name:
member select member_name show controllers

The following shows sample command output.

> member select memlab2 show controllers

___________________________ Controller Information ____________________________

SlotID: 0 Status: active
Model: 70-0011 BatteryStatus: ok
ProcessorTemperature: 62 ChipsetTemperature: 45
LastBootTime: 2007-02-06:12:07:57 SerialNumber: B018429
Manufactured: 0107 ECOLevel: C00
CM Rev.: R32 FW Rev.: Storage Array Firmware V3.1.1
NVRAM Battery: good (R51839)
BootRomVersion: 3.3.1 BootRomBuilDate: Wed Sep 27 01:29:14
EDT 2006

_______________________________________________________________________________

SlotID: 1 Status: secondary
Model: 70-0011 BatteryStatus: ok
ProcessorTemperature: 58 ChipsetTemperature: 45
LastBootTime: 2007-02-06:12:07:58 SerialNumber: B016259
Manufactured: 4506 ECOLevel: C00
CM Rev.: R32 FW Rev.: Storage Array Firmware V3.1.1
NVRAM Battery: good (R51839)
BootRomVersion: 3.3.1 BootRomBuilDate: Wed Sep 27 01:29:14
EDT 2006

____________________________ Cache Information ________________________________

CacheMode: write-back Controller-Safe: disabled
Low-Battery-Safe: enabled

On a dual control module array, the firmware on both control modules must be the same. If not, or if only one
control module appears but two are installed, contact EqualLogic Customer Support.

8. (Optional) Update additional group members.

If you are updating firmware on a multi-member group, repeat steps 1 through 7 on the remaining members.

Tip: Between updating group members, wait for the SAN to stabilize before continuing with the update.

9. (Optional) Turn on hosts.

If you shut down the hosts accessing the group volumes (see step 5), you can now turn them back on.

Scared of banks? Join a Credit Union

Having a financial account with a Credit Union is a great way to manage your money. First of all, Credit Unions are strong. You can trust you Credit Unions with your money as they are insured by the NCUSIF - National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund.

I've borrowed some of this info.

*Credit unions as a whole are healthy, with strong balance sheets.
*Credit unions have steered clear of the subprime mess. We’re still lending responsibly.
*Credit unions are a safe harbor for consumer savings.
*Federal insurance covers credit unions, too.

But how do I join a Credit Union?
Credit unions are for everyone, but the law places some limits on the people they may serve. A credit union's charter defines its "field of membership," which could be an employer, church, school, or community. Anyone working for an employer that sponsors a credit union, for example, is eligible to join that credit union.

If you don't belong, here's how to find a credit union to join:

1. Call your state league. A representative will tell you about credit unions in your area that you are eligible to join. Here's a list of contacts in each state.
2. Ask your boss. Your company may sponsor a credit union, or may be a select employee group (SEG) that has access to a credit union. Many employers offer direct deposit of payroll to your credit union.
3. Poll your family. Does your spouse's employer sponsor a credit union? Most credit unions allow credit union members' families to join. Each credit union, however, may define "family" differently. At some, only members of your immediate family are eligible. At other credit unions, family may include extended family members, such as cousins, uncles, and aunts.
4. Quiz the neighbors. Some credit unions have a "community" field of membership, serving a region defined by geography rather than by employment or some other association. Ask friends in the community if they know of a credit union you may join.
5. Read the yellow pages. Some credit unions rarely advertise, so you might not know about them unless you look them up. A yellow pages display ad may state a credit union's field of membership. If not, at least you'll know what number to call to ask about membership eligibility.
6. Call us. The Credit Union National Association can help you find a credit union by calling (800) 358-5710. You'll hear an electronic message that includes the name and telephone number of a person at the credit union league in your state who can help you find a credit union to join.
7. Check the online database of credit unions. Use our credit union locator.

Here is a easy read from the CUNA - Credit Union National Association.

Just thought I would post something, anything.

The Ravens..what the hell..come on.

Were having a girl..at least we saw girl parts. I should know most definitely by Wednesday when we go back for a better sonogram. A list of names is gathering up and hopefully we'll come to a decision soon.

I did a few physical to virtual conversions last night. Our VMware project is moving along. A co-worker needed a new server to write web-apps on. It's nice being able to deploy a fully patched, ready to go Windows 2003 server in under 5 minutes.

What else..??? I need to get a new iPod. I bought my wife one a while back...and the dog chomped it up. It still works but the display is slowly taking a dive. She got a new one, I got the dog meat one. But Christmas is coming. I need new music to..and to spend a day catching up on all that I'm not hearing.

Ahh..I am getting the Blackberry Storm via work to replace the existing. I'd really like to try out some of Windows Server management tools. i hear Apple has the Cisco VPN client..not sure how the Storm will handle. It would be sweet to be able to manage VI3 from my Blackberry.

ugh..I'm tired.

Vista Remote Assistance

Offering Remote Assistance in Vista is a bit different these days. Use "msra /expert" to offer support for an end user. You can create a desktop shortcut or run it from the command line. There are some permissions that need to be taken in account before you'll be able to connect which can be done on the local computer or via Group Policy in a domain environment. For instance, take a look at the MyComputer>System Properties>Remote... It's also quite easy to create an AD Group called "RemoteAdmins" and add them to the Computer Configuration>Admin Templates>System>Remote Assistance>Offer Remote Assistance>Helpers Area.

I stumbled across this while playing around with Remote Assistance Offers in Vista. Some of this wording may not be right but if you've gotten this far, I shouldn't need to explain.

Check out this MS article if you have troubles connecting to XP machines.

I heard something funny yesterday and I thought I would post it.

Anyhow, my friend across from me said, "Yeah, if the Pilgrims would have killed a donkey in November, we'd all be getting a piece of ass for Thanksgiving".

Some humor you can share at the table while your eating stuffing.

Welp.

Life is busy. But good. As a matter of fact, this beer to my right is good as well. And that makes me think about things in general. I catch myself complaining about things far less concerning and when I do..I think about some other schmoe who really has worries. It puts things back into perspective and gets me - on the right track.

Spent a few good days in the woods last weekend. Wifey and I got away for a few days so some solitude alone together was well spent. I was also able to flip a mountain bike, bruising myself up a bit due to some bmx antics or really a random act of stupidity. None the less, it was a flip worth taking as I suddenly realized I'm not 13 anymore. Actually...several of the downhills I took were pretty damn impressive. However, all that really sticks out is me toppling over myself. Smores, fire, deer and the eerie sound of nothingness..try it sometime.

I have a 18month old son and a 13yr old daughter. Wifey is prego and were expecting another in April. We find out boy parts or girl parts next week. It's tough though going from 18month old mindset to a 13yr old "do your homework, the world doesn't revolve around" you type of dad. Times are tricky but keeps you on your toes.

The Jeep and I became one yesterday. A trip to Frederick to visit some friends contributed to more raucous in the woods on a hill side. Until my battery gave way and the Jeep had to be put in neutral and pushed downhill. Explaining this to my wife was not entertaining. Luckily my buddies wife was able to give us a jump..and off we went back up that hill. Life is stupid sometimes.

401k going down...down....down

I asked a friend what he's doing with his 401k right now. He said.."pretending like I don't have one.". Well, I asked a financial adviser at work what his thoughts were during this financial meltdown. And here they are. Perhaps it will help you out.

"The dramatic declines we’ve experienced are similar to what happened following the 9/11 attacks and granted it will take much longer for the market to recover this time around, but this volatility really has no impact on anyone with a time horizon of greater than 10 years.

The best strategy right now is to ride out the storm because you never sell out of panic or fear, only out of need and at present you only have a paper loss. If you were to proceed with a sale then you effectively are accepting the loss where if you hold on to it then you are likely to recoup those losses in the long-term because we know that 20-30 years from now the markets will be significantly higher."

Finally

We are finally up and running with VI3 Enterprise. Yesterday I was able to establish our 4 node ESX cluster and actually get a template or two ready for VM deployments. It's going to make life so much easier.

We wound up with (4) Dell Poweredge 1950s, 32gb ram, (2) Quad Core Procs, (2)2.5 SAS drives, and six ethernet interfaces.

The plan is to virtualize..well everything we can, about 30 servers or so.

The backend storage consists of an EqualLogic PS300, 3700x connected with dual Cisco 3750s tied into our Catalyst 4507r.

It sounds geeky, and it is..but it's very cool. Just because.

The fun begins.

Round One - Obama Takes It.

Well, I thought it was clear that Obama came out and displayed his character as clear contender as future President. He showed enthusiasm, courage, and determination for tackling the issues discussed. My biggest criticism for McCain was that he never really looked at his opponent...AT ALL. To me that shows weakness and I think displays an uncertainty of ones self. Yes McCain showed heart but I thought Obama showed strength and confidence in each counter argument. Obama came across as a person who is ready to face the nation and the world eye to eye. Critics say he lacks experience but I think he is up for the challenge.

Shared DR Space

A buddy of mine were recently talking about disaster recovery. Recently the company I work for has been breathing new life into disaster recovery so it's been a hot topic. In regards to offsite data storage or co-lo facilities, purchasing rack space...etc etc...that can be hassle. I understand companies do try to make it affordable. BUT, my buddy brought up a good point/idea...why don't companies in similar industries, for example banks/Credit Unions share space with each other? West Coast banks can share space with East Coast banks and vice-versa? It sounds like a good idea and your data is on opposite sides of the country.

The Greaseman is NOT dead.

Well...after all the fuss.

EITMfans | Elliot In The Morning Fans: The Greaseman Dead?

Is the Greaseman Dead?

DC101 has announced that "The Greaseman" is dead. However, it's been reported that this may be some sort of publicity stunt thanks to a video that has popped up on YouTube yesterday.

Wikipedia also listed an entry that has been updated several times. One of which included his death but it has since been removed.

So, I'm not sure what's going on..but in the meantime..enjoy these bits.

....Sept 24th. Here is an update.

Palin, Just An End User To

So the talk today is about Palin's Yahoo email account getting hacked. First of all, has it been confirmed that she was conducting State business through the account? Okay, so if she was, here is my take on it.

She probably doesn't use her government account as much because the State or Powers That Be's anti-spam filter blows and her emails get blocked. So after numerous calls to her IT dept, the problem doesn't get solved. Like any employee or general computer user I know, this get's frustrating after a while...so, gee I'll just use my Yahoo account.

Thoughts?

Excellent Dell Deals

If your in the market for Dell hardware but on a budget, take a look at Dell PowerEdge 1950 II generation servers. They are extremely discounted right now, like 40%. I just purchased 4 of them with (2) Quad Core Procs 3.0ghz, 32gb of RAM, and VI3 Enterprise. The new PowerEdge 1950 IIIs just came out.

Just wanted to pass that along. We are about to virtualize 30 or so small app servers so this works out great for us. The PowerEdge 1950's have reported great results with VMWare.

I'll be documenting our migration as that happens. Looking forward to it.

dont blog and drive

And that's exactly what I thought I would try this morning. Traffic ahead, bus on my right, speeding cop to my left, Rather Ripped in my head.

The coffee is good. This post isn't making sense.."What a waste, your so chased(sp?)".. Ahhh ijust had to break hard. The woman behind me is giving me looks.I'm really late for work.Martin..out.

Small things - big booms.

So I read today that in just a few hours, "soon after 9am on Sept 10 (0700 GMT), scientist will finally put to use their 17 mile Large Hadron Collider (LHC). hmm...whats that you ask? Well, its about a 10 billion dollar project to see if the "Big Bang" can be recreated. Yep, the Big Bang...you know, the thing that supposedly created the universe and all things in it as we know? Yeah that Big Bang...did I mention that scientists are trying to re-create it?

The real tests will actually be happening in a few weeks or so and I suppose we'll see then what becomes of them. I hope. That is, if I still have a living room to sit in. I'd at least like to get through what will hopefully be a good Ravens season before I have to start worrying about things like this.

Gerardus t'Hooft of the University of Michigan says, "What I would like to see is the unexpected".

On the plus side, perhaps scientists can figure out how to warp speed me to another part of the country or, maybe it will make the Internet fast for everyone, maybe it will solve the worlds oil crisis, or maybe it will just prove some scientific stuff like reveal the secrets of the Universe and really mess with religion?

There are quite a few people who have voiced their fears. For example, the biggest fear is that black holes will form, suck everything up and..well, let's get back to the Ravens. Go Flaco!

So What Is a Maverick?

I keep hearing John McCain being referred to as a "Maverick", and now his running mate. Just Google "Political Maverick" and review the results. Wow, Washington is filled with Mavericks. I didn't really have a clear definition of Maverick so some quick digging turned up -

According to Wikipedia, a Maverick can be defined as: a person who shows independence of thought or action, a non-conformist or rebel.

JoinMaverick.com has several definitions:
n. 1. an unbranded calf, cow or steer
e.g., If we don't fix that fence, the mavericks will wander off and we'll never get them back.
2. a lone dissenter, such as an artist or politician
e.g., The writer was a real maverick — ahead of her time.
3. a leading technology company with a unique approach to engineering, business consulting and systems integration
e.g., MAVERICK Technologies has helped clients in a variety of industries reach new levels of profitability.

v. 1. to break away from limitations
e.g., It's time to maverick this business and see what we can achieve.

adj. 1. dissenting or expressing independent thought
e.g., The maverick thinker thinks outside the box and makes a difference in the world.

They note some famous Mavericks as:
Famous Mavericks

1. Sir Isaac Newton (164–1727)

Newton is most famous for defining his three laws of motion and the concept of gravity. His mother wanted him to be a farmer, but with the help of the headmaster at his school, Newton instead pursued his education and became one of the world’s greatest thinkers.

2. Sam Houston (1793–1863)

Sam Houston was president of the Republic of Texas, a Texas senator and eventually the state’s governor. In 1861 he was removed from office because he was one of the few opposing the secession of Texas from the Union.

3. Rosa Parks (1913–2005)

As the mother of the modern-day civil rights movement, Rosa Parks instigated the Montgomery Bus Boycott when she refused to give up her bus seat for a white passenger.

4. Jack Kerouac (192–1969)

The King of the Beats, Kerouac brought a unique voice to literature and mastered the genre of spontaneous prose. The Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics at Naropa University was founded in his honor, but he was not critically acclaimed until after he died.

5. Tasmanian Devil (1954– )

Known as a crazed loner with an insatiable appetite, Taz appeals to many cartoon lovers who also have a bit of a wild side.

According to this article in the New York Times, "Andrei D. Sakharov, the Nobel Peace Prize winning dissident, Boris N. Yeltsin, the deposed Moscow Communist Party boss"..."two of the country's most famous mavericks"

And lastly, Answers.Com tells us :"One that refuses to abide by the dictates of or resists adherence to a group; a dissenter." Further down the page it says:

"Although most members of Congress still follow the advice of Speaker Sam Rayburn (Democrat–Texas) that “to get along you have to go along,” a few senators and representatives made their career not by “going along” but by becoming legislative mavericks. Mavericks tend to represent a minority viewpoint within their own party and tend to refuse to bend their principles to prevailing attitudes. Mavericks are often showmen who enjoy the spotlight of publicity. They will employ disruptive tactics to stop or slow down action on a bill, trying to make the majority agree with their demands. They may show contempt for the rules, courtesies, and elaborate forms of politeness that other legislators adopt with each other."

Take it as you may but I suppose in our own right, everyone is a "Maverick" to some degree.

RNC Energy Or Lack Of?

I first started watching the DNC I think on night two. It was the first time I had ever watched it on television. You see, I've never been into politics, have tried, am still trying..I think the idea of having smart people working towards the same goal - whatever that may be, and working for everyone as a whole, who can speak for themselves and the citizens of America would ultimately be who you want to work for or be "the boss". Recently, someone said you have your democrats, republicans, independents, etc..well, if were all on the same team, we might win the big game. Back to television...I turned on the RNC last night and watched it for an hour or so. It was dull. Where was the energy in the crowd? Speaking of crowd, why did everyone look so different than democratic voters at the DNC? Has Laura Bush had work done? Were they giving away Red Bull at the entrance in Denver and muscle relaxers in Saint Paul?
Wednesday night of the RNC ...huh? I don't want to stereotype anyone...but it was just different. From the mood of the crowd, to the energy in the room, the people themselves, all very different. I didn't enjoy it and it brought me down. I hope I'm not the only one to notice, but I don't want a bunch of downers in Washington, trying to represent me or the place where I live.

I'll give it another try tonight and look forward to the debates.

Omaha Steaks Anyone

Just wanted to share these coupons with anyone.

Omaha Steaks

Eddie Vedder 2008 East Coast Playbill "Sniper"

In efforts to share and combat jerks (probably the same jerks yelling at the shows) selling this on Craigslist and Ebay... Here is a FREE download of a scanned PDF of the Eddie Vedder 2008 East Coast Tour Playbill, "Sniper".

It was scanned at 150dpi and is 5mb.

And it's filled with good info. Don't worry, you don't need to sign up on the website or anything to download. Enjoy and share kindly.

Click Here.

When you are directed to the eSnips page, click on the pdf. Don't bother waiting for the iPaper thing to load. Scroll below that and there will be a "Download" button that will let you save the pdf to your computer.

DFS Replication

It's great to find tools that Windows 2003 Server R2 has built-in to help you do your job. I'm by no means a Windows expert and usually have to do a bit of digging to figure out how to get something done. I'm usually at least successful at that. Google is my friend.

Recently I've been trying to figure out a way to replicate data from one server to another. Our call application by a 3rd party vendor has it's own "backup". It backs up the entire call app every night to a "standby" server into CAB files with an MSI. Which is good, but what if I need the server off site? We don't use tape backups and sending 30gb of data off site to our DR location is a bit of a chore. But with DFS Replication built into Windows 2003 Server R2, I can easily setup replication between the two boxes and - "fingers crossed", in the event of a failure or disaster, a few manual server name changes, I should be back up and running. Now, I'm still testing this all out but I will update this and let you know how it turns out. So, what I've done is:

1. Installed DFS on both servers.
2. Ran the call app MSI and installed the app on the backup server.
3. Setup one-way replication on the primary box to the backup.

I've also used DFS Replication to manage the content on our web servers..it's a great thing. Speaking of IIS. Windows Server 2008 has all kinds of cool ways to manage IIS 7 and your web data. My favorite is the shared configuration.

BodyWorlds

So I went to the BodyWorlds exhibit last week at the Baltimore Science Center. I took my 13yr old daughter. The price to get in was around $22 and we were able to get through the exhibit in a little over an hour. I think part of why we got through quicker than others was due to my daughters uneasiness at the exhibit.

The exhibit isn't all just bodies. There are plenty of cases of brains and other organs such as the lungs, heart and intestines. It sounds like something out of a horror movie I know. I tried to mature up a bit while I was there. I couldn't help thinking about a remake of the Ben Stiller flick "Night at the Museum" and what a great horror film "A Night at the BodyWorlds" would be like. Academy Award!

There were plenty of bodies though, arranged in different poses. For example, there were the Ice Skaters, Skateboard Kid, The thinker, the Yoga Lady. Each exhibit had a "name"...I don't recall exactly but they are my descriptions, perhaps because at one moment I did get a bit light headed.

The process that these bodies go through once donated is called "Plastination".

I did take away this though...and that life is short...don't waste it, take care of it, enjoy it, love it and share it with others.

Viruses in Space

Well, viruses are officially in orbit. According to NASA, laptops that have been taken into space are infected with the Gammima.AG virus. The virus steals login credentials for popular online games and sends them back to a server..

NASA thinks the laptops were infected via a USB or flash device. AND..there is no antivirus on the laptops. hmm...are they running Windows to? NASA...what the?? Hello...your NASA. For a small fee..eh hum...I will be glad to fix those laptops for you.

Perhaps you should check out Devicelock, or McAfee's suite of products?

Dell Announces EqualLogic Price Reduction

"Dell Announces EqualLogic Price Reduction
Fri. Aug. 15, 2008

This morning Dell formally announced a pricing reduction in our EqualLogic PS Series hardware platforms and support services. As we continue to hear feedback from our Partners via surveys and our channel community, we will continue to evaluate our PartnerDirect program and offerings.

With up to a 10% reduction on Models PS5000E, PS5000X, PS5000XV and up to a 20% reduction on support services, our goal is to help our Partners stay competitive in the iSCSI storage market. According to Bob Skelley, Director, Enterprise Channel, “Reducing the list price on the Dell EqualLogic storage arrays enables our channel partners to offer a compelling value proposition to their customers. You can be competitive in the marketplace, continue to build a profitable business practice around our solutions and circle back to clients where price was the hurdle.”"

Taken from Here

Evault

Backups, Restores, tapes, libraries, disks, disaster recovery...What does it all mean!!! Well if you don't know, you will most certainly find out the hard way when your supervisor requests a SQL database from last night's backup.

Evault provides online backup and disk to disk backup and recovery services, compliance and archiving.

I have been an Evault customer for several years using the Infostage product. Prior to Evault I used tapes in accompaniment with Backup Exec. The problem with tapes - for us was that they were becoming more difficult to track, expensive, unreliable, and time consuming. Everyday, an hour or so was dedicated to tape management, labeling, and working with our offsite vendor to collect and store the tapes for DR purposes.

We use the Evault Infostage product. Basically a local "vault" is stored at our primary site with a secondary "vault" offsite. Backed up are Windows servers, MS SQL, MS Exchange, and AIX. Evault has "Agents" that are installed on each host that are to be backed up. They also support UNC paths so for instance, you could install an agent on a Windows Server and use that agent to back up UNC paths on other shares..etc.

The first backup is the "seed" and every backup after that is the "delta" or changes in the file. For the Infostage product we actually have two backups that run each night, a HQ backup then a DR site backup. During the initial purchase, we didn't have any enterprise storage at the time. We purchased servers with enough storage to backup our data. Recently, we installed an iSCSI SAN and have allocated space for backup storage when we need it.

Because we have grown over the past few years, we are learning that what we need is vault replication to cut down on backup windows. I've contacted Evault about this and they now offer an enterprise vault backup. This would eliminate running a second backup and shorten our backup window. Backups would simply run at HQ then replicate to the DR site.

Evault provides Windows, Exchange, SQL, Oracle, *IX agents. The backups have an impressive compression ratio, and if your concerned about security -there are multiple ways to encrypt your data. There are also multiple backup retention policies, multiple ways to restore your data and archive older data to tape if necessary. Please note that to backup your data offsite, it obviously requires adequate bandwidth depending on the amount of data. This is true for any vendor with the ability to backup off site.

My experience with Evault has been excellent. Data is being backed up efficiently. It's fast and restores take minutes rather than several hours waiting for your archiving vendor to bring back your tape and then catalog and restore. Support is great and they offer plenty of documentation in their knowledge base. If your in the market for an enterprise backup product, I highly recommend Evault.

FFL Time!!!

Ahh...it's that time of the year. Fantasy Football. I'm keeping myself to one league this year.."The Swampy Duhmpers". Our draft was a few days ago and I came away with a full stomach. My pal's wife cooked excellent homemade spaghetti. She's Italian, shouldn't need to say anything more after that.

I enjoy watching football..going to games but I generally don't have an idea of who the players are when it comes to positions other than QB and RB. I didn't spend anytime reading FFL magazines but stuck to a few good online resources such as FantasySharks and FFToolbox.

Anyhow, I had 4th pick this year and came away with the following players.

QB1 - Ben Roethlisburger
QB2 - Donovan McNabb
QB3 - Matt Schaub
RB1 - Steve Jackson
RB2 - Clinton Portis
RB3 - Julius Jones
RB4 - Ahman Green
WR1 - Andre Johnson
WR2 - Steve Smith
WR3 - Roy Williams
WR4 - Kevin Curtis
WR5 - Joe Galloway
TE1 - Tony Gonzales
TE2 - Chris Cooley
K1 - Mason Crosby
K2 - Rob Bironas
D1 - Bears
D2 - Colts

Go Duhmpers!

Blog Updates

Ugh...I'm not a programmer. I was trying to edit my template. I goofed it up a bit and am working it out. BUT, I've added some new content.

- Google Search
- YouTube

Now, I'm trying to control a little bit of the content that YouTube displays - in other words, I don't want anything to offensive blasting across the screen.

With that being said. Enjoy. My blog is starting to generate a bit more traffic and that's fine by me.

Eddie Vedder at the Warner..night 1.

I should have worn a jacket. My first trip to the Warner. Great venue. When I picked up my tickets (pause) Thanks 10C (play) I looked at my tickets.."ok, great - center section...cool, Row L...hmm..1, 2, 3, 4, 5...who cares right...can't wait. Excellent seats...I felt I was in the center of the universe.

Added to the warning at the door should have been "Will not tolerate song requests my drunken/impolite jerk offs. All offenders will be shot." Putting that aside, excellent show. Ed' sounded great and at times I felt like I was in a space not too many people get to be. He made it personable. Thanks Ed.

..oh and Liam Finn opened..what an excellent choice. I urge everyone to check out Liam. Liam is the son of Neil Finn, former/current Crowded House member.

EqualLogic/Dell Firmware Upgrade

So I've noticed that I'm a few firmware versions behind on my EqualLogic/Dell firmware. The other day I got brave and decided to update to the latest supported release, version 3.3.3. I was a bit hesitant on applying the update just because I immediately thought...SAN, firmware...uhhh.. BUT, it was quite easy and painless.

I was able to download the firmware and FTP it over to the storage array, login via a serial connection and run the "update" command. It does require a restart so I thought ok, how am I going to restart my array when I have data on it? Fortunately I have an array that is waiting to be loaded with VM's...but for now, it's empty. I was able to move my data to the other array while online, which I thought was cool. No downtime, no help desk calls...And were talking SQL, Exchange. It took a bit of time to move, but it did and I was happy. Storage vendors say you can do these things but sometimes you always take it with a grain of salt. But not me...I thought, they say you can do it and it should just work. So why not? Once the data was moved, I updated my firmware, restarted, and moved my data back. I thought that was pretty cool..but coming from a SAN newb...all things SAN related are pretty cool.

Michael Phelps and 8000 Calories

Don't get me wrong, Michael Phelps is amazing. BUT! Just remember people, he trains religiously....eat 8000+ calories without exercise and you might end up like this. Think of it as motivation.

Crab Recipes

The one thing I truly love about living in Maryland is the CRABS!!! A visit to Maryland is incomplete with trying crabs. Here are a few recipes taken from area residents that are sure to satisfy.


Hot Crab Dip
Ingredients:
1 lb. backfin crabmeat
8 oz. softened cream cheese
2 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tbs. mayonnaise
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
Mix softened cream cheese with Old Bay, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Add crabmeat and fold in. Place cheese on top and bake at 350 degrees for 34-40 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. Cool slightly and serve with crackers of your choice.--Margaret Hurt, Parkton

Michelle and Michael Schaefer's Specials
Ingredients: 1 spoon of mayonnaise
3 pickles
Old Bay seasoning
Crabmeat
Bread -- optional
Instructions:
Break crabmeat apart into small pieces and place in a big bowl.
Chop pickles into small pieces and put them in the bowl, too.
Season with Old Bay to taste.
Add a spoonful of mayonnaise.
Mix together and eat it out of the bowl or make a sandwich.-- Michelle Schaefer, Baltimore

Crab Cakes
Ingredients:
1 lb. lump crabmeat
2 eggs
1 tbs. Worcestershire sauce
1 sprinkle Tabasco sauce
1/2 tsp. Old Bay
1 tsp. Horseradish
1 tbs. honey mustard
4 slices bread, no crust
1/4 cup mayonnaise
Instructions:
Mix all ingredients except crabmeat.
Fold in crab and form cakes.
Fry at medium heat in 1/4-inch oil until brown on both sides. --Kathleen Weissner, Baltimore

The Perfect Crab Cake
Ingredients:
1 lb. Maryland crab cake meat
1 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup deli mustard
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup onion powder
A sprinkle of garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
Mix all ingredients, adding more mayonnaise or breadcrumbs to desired consistency.
Preheat broiler and spray with Pam butter-flavored spray.
Add four patties to broiler and broil for 8-12 minutes until brown and flip and do the same on other side until brown.
Serve with a side of broccoli and baked potato. --Ms. Taylor, Baltimore

Crab Roll
Ingredients:
1/2 lb. crabmeat slightly broken up
1/2 cup soften cream cheese
1 tsp. mayonnaise or salad dressing
Seafood seasoning (Old Bay)
Salt, pepper and paprika to taste
Shredded lettuce
Onions, celery, peppers, mustard
soft tortilla
Instructions:
Mix all ingredients (except crab, lettuce and tortilla shells) together
Spread mixture on tortillas -- cover completely
Put thin layer of crabmeat and lettuce over mixture
Roll very tight
Enjoy flat or cut into strips. --Wayne, Baltimore

Bay Poppers
Ingredients:
1 cup artichoke and spinach dip
1 lb. backfin crabmeat
1 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
1 tsp. Tabasco sauce
1 tsp. Cilantro
1 egg
1/2 cup flour
Instructions:
Mix dip and crab together gently with a fork in bowl. Form golf ball-size cakes. Mix egg with Old Bay, Tabasco, and cilantro and roll poppers in flour and egg wash. Deep fry until golden. Serve with horseradish sauce.--Wes McConnell, Timonium

Online Backups w/ Carbonite

I came across a great way to backup your data. Online backups are increasingly making it's way as a means for home users and businesses alike to backup critical files. With Carbonite, the backups are automatic, secure, encrypted and you can recover files in just a few clicks.

For home users in particular, many backup their data by placing copies of their files and folders in different folders on their hard drive. Many don't realize that if their drive completely fails, there is a good chance that they will lose data. Others put copies on external drives with no redundancy or RAID. This still is a problem because it is still a single point of failure.

With online backups, your data is simply backed up securely over the Internet and housed in offsite storage with built-in redundancy. Once you select the files and folders or your entire computer to be backed up, you set it and forget it. How easy is that?

Carbonite offers unlimited online backup for your small business for only $49.95/year. Try it free!

Maintenance Windows and Monitoring

I had to work last night into this morning due to work being performed on our ancient Leibert UPS that required some parts being replaced. The equipment in our data center needed to be turned off while this was occurring.

For me, I had to put together a listing of our servers and networking gear and determine the "order" of the shutdown process. It was fairly straight-forward, most of the devices sat in groups such as app servers, db servers, file and print, web..etc. And then switches, routers..etc.

Here is where I being to brag about one of our vendors, InfoSys Networks. InfoSys monitors, maintains and configures our networking gear. As part of their monitoring, they also watch our Windows servers so that we/I can be proactive at keeping everything running smoothly. Their monitoring solution, HarborNet is based on OpenSource software which they have further built upon into an excellent solution.

Back to last night. HarborNet really showed it's true value. As servers needed to be brought back online I could easily rely on HarborNet to verify that all of our servers, WAN links, and VPN connections were back up and running. There were even a few Windows services that failed to start that HarborNet quickly identified so that I could start the services.

The point I'm trying to make is that having a monitoring solution in place is critical to maintain a reliable network no matter what size. It allows you to be proactive instead of re-active so that network outages can be prevented and downtime limited. Because HarborNet is based on OpenSource, it can be customized to your liking.

InfoSys Networks also provides solutions for network architecture, network security and WAN redundancy. They are based out of Annapolis, MD.

All the hype with Acai.

I've been getting a lot of SPAM lately, mostly referring to the Acai berry. When I first said the word, I pronounced it as A-Kuy!!! Like Kung Fu, I want to beat you down town...to Chinatown. I was wrong, it's actually pronounced as Ah.Sigh.EE.

Basically, it's a fruit that studies have shown to have many excellent health benefits. BUT...don't go jumping in all at once. There are also some side effects and I've listed them below. The effects are listed mainly due to the Acai having not been thoroughly tested their effectiveness and safety in humans.

- There is no proven safe or effective dose for acai in adults or children.
- Avoid acai in patients undergoing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or using oral contrast agents for MRI, as acai has been used as an experimental clinical oral contrast agent for MRI of the gastrointestinal tract.
- Acai may aggravate or initiate hypertension (high blood pressure) or edema (swelling). It may also aggravate or initiate gastrointestinal disorders (ulcers or intestinal bleeding).
- Use cautiously in patients taking antineoplastics (anticancer agents).
- Pregnant women or those breastfeeding should not take Acai.
- Acai may have cyclooxygenase COX-1 and COX-2 inhibition properties. Use cautiously with anti-inflammatory medications due to possible additive effects.
- Acai may have antiproliferative effects. Use cautiously with medication used in the treatment of cancer, such as antineoplastics, due to possible additive effects.

These were taken from Healthline.Com

SysAdmin Day

I have just learned that it is SysAdmin Day. What does this mean? Well if you can read this...thank your SysAdmin and all those who keep your datacenter running.

Tikatok - Imagine a Story. Create a Book

Imagine a Story. Create a Book

I came across this site that allows your kids to create and publish their own stories. Once complete the stories can be published as books and shared with others. It's great for any kid and gives them a different sort of outlet to express their imaginations. Check out Tikatok.

MailFoundry to the rescue.

There is a new SPAM filter in town...drumroll......MailFoundry.

I bumped into the folks from MailFoundry at this years Microsoft Tech-Ed conference. They claim ZERO false positives. WOW....

Anyhow, they offer a 30 day evaluation but you do have to pay for the appliance - fully refundable if you decide not to keep it. However, their reasoning for the initial purchase is that the majority of their customers who purchase, don't return it because it works so well.

Like many of today's SPAM filters, there is a lot of "learning" that goes on to build a database of what SPAM looks like in your environment. MaiFoundry takes a completely different approach.

I decided to try out the MailFoundry 2100. Out of the box, it's pretty sleek looking. Setup was a breeze and quick to configure. There are many features that your already used to such as whitelists, SPF (very important), RBL, IP/domain blacklist, reverse lookups, RFC compliance..etc..

So far it has definitely performed as it promised. AND at a good time. Our OTHER SPAM filter is up for the yearly licensing renewal. MailFoundry is affordable..did I mention affordable? It comes with anti-virus and a great reporting tool with colorful charts if you need to report on activity. Just to give you a sample, ours has been running for 11 days. 129,661 total messages, 22,105 allowed messages, 107,556 Blocked Messages. 82% percent of the email being blocked has been deemed SPAM.

This thing is awesome.

Check out MailFoundry for more info.

Don't upset your admin.

What a dumb dumb...

Pearl Jam Honors The Who

Here is a sneak peak at Pearl Jam's vh1 Rock Honor performance (for The Who) of "Love Reign O'er Me". It airs on vh1 Thurs 7/17. TURN IT UP!!!

• VH1 TV Shows
• Music Videos
• Celebrity Photos
• News & Gossip

Quick Tip

This may be dumb..but, I thought it was a neat trick. I saw it on tv.

here we go.

A little bit of toothpaste and a sponge will take marks off your walls.

There it is...ok, say your little kid throws a temper, kicks his shoes all over the walls and make scuff marks. Perfect solution. Here is my disclaimer..I will not be responsible for anything else that comes off your walls..such as paint. In other words, don't try this on your Benz. That's not my kid in the pic..just some kid.

Herschel Hoover is online.

Take a look at Herschel Hoover's "Opener".

Solo Ed

I got through for show #1!!!!

EV SOLO TOUR 2ND LEG WASHINGTON DC 8/16/08 TICKET PAIR

Cool Script

I can't script worth a crap and usually scour the web for scripts that do great things. I recently needed to find out which users in our domain had local admin rights on their workstations.

While searching, I came across this script written by Brian Desmond. The script will read your from a text file (that you create..another script) all the pc's in your domain(c:\pclist.txt), test for connectivity and output the data to a log and csv file. It's pretty cool. If you don't want the script to bomb, simply put an "ON ERROR RESUME NEXT" below "Option Explicit". Just be sure to go back and check the devices it missed. You can also edit the file to enumerate Power Users or any other group. Thanks Brian.

'==========================================================================
' NAME: Dump Local Administrators Membership
'
' AUTHOR: Brian Desmond,
' DATE : 4/16/2007
'==========================================================================




Option Explicit

Const LogFile = "LocalAdmins.log"
Const resultFile = "LocalAdministratorsMembership.csv"
Const inputFile = "C:\PClist.txt"


Dim fso
Set fso = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")

Dim shl
Set shl = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")

Dim fil
Set fil = fso.OpenTextFile(inputFile)

Dim results
Set results = fso.CreateTextFile(resultFile, True)

WriteToLog "Beginning Pass of " & inputFile & " at " & Now()
WScript.Echo "Beginning Pass of " & inputFile & " at " & Now()
'On Error Resume Next

Dim grp
Dim line
Dim exec
Dim pingResults
Dim member

While Not fil.AtEndOfStream
line = fil.ReadLine

Set exec = shl.Exec("ping -n 2 -w 1000 " & line)
pingResults = LCase(exec.StdOut.ReadAll)

If InStr(pingResults, "reply from") Then
WriteToLog line & " responded to ping"


'On Error Resume Next

Set grp = GetObject("WinNT://" & line & "/Administrators")


results.WriteLine line & ",Administrators,"

For Each member In grp.Members

WriteToLog line & ": Administrators - " & member.Name
results.WriteLine ",," & member.Name
Next
Else
WriteToLog line & " did not respond to ping"

End If
Wend

results.Close

Sub WriteToLog(LogData)
On Error Resume Next

Dim fil
'8 = ForAppending
Set fil = fso.OpenTextFile(LogFile, 8, True)

fil.WriteLine(LogData)

fil.Close
Set fil = Nothing
End Sub

Group Policy

I recently have been victim to this error in the Application Event Log on some of my Windows XP machines.


Event Type: Error
Event Source: Userenv
Event Category: None
Event ID: 1053
Date: 6/30/2008
Time: 8:29:27 AM
User: NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM
Computer: XXXXXXXXXX
Description:
Windows cannot determine the user or computer name. (A socket operation was attempted to an unreachable host. ). Group Policy processing aborted.

Well, I've found that most people point to DNS problems. BUT, I have found some good info on BroadCom NIC's regarding media sensing that can cause these types of problems. Read here to find out more. It's FAQ 101. Additionally you can read this tidbit of info from Microsoft and how to fix it.

These type of errors are frustrating..users complain of drives not mapping, scripts not running..ugh... The registry changed supplied in the last link worked for me. I hope it does the same for you.

Thanx. C

Jones Soda Pic

If you have a second to spare..please vote for this pic. It's a nominee for the cover of a bottle of Jones Soda. Excellent drink.

Vista Install

I took the plunge and installed Vista Business on my Dell Latitude D830 laptop. After getting home from Tech Ed I had a bit more faith in Vista so I thought I would give it a shot. So far so good. I'm not running anything out of the ordinary that would pose any significant issues - I think.

I did have to upgrade my Sonic Wall VPN device to the latest firmware and install the latest NetXtender client. All is well with that. A few other apps I have are Office Pro 2007, some networking utilities...etc..

The interface is pretty cool. If you thought XP was bubbly, Vista is more animated. Kinda looks like Linux...don't mean to offend anyone.

Installation was fairly a breeze. I had some problems burning the ISO to my DVD drive but I believe that was due to antivirus running. I went through several DVD's and installation retry's...I finally decided to download another ISO from Microsoft. Either the first ISO was bad or antivirus was the culprit.

Once installed, I ran Windows Updates. The ISO was a Vista SP1 image. the updates were mostly security updates and drivers - Video and NIC.

The interface is going to take a little to get use to...it has only been a day or so but I'm learning as I go. example: there is no Run, and I had to read the help doc to join a domain if that tells you anything.

Mr. Tambourine Man

It was well put the other night. A guy in front of me said, "When Eddie speaks, the wind blows".
My wife thinks were all freaks...Eddie worshipers. I think she's lost her marbles.

Pearl Jam put on a great show on Tuesday in VA Beach. Thanks 10C for my excellent tickets. To highlight a few things...

- "Long Road" was a great opener and set the tone for the evening.
- The moon looked full and provided excellent lighting.
- "All Night" was played.
- "Guaranteed" - Ed wrote for the Into The Wild movie.
- Eddie defying gravity - lucky catch Ed.

Here is the setlist.

I thought about which job I'd enjoy if I was guy on the crew. It's got to be the guy that throws the tambourines to Ed - typically during Rockin in the Free World. He goes through a number of them and Ed hands them out to the crowd. They are being thrown at Ed from all angles and he manages to catch them all. Thats the job I want, if just for a night.

Much thanks to PJ for a great night. You have a great crew. Looking forward to NJ tonight and DC on Sunday.

Back from Tech-Ed

I just got back from Microsoft Tech-Ed a few days ago. It was a good conference and was held in Orlando. The second of two separate events. The developers conference was held the week before.

Microsoft always puts on a good show. I suppose anyone who can rent out Universal Studios for the night should be able to put on a good conference. The sessions were great and so were the hands-on labs. Some new technologies that I'm excited about is NAP, and the new features of IIS 7.

What I got out of the "keynote" is Microsoft's placing driving effort to make their software/code available and interoperable with open standards - allowing Linux to work directly with Microsoft technologies and vice-versa. They are also pushing virtualization with their new "hyper-v" technology at the desktop and server layers. With the new acquisition of Kidaro it seems they can now fix Vista's compatibility problems with 3rd party software by virtualizing the application (which they demonstrated).

They also offered certification testing, cram sessions...It was rumored that someone took 13+ tests and passed..

Many vendors displaying new technologies were also in attendance. The big guns like EMC, HP, Dell, VMware..in addition to other companies like Strangeloop, Proofpoint, Global Knowledge, 2X, Network Automation, ScriptLogic, and ASG. The big list is available here. Sherpa Software - who provides Microsoft Exchange products aimed at Archiving, PST management for SMB's is definitely one I'll be checking out. Also, MailFoundry, who provides anti-spam, anti-virus and phishing protection is taking a whole new approach to protecting your email environment.

Anyhow...back to work tomorrow...have a good week.

State of Doh!

In my job, I've learned that it sometimes takes drastic measures or a disaster on any scale to really implement change. With gas prices way above and beyond what we should be paying, I hope automobile makers really wake up and get production moving to make better mileage vehicles – and I'm not implying better mileage Hummers. I'm happy to see SUV and large truck sales plummet....and I hope they continue to do so. They are impracticable for a large number of drivers who own them and I say tax the hell out of the people that own them on grounds for impracticality. I recently went to Ireland and drove a better part of the country and was amazed at how few SUV's were on the roads. The cars were small, and took you where you needed to go. Why can't we do the same here? I also quickly realized that America is a super-sized country. Everything has to big and obnoxious. These things include cars, homes, and even the food on your plate. Note Americas growing obesity rate and obsession with weight loss.

Your computer is getting fat.

Hmm..where is all of your hard drive space going?? Anyone, Anyone?? Bueller? Don't be surprised, your computer is a safe haven for all sorts of junk that clutters up your hard drive space and ultimately slows things D - - O - - W - - N.... I know, it sucks. But, Dell and and other companies must love it because typically when these things start to happen, people start to think "my computer is dying", spend a lot of money trying to get it fixed, or ultimately go out and purchase a new one. Well, you don't have to be one of these people. There are many things that you can do to help your computer lose weight...

Here is my disclaimer - your actions as a result of this blog cannot hold me responsible for anything you screw up.

For Windows XP

Windows Updates -
We love Microsoft right?? Well, every time Windows Updates run, depending on how many updates get applied to your computer, all of these files get archive and saved on your hard disk. Now, it's generally best practice to allow your newly updated computer to run for a few days/weeks, whatever your preference is to ensure the updates do not affect your other programs. The files (for XP) are located at C:\WINDOWS\SoftwareDistribution\Download. If your confident that your computer is running fine since the updates have been applied and do not plan on uninstalling any updates, you can remove the files located in that folder. You can also delete the $NTUninstallKB files located at C:\WINDOWS. Please note you may have to stop the Automatic Updates service before doing so.

Temp Folders -
The folder TEMP, located in the C:\WINDOWS folder contains all sorts of junk. The files normally evolve as a result of other programs accessing and using files that get stored in this folder. Overtime, this folder can get quite large. So..the contents of this folder can go to. If there are files that cannot be deleted, it's because they are most likely in use by another program that is currently running. This is normal.

Recycle Bin -
Empty your recycle bin...come on, it's trash - delete the crap already!

Temporary Internet Files -
Depending on the browser you use, IE, Firefox..etc. Websites you visit will also store files onto your computer. These files are used so that the same pages can load faster. The official word from Microsoft can be found here: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/260897.

Disk Cleanup -
For XP users, there is a program called Disk Cleanup that will safely scan your computer for files that can be deleted. The program is located in the Start\All Programs\Accessories\System Tools folder.

Add/Remove Programs -
If you stop using a program that is installed on your computer, it will not uninstall itself. It waits for you to do so. If your not using a program any longer and have no plans on doing so...Remove it. It's always a good idea or so to go through Add/Remove Programs and do a quick audit to clean things up. It's common for me at least to install an app for testing purposes and sometimes forget that it's still there months after I'm finished with it.

When everything is all set and done and you've deleted the contents of your entire C:\ (just kidding), run a Disk Defrag. It too is also located in the Start\All Programs\Accessories\System Tools folder. Disk Defrag will organize your hard drive in way so that files can be accessed quicker, now that you have some free space. It could take a while to run so be patient.

So there you go, summer is quickly approaching and your iTunes need a place to be stored on your hard drive.

Return from Ireland

Well, were home from Ireland. I wish we could have stayed longer. Ireland is a beautiful country. No, I didn't see Bono or The Edge.
We started in Dublin, South to Waterford, West through Cork and Killarney, North to Ballynahinch and Galway then across the middle back to Dublin. I wish we would have had some more time to go through Northern Ireland. Any picture of the landscape makes for a perfect postcard. The people were very kind and the weather turned out to be pretty good.

Driving in Ireland took a day to get use to. Everything is opposite. The cars are tiny as well. I managed to take out a pillar and the side mirror. Anyone going to see SpeedRacer? We stopped at the Cliffs of Moher, Killarney National Park, Tork Waterfall, Rock of Cashel, Blarney Castle, Waterford Crystal Factory..some great places. Our last night, we stayed in Clontarf castle located in Dublin. Having a car and just driving through was great. It made it a bit more personable.

One of the first things you realize is how bad the dollar is over there. Something that would cost 3 Euro is about $5-6 US. It cost about $70 US to fill up the gas tank. If you like to shop, there are plenty of places to do that as well. Plenty of Pubs, lot's of Guinness and Irish musicians playing nightly wherever you go.

The weather this time of year was in the mid 50s. For the most part we had sun throughout the week with a little rain on and off. I think we had one day where it rained the majority of the day. With the exceptions on the first and last nights, we stayed in Bed and Breakfasts through the week.

The pictures were taken with a Nikon D40x and resized for the web.

Paula - what the ???

Paula, What in the hell is in your drink ???? America wants to know. I want to know. It seems like every episode is something different...something new and entertaining. Well, whatever it is your drinking, I gotta give it to Coke for the primo endorsement. I don't think Coke realized how well advertising was going to do this year for them. It's like a train wreck...going down, down, down. But..you got me hooked, I'll be watching for the next wacky moment...

Birthday's

My little guy turned 1 today. Happy Birthday to him.

Recent Shows

The past few weeks I've gotten to see a couple of my favorite musical artists, Glen Phillips and Mike Doughty.

I'll start with Glen.
Glen was playing at the Avalon Theater in Easton, MD. He's never played there before and I as well have never been there. I grabbed a quick bite to eat and had some really good cream of crab soup and a Harps or two.
The theater seemed small, I would guess no more than a hundred people at the show. The seats were excellent. I was a bit worried just because the show was on a Sunday night. Not that the people of Easton don't know how to rock out but the audience was well behaved. Glen played a great set and my fav song - Easier. He also played some old Toad which is always nice to hear.

On to Mike Doughty.
Mike and his band played a great show at the 9:30 Club in DC this past Saturday. I've seen him several times solo and I was really looking forward to seeing him with a full band. The show started out with what I will call the "Afghan Mafia"...4 guys, all with long black stick-on beards...doing an improv noise/jam session. If you payed special attention, the truth be told - it was Mike and his band goofing off. good stuff. They sounded great, and Mike pulled out a few songs from the old band.

Ireland Trip

Well...I'm going to Ireland. The land of good beer. Wifey and I have booked a trip for 6 days/nights..?? First night in Dublin. We've rented a car with a GPS to map out the week. We'll be traveling around the country and staying in bed and breakfasts throughout our trip. Our last night is a stay at Clontarf Castle.


It's going to be a great trip. I'm a bit worried about driving on opposite sides of the road but I think that will work itself out rather quickly.

The Best Damn Salsa

"Southern Caviar"

My wife makes this..it's excellent - I promise.

3 medium tomatoes chopped
1 medium onion chopped
1 jalapeño de-seeded and chopped
1 can of black beans (drained)
1 can black eyed peas (drained)
1 small can of chickpeas (drained)
Half green pepper, half red pepper de-seeded and chopped
1 bottle of Zesty Italian Dressing
1 Tablespoon Cilantro
1 clove of garlic
1 small can sweet white corn - drained.

Combine all of these ingredients into a large enough bowl, mix and refrigerate overnight. Enjoy.

SAN tips for Newb's like me.

This past year has been a learning experience with SAN's. Everything from Fiber Channel, iSCSI, vendor selection, snapshots, replication, LUNs, volumes, RAID types, best practices, ease of use... A lot to take in.

Ultimately, we decided on an EqualLogic solution consisting of a PS300, PS400,(The Dell EqualLogic PS5000E replaces the EqualLogic PS50E, PS70E, PS100E, PS300E and PS400E models.) and PS3700x (The PS5000X is the new name for the EqualLogic PS3700X model.) tied into two redundant Cisco 3750 switches.

So I offer the following for a first time SAN buyer with limited knowledge like myself.

- Ask questions, lot's of them.
- Subscribe to email lists...SearchStorage is a good one.
- Ensure your existing switch infrastructure is up to date and can support your SAN.
- Make sure to allocate enough space for Snapshots.
- Know your RAID levels..1,5,10,50.
- Know the amounts of raw storage, and how much storage will be left after the RAID configuration.
- Use tools like "perfmon" to look at disk i/o on your Windows boxes.
- Learn the differences between Fiber Channel and iSCSI.
- Ask questions..again.
- Think about long term growth, capacity, storage requirements.
- Take credit for everything when your SAN applications run like a champ.