petergwilson · Monitoring Specialist · ✭✭✭✭✭

Good writeup. Fortunately it isn't an issue here. I'm the SysAdmin and I sit next to the IT Security Manager. He used to do my job so understands it. I have done his job so understand it. We fill in for each other when necessary. We use a few tools to ensure we are reasonably up to date with patching and are reactive…

Nope, no trick to it. I just can't read.

Yes. I was invited to start mining right at the start. I was running about 50 servers for a client at the time and they didn't do anything at night or weekends. If only I had used them (I thought it would be wrong so didn't). 

Last place I was working at decided to get an external company in to assess our cloud readiness. Of course they didn't ask anyone in IT. The project was called the "Cloud Readiness Assessment Project - Yep, they didn't spot the acronym. They came in, did whatever they did and we all were invited to a meeting where they…

Yep, I've had to set several servers to unmanaged whilst they are down so that our RAG screen stays all green. I've had to track these with a spreadsheet. Having something in SAM would be very useful.

Quantum Supremacy. Is that when the machines take over ?

I've just been given my SysAdmin Day gift. The CapEx has been signed off on ............ SOLARWINDS. YeeeeHaaaaaaa Goodbye Nagios. And the guys have just gone out on a beer run (beers on a Friday afternoon in work are mandatory here)

Yes, would be a quick way to see backup failures where transaction logs don't get deleted correctly. Monitoring the reverse where a significant drop doesn't happen.

Google and Fortnite. Google throwing their toys out of the pram because someone wouldn't accept their exorbitant fees. Times must be financially tough at Google.

We had an incident recently. We have a pair of Linux web servers that access a back-end database. They sit behind an F5 in a load balanced pool. We monitor each server and the F5 pool for both 'down' and 'back up' status and alert on both because that is what the customer wanted. One of my colleagues updated ONE of the…

Apple's earpods I bought a pair of bluetooth earphones about a year ago. They are water and sweat resistant, work anywhere in my house no matter where I leave my phone, have noise cancelling and are connected by a wire so they can't fall out and be lost. They also act as a hands free kit for my phone for calls and, best of…

You beat me to it. If people fail to follow the checklist then it is the people's fault and not the checklist. I'm trying to get junior people here to follow a checklist for server and comms room checks but I have watched them just tick all the boxes after leaving the room and not ticking off each item as they check it.…

Not really surprised that DHS have had a data breach. More surprised that it's just one. They are a government organ and, by definition, leaky. When has government IT been good. It's all based on the cheapest options available. Remember NASA and the moonshots. The equipment was bought from the cheapest bidder. Better was…

Tried that before I posted.

Have to admit, I couldn't see it either so I suspect the hint may have changed. Of course I could be wrong as I was off yesterday and my coffee levels have dropped dangerously low. Working on it.

The wording on the questionnaire would seem to indicate otherwise. Confirm yourself as a user by uploading a screenshot showing you logged into this product. The screenshot will not be shown to other users, and will be reviewed only by the G2 team

Yes but when the aliens come they usually take people from the woods. Cities are safer (although tend to get vapourised in the event of an invasion).

Robotic telepresence. Sounds like Bagman from Rogue Trooper. Rogue Trooper - Wikipedia

Don't forget that Microsoft's Beta testers are the general public. They release a product without much testing and then wait for the complaints to roll in. The v1.1 version always comes out soon after the v1.0 version.

Yep, this would save us time as we all share the out of hours rota and don't want to have to get out of bed to do something like this.

They want me to create a NOC using Solarwinds. Can't wait. Just need Orion Maps in HCO.

Do we ignore the spelling mistake (or incorrect wording) in today's answers.

I've run some failry beefy SQL boxes in VMWare without issue. I guess it depends on what else is running and how it is configured. That said, my new Solarwinds installation will be on two physical boxes as it will be monitoring the virtual environments we have.

Have to admit I stopped using Skype when Microsoft bought it. I suspected they would mess it up and they haven't disappointed me. The mobile phone companies kinda rendered it useless for me anyway as all my calls are now free (I never seem to get anywhere near my 'free' minutes - yes I know I have already paid for them).…

Bitcoin is a really bad idea anyway but storing your keys somewhere that is inherently insecure is even worse. You might as well leave your house keys under a brick beside your front door in case you lose your house keys.

System monitoring (me) sits within the server system engineering team. DBAs are in their own team within application support. I monitor the servers automatically and ask the DBAs what they want monitored. They don't know even though I've explained it all to them several times.. I then set up AppInsight for SQL on the…

The password in plain text is worrying. It does make me wonder what else they are doing wrong.

Sushhhh. Don't tell them. They'll only make them harder

I spent just over a year working for EDS as a contractor based in Xerox's European Headquarters near London (UK). It was interesting as they had been looking for ages for someone with my skillset and were reluctant to take me on unless I shaved off my beard. I refused and they gave in. EDS used to have a ridiculous 'No…

All things I'm looking to implement in my new job. Could be an interesting next year (or two).