Friday, October 07, 2005
Adventure 38: Monday 3rd October 2005
BAD WEEK SPECIAL…..
“I don’t want a job, I just want to crawl under a rock and pretend I’m not here….”
Lo all, yup it’s the bad week special, back again for yet another re run. My bad week is a bad week for a handful of reasons, 1.because I’m trying to give up smoking, 2. I work, 3. I work at don’t be daft international for a boss who’s a complete…to the use the French phrase…Tosseur…but hey what else could go wrong ?
Monday 3rd October 2005….
Well it’s Monday I’m here…I’ve done the “check the backups” routine and filled out my spreadsheet that no one will look at or show the slightest bit of interest in until it comes to audit time and their bonus is pinned to it’s success. Then it’ll be “Cre8, you are doing a backup log aren’t you…” etc etc…it’s a fun time to sit there and smile and look really smug, while you let them squirm with responses like, “oh a backup log, yeah I meant to start doing one of those…” just loud enough so the auditor could hear you say it…but so far not a great deal of interest being shown…to be fair.
After his initial interest even Brentboy doesn’t seem to have the same enthusiasm about backups and checking them as I do…maybe he figures I’m doing it so why should he which isn’t to be fair, unreasonable…
Quiet, until he’s had a tango, Rob, is in trying to look like he’s doing something, when in fact we all know the truth…he’s Nunob’s secret love child and he’s spying on us all…
Tuesday 4th October 2005…
God I need a fag….it’s been 3 days, 13 hours, 3 minutes and 36 seconds since my last mouth loaded, nicotine injection, and it’s hurting a little. I’ve got one of those patches on, which just seem to remind you of how painful it can be ripping them off as a distraction method, neat trick and it really does hurt. It also leaves have the glue stuck to your shoulder and you basically have to remove the skin it’s attached to, to get it off…but hey never mind…
Particle Disruptor, the Scrutiny Manager, is hassling us about the DR test Brenty and I are supposed to do on the 24th (look out for the DR test special), but as we keep pointing out to him. We can’t tell him and StunTheGuards (and steal all their computers) (the DR company) what hardware we’re going to need until he and the business tell us what they want restoring. It’s simple science really but I don’t think a. he’s getting it and b. getting anything sensible from the business…no great shock their then.
Of the 96 servers at the head office site, the best the business can come up with is the following inspiration;
1. HR.Web(of lies)
2. Hysterion (another one of those mysterious accounts packages no one knows anything about and in fact there are two versions of this software one with one server the other with 6 !!!)
3. HR on a CD ( a completely CD based application that needs no server and no DR)
4. Banking on the Internet – a completely hosted banking system
5. MGF Weekly – A system we don’t host at our site
So if we do the math and wittle it all down…it comes to basically 1 server that the business wants us to prove we can recover…and we have 5 days booked at the test centre.
Brenty, has decreed that he’s bringing his Xbox and I’ll probably bring some movies to watch, while we err…take our time….You could lose the will to live….and I still need a fag…..
Wednesday 5th October:
Mandy has been up all night with the most incredible rash…it started on her hands and she thought it was probably her Iron tablets…but she hadn’t taken one for a few hours and the rash is getting worse..even after having a bath..it’s now covering most of her body…so we do the only nonsensical thing any normal person would do..namely phone, NHS Indirect…They’re fantastic…they suggest that she either go to A&Wait or phone the doctors….hmmm…tricky one…she phones the doctor who advises she try and get some rest and what was the big idea phoning them at like midnight on their 24 hour emergency hot line ?????
Thursday 6th October
Mandy’s still got the scratches and to make matters worse she didn’t get any sleep until about 4am…I distinctly remember asking her if she was alright, as I lifted the quilt for her to get back in to bed. I don’t actually remember if she answered or not…but at least I asked….
09:00: In to work Nunob is away somewhere for the day so today shouldn’t be too bad…an email pops in to my inbox, from Particle..again with the same set of forms on it as before this time slightly begging for info on what kit we will need for our impending DR test. I talk it over with Brenty and we’re of one mind, namely that we can’t justify 5 days away when all we can recover is one server…So I list the servers and applications we currently backup and quite innocently ask, “if we don’t need to DR these boxes, then why back them up…” meaning quite simply that here’s a list of servers and systems and how about asking the business if they’d like these recovered as part of our test…I’ve cc’d the response to Nubob and Mary Tyrant…what’a mistaka to makea…
From: Cre8
To: Particle Disruptor (Scrutiny Manager)
Subject: D (R is optional) Test
Particle, this looks like the same list as before...but to clarify...
1. MS Office / Outlook, www and Network server I'm guessing this means a WAN connection...isn't this already configured ?
2. Accounts & Hysterion - This would be 6002 i.e. the old systems rather than the new 6 server system ?
3. HRowells - No idea what this is, but I'm told it inhabits the file server, could someone verify where this application actually is so we know what to restore ?
4. Richblonds - Same deal, though I think it may be the app$ share of the file server, I'll try and verify this.
5. Bank Online - Needs clarification as this system is neither backed up nor managed by IT, if this is just the provision of a PC does it form part of the test ?
6. Wizardry - This is a CD based read only database again not backed up or managed by IT so how do we DR it ?
7. HR.Web - The easy one of the bunch, DB on 6016 and the app on 6006
8. Guru - App is located on the file server, though I'm advised there might be data files located in other locations. These need clarifying.
9. MGF Weekly - Doesn't currently reside at our office
10. Stigma - is not managed or backed up by IT therefore we can't DR it.
So the list of apps that we can actually recover are;
1. Accounts
2. Hysterion
3. Richblonds
4. HR.Web
5. Guru*
This will need 2 servers at the most one DB and one app server, in fact we could probably get away with one, Hysterion depending…
What about;
1. Antivirus - necessary for DR ?
2. Splat
3. Mountjoy
4. Crysis Reports
5. Domain PDC & Wins
6. Database Apps -
7. Associated front ends with above
8. Pants Application ….<<snip>> and various others….<<snip>>If the answer to any of these is no, then the next question is I guess why are we backing them up ? <<snip>> various splurge about how best to recover the above systems…<<snip>>
cre8
11:00: Another email, this one from Nunob, asking me why I’ve asked that question and to answer it to him in no more than 3 lines within the hour…the actual email is below…
-----Original Message-----
From: Nunob
To: Cre8
Cc: Mary Tyrant; Particle Disruptor
Subject: RE: DR
Cre8,
I would like that you send me the answer in the next hour for the question you have posed.
If the answer to any of these is no, then the next question is I guess why are we backing them up ?
The answer can’t be more than 3 lines.
Regards,
….I’m considering my response. in the full and certain knowledge that whatever I actually say is going to cause me grief of one kind or another….
12:00: I’ve formulated my response. That’s not strictly true…I’ve formulated several responses…one where it starts “I know you’re just being an arse” and several ending with…”I resign”…but no I decide to play the game so in actually 2 lines I define the purpose for of backups..rather making my point I think….
-----Original Message-----
From: Cre8
To: Nunob
Sent: Thu Oct 06 12:25:00 2005
Subject: RE: DR
Nunob,
There isn't a simple 3, 2, or 1 line answer to this question, since you have to look at the context and motivation of why the question was asked in the first place but I'll do my best.
1. Simply, backups are done to enable the recovery of data in a disaster scenario, which can be a complete building or system loss.
2. The backups we do also allow us the added functionality to restore files and data when it becomes either corrupted or are accidentally deleted which could lead to or contribute to a disaster scenario as mentioned above.
Cre8.
Well nothing there to get worked up about as I’m sure you’ll get…somehow I’m just expecting to be put through the ringer on this….and you’ll note that I only sent my response to him….
12:30: Lunch
13:30: Back now the reply is in…
-----Original Message-----
From: Nunob
Sent: 06 October 2005 12:55
To: Cre8
Cc: Tyrant, Mary, Disruptor, Particle
Subject: Re: DR
Cre8,
I'm glad you understand that there is no direct relation between backups and critical or systems we may select to go live imedeatly in a disaster recovery sceneario. There is at least another reason. Good.
I was getting woried about your skill sets as a system administrator, but now I got it. You know the awnser to the question. I feel very reasured.
So may I ask that the DR is updated as requested?
Another issue stil remains. If you know the answer why do you ask it?
That will be addressed between you, me and Mandy tomorrow.
Best Regards,
Nunob…
Hmmmm….Oh I’m going to look forward to this “meeting”… The guy is a complete arse…you ask a perfectly sensible question and you get taken down. I can feel myself getting angrier and angrier. It’s the attitude that’s annoying more than anything else. He obviously thinks that I know nothing and he knows everything and what could I possible add to the backup skills (heh only about 10 years experience eh ?)…
The rest of the day is a blur as I’m mentally preparing myself for tomorrow….The only shame of it is that it isn’t today..I’m just about ready for him now…I don’t want to go off the boil…my resignation letter is half written…I’ll take the sucker to a tribunal if it kills me….
Friday 7th October: D-Day
08:20: I’m in as early as I can get there…mentally preparing again, for what I’m convinced will be my last morning at Don’t Be Daft. Mandy has taken it all on board as well so she’s now worrying herself sill over it, to the point that she’s said if things don’t go well at the meeting I can hand in my notice…I’m sorely tempted, but things like the mortgage and the bills still need paying…so that could be a bit of a pain.
09:15: hmmm confused of Don’t Be Daft…I’m sure the meeting was booked for 9am, I’m all ready but the other main protagonists are nowhere to be seen, probably deciding which one of them is going to be bad cop..I think I can guess that one…
09:30: I check my calendar…hmmm, no meeting booked for today at 9am, even though I know that Mary Tyrant had sent through the appointment….I scroll forward a week and sure enough there it is booked for the 14th…she’s either got the date wrong or things aren’t as bad as I thought.
09:45: “Come on Cre8” says Mary, confirming my fears that she had in fact got the date wrong…I trudge slowly into Bill Zunpronouncable’s office (makeshift meeting room) and sit down at the circular “you’re all my friends” table…Nunob starts proceedings…
“So cre8, how are you?”
“I’m err, fine…” comes my confused reply…(what’s he asking me that for)
“Good, so you’re well…?”
“err, yes I think so…” I don’t know if he’s trying to put me at my ease or is just winding me up…
“How are you finding it working in the sys admin team?”, he asks, aha! here we go I think…
“Yeah they’re a good bunch of lads and we work well together…”
“Ok so, why are you trying to question everything and say everything is bad ?”
“I wasn’t aware that I was” comes my ever more terse response….He really doesn’t have a clue does he…
“Well you sent the email about backups and ….” I interrupt him with an explanation of what my email was about and what I was trying to do i.e. get some action going and why was it that out of all the questions and points in the email I’d raised he’d picked on that one…I’m really not going to put up with it…
He then starts spouting on about the team and how I can’t ask questions (to sum up that is)..then completely from left field….
“hmmm, ok so, what do you think of my management of the team ?”…in for the kill but I’m not in the mood to comply so I give to him with both barrels….
“well I think basically Nunob, you can be a bit of a bully…”, he’s shocked I know this because there’s a palpable silence…
“I’m a bully ?”…
“Yes I think you are…..I had a boss like you 15 years ago and I said then never again, so you might think you’re a straight talker but we can all do that and not spare peoples feelings….You do realise there are people out there that are afraid to talk to you, afraid to offer an opinion ?”
“There are people afraid of me ? Are you afraid of me ?” odd question that, given what I’ve just been saying…
“Err, no not particularly”…there’s now a pause whilst he scribbles a lot of stuff down and I look him straight in the eye….
He’s taking issue with me but, I’m so relaxed since I’m fully expecting him to fire me anytime now..”I might be a bit forceful, but people will always say I get the job done, do I get my objectives done, I think you can say I do…”
“Well that maybe so Nunob, but what’s the cost ?....”…I’m not giving him an inch to work with….his phone starts ringing, apparently he has another meeting booked so he needs to leave…rescued again eh ?
Mary and I then start the meeting proper…well I just basically continue on my rant about how crap a manager he is, and that 3 out of the 4 sys admins are looking for other jobs..and why was that ?...
She’s not surprised…who would be….so I survive to fight again…
12:30: Lunch
13:30: Nunobs back from his various meetings….Now un-nervingly he’s being my best mate…having a laugh and a joke with everyone else…it’s enough to make you sick it really is…
14:30: He’s over at my desk, chatting…(very odd)…he then leans forward and says quietly…”I hope I’m not bullying you….”, nuff said I think……
The end of a perfectly crappy week is about to occur…cant wait for next week…..Only two more days until it’s Monday again…
“I don’t want a job, I just want to crawl under a rock and pretend I’m not here….”
Lo all, yup it’s the bad week special, back again for yet another re run. My bad week is a bad week for a handful of reasons, 1.because I’m trying to give up smoking, 2. I work, 3. I work at don’t be daft international for a boss who’s a complete…to the use the French phrase…Tosseur…but hey what else could go wrong ?
Monday 3rd October 2005….
Well it’s Monday I’m here…I’ve done the “check the backups” routine and filled out my spreadsheet that no one will look at or show the slightest bit of interest in until it comes to audit time and their bonus is pinned to it’s success. Then it’ll be “Cre8, you are doing a backup log aren’t you…” etc etc…it’s a fun time to sit there and smile and look really smug, while you let them squirm with responses like, “oh a backup log, yeah I meant to start doing one of those…” just loud enough so the auditor could hear you say it…but so far not a great deal of interest being shown…to be fair.
After his initial interest even Brentboy doesn’t seem to have the same enthusiasm about backups and checking them as I do…maybe he figures I’m doing it so why should he which isn’t to be fair, unreasonable…
Quiet, until he’s had a tango, Rob, is in trying to look like he’s doing something, when in fact we all know the truth…he’s Nunob’s secret love child and he’s spying on us all…
Tuesday 4th October 2005…
God I need a fag….it’s been 3 days, 13 hours, 3 minutes and 36 seconds since my last mouth loaded, nicotine injection, and it’s hurting a little. I’ve got one of those patches on, which just seem to remind you of how painful it can be ripping them off as a distraction method, neat trick and it really does hurt. It also leaves have the glue stuck to your shoulder and you basically have to remove the skin it’s attached to, to get it off…but hey never mind…
Particle Disruptor, the Scrutiny Manager, is hassling us about the DR test Brenty and I are supposed to do on the 24th (look out for the DR test special), but as we keep pointing out to him. We can’t tell him and StunTheGuards (and steal all their computers) (the DR company) what hardware we’re going to need until he and the business tell us what they want restoring. It’s simple science really but I don’t think a. he’s getting it and b. getting anything sensible from the business…no great shock their then.
Of the 96 servers at the head office site, the best the business can come up with is the following inspiration;
1. HR.Web(of lies)
2. Hysterion (another one of those mysterious accounts packages no one knows anything about and in fact there are two versions of this software one with one server the other with 6 !!!)
3. HR on a CD ( a completely CD based application that needs no server and no DR)
4. Banking on the Internet – a completely hosted banking system
5. MGF Weekly – A system we don’t host at our site
So if we do the math and wittle it all down…it comes to basically 1 server that the business wants us to prove we can recover…and we have 5 days booked at the test centre.
Brenty, has decreed that he’s bringing his Xbox and I’ll probably bring some movies to watch, while we err…take our time….You could lose the will to live….and I still need a fag…..
Wednesday 5th October:
Mandy has been up all night with the most incredible rash…it started on her hands and she thought it was probably her Iron tablets…but she hadn’t taken one for a few hours and the rash is getting worse..even after having a bath..it’s now covering most of her body…so we do the only nonsensical thing any normal person would do..namely phone, NHS Indirect…They’re fantastic…they suggest that she either go to A&Wait or phone the doctors….hmmm…tricky one…she phones the doctor who advises she try and get some rest and what was the big idea phoning them at like midnight on their 24 hour emergency hot line ?????
Thursday 6th October
Mandy’s still got the scratches and to make matters worse she didn’t get any sleep until about 4am…I distinctly remember asking her if she was alright, as I lifted the quilt for her to get back in to bed. I don’t actually remember if she answered or not…but at least I asked….
09:00: In to work Nunob is away somewhere for the day so today shouldn’t be too bad…an email pops in to my inbox, from Particle..again with the same set of forms on it as before this time slightly begging for info on what kit we will need for our impending DR test. I talk it over with Brenty and we’re of one mind, namely that we can’t justify 5 days away when all we can recover is one server…So I list the servers and applications we currently backup and quite innocently ask, “if we don’t need to DR these boxes, then why back them up…” meaning quite simply that here’s a list of servers and systems and how about asking the business if they’d like these recovered as part of our test…I’ve cc’d the response to Nubob and Mary Tyrant…what’a mistaka to makea…
From: Cre8
To: Particle Disruptor (Scrutiny Manager)
Subject: D (R is optional) Test
Particle, this looks like the same list as before...but to clarify...
1. MS Office / Outlook, www and Network server I'm guessing this means a WAN connection...isn't this already configured ?
2. Accounts & Hysterion - This would be 6002 i.e. the old systems rather than the new 6 server system ?
3. HRowells - No idea what this is, but I'm told it inhabits the file server, could someone verify where this application actually is so we know what to restore ?
4. Richblonds - Same deal, though I think it may be the app$ share of the file server, I'll try and verify this.
5. Bank Online - Needs clarification as this system is neither backed up nor managed by IT, if this is just the provision of a PC does it form part of the test ?
6. Wizardry - This is a CD based read only database again not backed up or managed by IT so how do we DR it ?
7. HR.Web - The easy one of the bunch, DB on 6016 and the app on 6006
8. Guru - App is located on the file server, though I'm advised there might be data files located in other locations. These need clarifying.
9. MGF Weekly - Doesn't currently reside at our office
10. Stigma - is not managed or backed up by IT therefore we can't DR it.
So the list of apps that we can actually recover are;
1. Accounts
2. Hysterion
3. Richblonds
4. HR.Web
5. Guru*
This will need 2 servers at the most one DB and one app server, in fact we could probably get away with one, Hysterion depending…
What about;
1. Antivirus - necessary for DR ?
2. Splat
3. Mountjoy
4. Crysis Reports
5. Domain PDC & Wins
6. Database Apps -
7. Associated front ends with above
8. Pants Application ….<<snip>> and various others….<<snip>>If the answer to any of these is no, then the next question is I guess why are we backing them up ? <<snip>> various splurge about how best to recover the above systems…<<snip>>
cre8
11:00: Another email, this one from Nunob, asking me why I’ve asked that question and to answer it to him in no more than 3 lines within the hour…the actual email is below…
-----Original Message-----
From: Nunob
To: Cre8
Cc: Mary Tyrant; Particle Disruptor
Subject: RE: DR
Cre8,
I would like that you send me the answer in the next hour for the question you have posed.
If the answer to any of these is no, then the next question is I guess why are we backing them up ?
The answer can’t be more than 3 lines.
Regards,
….I’m considering my response. in the full and certain knowledge that whatever I actually say is going to cause me grief of one kind or another….
12:00: I’ve formulated my response. That’s not strictly true…I’ve formulated several responses…one where it starts “I know you’re just being an arse” and several ending with…”I resign”…but no I decide to play the game so in actually 2 lines I define the purpose for of backups..rather making my point I think….
-----Original Message-----
From: Cre8
To: Nunob
Sent: Thu Oct 06 12:25:00 2005
Subject: RE: DR
Nunob,
There isn't a simple 3, 2, or 1 line answer to this question, since you have to look at the context and motivation of why the question was asked in the first place but I'll do my best.
1. Simply, backups are done to enable the recovery of data in a disaster scenario, which can be a complete building or system loss.
2. The backups we do also allow us the added functionality to restore files and data when it becomes either corrupted or are accidentally deleted which could lead to or contribute to a disaster scenario as mentioned above.
Cre8.
Well nothing there to get worked up about as I’m sure you’ll get…somehow I’m just expecting to be put through the ringer on this….and you’ll note that I only sent my response to him….
12:30: Lunch
13:30: Back now the reply is in…
-----Original Message-----
From: Nunob
Sent: 06 October 2005 12:55
To: Cre8
Cc: Tyrant, Mary, Disruptor, Particle
Subject: Re: DR
Cre8,
I'm glad you understand that there is no direct relation between backups and critical or systems we may select to go live imedeatly in a disaster recovery sceneario. There is at least another reason. Good.
I was getting woried about your skill sets as a system administrator, but now I got it. You know the awnser to the question. I feel very reasured.
So may I ask that the DR is updated as requested?
Another issue stil remains. If you know the answer why do you ask it?
That will be addressed between you, me and Mandy tomorrow.
Best Regards,
Nunob…
Hmmmm….Oh I’m going to look forward to this “meeting”… The guy is a complete arse…you ask a perfectly sensible question and you get taken down. I can feel myself getting angrier and angrier. It’s the attitude that’s annoying more than anything else. He obviously thinks that I know nothing and he knows everything and what could I possible add to the backup skills (heh only about 10 years experience eh ?)…
The rest of the day is a blur as I’m mentally preparing myself for tomorrow….The only shame of it is that it isn’t today..I’m just about ready for him now…I don’t want to go off the boil…my resignation letter is half written…I’ll take the sucker to a tribunal if it kills me….
Friday 7th October: D-Day
08:20: I’m in as early as I can get there…mentally preparing again, for what I’m convinced will be my last morning at Don’t Be Daft. Mandy has taken it all on board as well so she’s now worrying herself sill over it, to the point that she’s said if things don’t go well at the meeting I can hand in my notice…I’m sorely tempted, but things like the mortgage and the bills still need paying…so that could be a bit of a pain.
09:15: hmmm confused of Don’t Be Daft…I’m sure the meeting was booked for 9am, I’m all ready but the other main protagonists are nowhere to be seen, probably deciding which one of them is going to be bad cop..I think I can guess that one…
09:30: I check my calendar…hmmm, no meeting booked for today at 9am, even though I know that Mary Tyrant had sent through the appointment….I scroll forward a week and sure enough there it is booked for the 14th…she’s either got the date wrong or things aren’t as bad as I thought.
09:45: “Come on Cre8” says Mary, confirming my fears that she had in fact got the date wrong…I trudge slowly into Bill Zunpronouncable’s office (makeshift meeting room) and sit down at the circular “you’re all my friends” table…Nunob starts proceedings…
“So cre8, how are you?”
“I’m err, fine…” comes my confused reply…(what’s he asking me that for)
“Good, so you’re well…?”
“err, yes I think so…” I don’t know if he’s trying to put me at my ease or is just winding me up…
“How are you finding it working in the sys admin team?”, he asks, aha! here we go I think…
“Yeah they’re a good bunch of lads and we work well together…”
“Ok so, why are you trying to question everything and say everything is bad ?”
“I wasn’t aware that I was” comes my ever more terse response….He really doesn’t have a clue does he…
“Well you sent the email about backups and ….” I interrupt him with an explanation of what my email was about and what I was trying to do i.e. get some action going and why was it that out of all the questions and points in the email I’d raised he’d picked on that one…I’m really not going to put up with it…
He then starts spouting on about the team and how I can’t ask questions (to sum up that is)..then completely from left field….
“hmmm, ok so, what do you think of my management of the team ?”…in for the kill but I’m not in the mood to comply so I give to him with both barrels….
“well I think basically Nunob, you can be a bit of a bully…”, he’s shocked I know this because there’s a palpable silence…
“I’m a bully ?”…
“Yes I think you are…..I had a boss like you 15 years ago and I said then never again, so you might think you’re a straight talker but we can all do that and not spare peoples feelings….You do realise there are people out there that are afraid to talk to you, afraid to offer an opinion ?”
“There are people afraid of me ? Are you afraid of me ?” odd question that, given what I’ve just been saying…
“Err, no not particularly”…there’s now a pause whilst he scribbles a lot of stuff down and I look him straight in the eye….
He’s taking issue with me but, I’m so relaxed since I’m fully expecting him to fire me anytime now..”I might be a bit forceful, but people will always say I get the job done, do I get my objectives done, I think you can say I do…”
“Well that maybe so Nunob, but what’s the cost ?....”…I’m not giving him an inch to work with….his phone starts ringing, apparently he has another meeting booked so he needs to leave…rescued again eh ?
Mary and I then start the meeting proper…well I just basically continue on my rant about how crap a manager he is, and that 3 out of the 4 sys admins are looking for other jobs..and why was that ?...
She’s not surprised…who would be….so I survive to fight again…
12:30: Lunch
13:30: Nunobs back from his various meetings….Now un-nervingly he’s being my best mate…having a laugh and a joke with everyone else…it’s enough to make you sick it really is…
14:30: He’s over at my desk, chatting…(very odd)…he then leans forward and says quietly…”I hope I’m not bullying you….”, nuff said I think……
The end of a perfectly crappy week is about to occur…cant wait for next week…..Only two more days until it’s Monday again…
# posted by cre8 @ 4:55 PM 
