Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Career Changes
So the IT world is saturated with wanabee's and everything is outsourced. The new frontier is now virtualization and VoIP. I've been looking at some ads and it seems kernel developers are still in demand. It's time to get my kernel kung-fu working! Wataaaa!!
Saturday, January 12, 2008
IT Duties
It's now 1:29AM, Jan 12, 2008. Approximately 48 hours ago, I was running a RAID resync on the main file server for the company. It was late and the process was going to take about 250 minutes (~4 hours). That's a long time to wait, so I decided to go home. I returned 8 hours later to find the entire system unusable. I panicked. This is the first time that I truly panicked... I tried my best to get it working, but it seemed futile. The system stopped working and I was s.o.l. From what I gather, the RAID was already in degraded mode, hence the need to resync... but before the resync could finish, another drive failed, so the whole RAID set was gone. RAID5 only allows for 1 failed disk. 2 failed disks is catastrophic!
In the 28 hours that followed, I have never been up that long! The trip to Italy was 23, and even then I got to sleep on the plane... I brought up a new server using CentOS, installed all necessary daemons, restored backups, and copied anything else that was needed. It was a marathon of file transfers totaling about 350GB! After 28 hours of non-stop file transfering, configuring, and tweaking, the system seemed ready for use. It had to be, the company could not afford any more downtime... People were back to using the system, and I got to go home to sleep.
As I look back on this episode, I get the feeling that the days of scrambling will be no more. No doubt management will now pay premium to have high-availability (or even clustered!) systems. The days of free rides are over. It saddens me a bit that the skills I posses will now be passed over in favor of outsourced solutions. My days as help-desk / tech support / network engineer / system admin / programmer / systems analyst seems numbered... Only time will tell.
But in the mean time, I can prepare myself by learning new skills. I have to adapt to changes that are taking place. Hmm... now, where is that Cal State catalog?...
In the 28 hours that followed, I have never been up that long! The trip to Italy was 23, and even then I got to sleep on the plane... I brought up a new server using CentOS, installed all necessary daemons, restored backups, and copied anything else that was needed. It was a marathon of file transfers totaling about 350GB! After 28 hours of non-stop file transfering, configuring, and tweaking, the system seemed ready for use. It had to be, the company could not afford any more downtime... People were back to using the system, and I got to go home to sleep.
As I look back on this episode, I get the feeling that the days of scrambling will be no more. No doubt management will now pay premium to have high-availability (or even clustered!) systems. The days of free rides are over. It saddens me a bit that the skills I posses will now be passed over in favor of outsourced solutions. My days as help-desk / tech support / network engineer / system admin / programmer / systems analyst seems numbered... Only time will tell.
But in the mean time, I can prepare myself by learning new skills. I have to adapt to changes that are taking place. Hmm... now, where is that Cal State catalog?...
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Rome In Rome Continued
Day 4, 5 - Roman Tour
We decided to take the Hop-On Hop-Off bus and take in the sights. The bus allowed us to get off and explore the sights at our leisure. It would have been nice if we rode in an open bus... As opposed to a covered bus... The bus had a guide who was humorous as well as versed in Roman history. We saw...
The next day, we finally go to see the Colosseum. We were one of the first ones in line! At last, Rome in Rome... Gladiators fought to the death here. The engineering is incredible. Each stone slab carved and chiseled by hand and hoisted up to create the arches and columns. By 11AM, we returned to our hotel to check out. It would have been nice to stay in our current hotel, but they hiked up the price for the last two days of the year. Something about a New Years special. What a rip...
Day 6,7,8 - The Final Days
Our next hotel is a modest hotel somewhere in Roman suburbia, along Via del Pineta Sachetti. From what I've read, the hotel should be less than 3 miles from Cornelia, the nearest subway station. Since my wife and I had been walking a lot in LA, Sometimes 8 miles/day... I thought 3 miles would be nothing. Well, it would have been nothing if there was a sidewalk to walk on! Via del Pineta Sachetti had a sidewalk that is barely 2 feet wide! The cars were speeding like crazy and we were dragging our suitcases. We feared for our lives. Again... And 3 miles felt like an eternity.
We were so happy when we finally reached the hotel. The hotel was not modern. The floor was completely tiled, and the bathroom had an 80's look. But they did offer free breakfast And it was really, really good. The breakfast was the hotel's only redeeming value... We were supposed to visit the Vatican the next day, but we slept in. Until 4PM! To be fair, we were both up talking at 3:30AM. By midmorning, we felt so exhausted that went back to sleep... I guess we'll try the Vatican tomorrow. I've read that the lines for the Vatican gets long really fast.
In the evening, we took the shuttle to Piazza Cavour. This would be our last night out, so I wanted us to enjoy it. We walked around the area but not a lot of tourist-friendly places. We went to a restaurant that had affordable prices. We ate outside on their sidewalk cafe and ordered Tiramisu for dessert. That was the best. Two wishes fulfilled: my wife got to eat at a sidewalk cafe; I got to eat Tiramisu...
The next day, we payed a visit to the Vatican, and it was nice. It's like everything that I had seen on TV or in books. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to go inside the St. Peter's Basillica or the Sistine Chapel. And we did not see the Papa... BTW, the lines do become long really fast. When we got there, the tour buses barely began to arrive. But within half an hour, scores of buses were dropping off tourists by the hundreds!
On our last full day, we went to another hotel near the airport. We had a morning flight, and we did not want to miss it. Knowing that Italians love to cripple their economy to make a political statement, we were not taking any chances... We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn Fiumicino, an American-style hotel. It was the most affordable, modern hotel we've seen in Rome! Oh, how we love modern hotels and soft beds. Soft beds make me feel warm and fuzzy inside... We even ordered room service for the first time! Hamburger and tuna sandwich, and it was really good... This hotel made up for all the shortcomings of the other hotels. It's hard for me to admit, but I really do like the American-style. Looking back, I wished we had stayed at the Garden Inn instead of that hotel in the suburbs. It's not like we were missing anything anyway...
We decided to take the Hop-On Hop-Off bus and take in the sights. The bus allowed us to get off and explore the sights at our leisure. It would have been nice if we rode in an open bus... As opposed to a covered bus... The bus had a guide who was humorous as well as versed in Roman history. We saw...
- Basillica de Santa Maria Maggiore
- Teatro del'Opera
- Piazza Venezia
- Monumento a Vittorio Emmanuelle II
- Colosseo
- Palatino
- Circo Massimo
- Castel Sant'Angelo
- Basillica de Santo Peitro
- Fontana del Tritone
- Piazza della Republica
The next day, we finally go to see the Colosseum. We were one of the first ones in line! At last, Rome in Rome... Gladiators fought to the death here. The engineering is incredible. Each stone slab carved and chiseled by hand and hoisted up to create the arches and columns. By 11AM, we returned to our hotel to check out. It would have been nice to stay in our current hotel, but they hiked up the price for the last two days of the year. Something about a New Years special. What a rip...
Day 6,7,8 - The Final Days
Our next hotel is a modest hotel somewhere in Roman suburbia, along Via del Pineta Sachetti. From what I've read, the hotel should be less than 3 miles from Cornelia, the nearest subway station. Since my wife and I had been walking a lot in LA, Sometimes 8 miles/day... I thought 3 miles would be nothing. Well, it would have been nothing if there was a sidewalk to walk on! Via del Pineta Sachetti had a sidewalk that is barely 2 feet wide! The cars were speeding like crazy and we were dragging our suitcases. We feared for our lives. Again... And 3 miles felt like an eternity.
We were so happy when we finally reached the hotel. The hotel was not modern. The floor was completely tiled, and the bathroom had an 80's look. But they did offer free breakfast And it was really, really good. The breakfast was the hotel's only redeeming value... We were supposed to visit the Vatican the next day, but we slept in. Until 4PM! To be fair, we were both up talking at 3:30AM. By midmorning, we felt so exhausted that went back to sleep... I guess we'll try the Vatican tomorrow. I've read that the lines for the Vatican gets long really fast.
In the evening, we took the shuttle to Piazza Cavour. This would be our last night out, so I wanted us to enjoy it. We walked around the area but not a lot of tourist-friendly places. We went to a restaurant that had affordable prices. We ate outside on their sidewalk cafe and ordered Tiramisu for dessert. That was the best. Two wishes fulfilled: my wife got to eat at a sidewalk cafe; I got to eat Tiramisu...
The next day, we payed a visit to the Vatican, and it was nice. It's like everything that I had seen on TV or in books. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to go inside the St. Peter's Basillica or the Sistine Chapel. And we did not see the Papa... BTW, the lines do become long really fast. When we got there, the tour buses barely began to arrive. But within half an hour, scores of buses were dropping off tourists by the hundreds!
On our last full day, we went to another hotel near the airport. We had a morning flight, and we did not want to miss it. Knowing that Italians love to cripple their economy to make a political statement, we were not taking any chances... We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn Fiumicino, an American-style hotel. It was the most affordable, modern hotel we've seen in Rome! Oh, how we love modern hotels and soft beds. Soft beds make me feel warm and fuzzy inside... We even ordered room service for the first time! Hamburger and tuna sandwich, and it was really good... This hotel made up for all the shortcomings of the other hotels. It's hard for me to admit, but I really do like the American-style. Looking back, I wished we had stayed at the Garden Inn instead of that hotel in the suburbs. It's not like we were missing anything anyway...
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Rome In Rome
We just got back from our vacation in Italy. That was amazing! Where do I begin...
Day 1, 2 - The Longest Day
The first leg of our flight is from Los Angeles International (LAX) to London Heathrow (LHR). 10+ hours of non-stop monotony... Or so I thought... We flew on a Air New Zealand 747. They had on-board entertainment and I got to watch The Bourne Ultimatum, Roman Holiday, Superbad Wassup gangstaz [flashes sign]... and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. We arrived at Heathrow at 10AM. We then had a 4 hour wait before proceeding to the second leg of our flight: London Heathrow to Munich Strauss (MUC). I was surprised by the cleanliness of the Munich Strauss airport. So modern and soooo clean. In Munich, we only waited 1 hour before the last leg of our flight: Munich Strauss to Rome Fiumicino (FCO).
We arrived in Rome at 9:30PM, and by 10PM, we were ready to find a train to the city. When we reached the train terminal, I was shocked to find everything closed! What kind of international airport closes train terminals at 10PM?! The only thing operational were automated ticketing machines. Man this sucks... Luckily, there was a man who helped stranded tourists like ourselves. He stood by the ticketing machine helping people choose the right options to get to Roma Termini. Many of the tourists returned the favor by tipping him a Euro.
Now comes another shocker. When we arrived at the Roma Termini, we found EVERYTHING closed!! Man this really sucks... At night, the area around the Termini is not the best. Graffiti and tagging everywhere. We asked a policeman to point us to our hotel, the Bettoja Nord Nuova Roma on Via G Amendola. He told us it was nearby. Great!... So we walked a couple of blocks according to his directions. After attempting to cross one intersection, we soon feared for our lives. Crossing the street is very dangerous. The cars don't seem to want to stop. And when they do stop, it's literally inches away from you! We somehow survived and eventually found the hotel. 23 hours after leaving LAX, the day has ended.
Day 3 - The Late Start
We woke up around 2PM. We finally got some much needed sleep. Sleep deprivation + jet lag = no fun... We went out for a walk to see what is around the neighborhood. We ate at a nearby pizzeria. Hmm... They don't put tomato sauce on the pizza... And tried some gelato. Good stuff.
Along the way, we had a small... argument. Something about her wanting to take lots of pictures and me not wanting to stand out like a typical tourist. But my argument was moot... Wearing sweats and sneakers already made us stand out. Typical American tourist... It turns out everyone is fashionable in Rome. Even the pan handlers... Man we suck... But an hour later, we made up and all was good again.
In the evening, we decided to walk to Trevi Fountain. According to a cheap map from the hotel, the fountain is nearby. Take Via del Vimenale to Via del Quattro Fontane. Make a left on Via del Tritone and look for the crowds. Simple. But they forgot to mention that many intersections do not have street signs! Man this sucks... A short walk that should have taken less than 3o minutes is turning into a nightmare of streets with no names, narrow sidewalks, and speeding cars. Will we survive the walk to Trevi?!
Semi-lost, we walked along Via del Quirinale and ended up in front of The Quirinale, the White House of Italy. Hmm... That explains all the guards with the assault rifles... With the help of a policeman, we found our way to Trevi and, later on, the Spanish Steps.
Day 1, 2 - The Longest Day
The first leg of our flight is from Los Angeles International (LAX) to London Heathrow (LHR). 10+ hours of non-stop monotony... Or so I thought... We flew on a Air New Zealand 747. They had on-board entertainment and I got to watch The Bourne Ultimatum, Roman Holiday, Superbad Wassup gangstaz [flashes sign]... and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. We arrived at Heathrow at 10AM. We then had a 4 hour wait before proceeding to the second leg of our flight: London Heathrow to Munich Strauss (MUC). I was surprised by the cleanliness of the Munich Strauss airport. So modern and soooo clean. In Munich, we only waited 1 hour before the last leg of our flight: Munich Strauss to Rome Fiumicino (FCO).
We arrived in Rome at 9:30PM, and by 10PM, we were ready to find a train to the city. When we reached the train terminal, I was shocked to find everything closed! What kind of international airport closes train terminals at 10PM?! The only thing operational were automated ticketing machines. Man this sucks... Luckily, there was a man who helped stranded tourists like ourselves. He stood by the ticketing machine helping people choose the right options to get to Roma Termini. Many of the tourists returned the favor by tipping him a Euro.
Now comes another shocker. When we arrived at the Roma Termini, we found EVERYTHING closed!! Man this really sucks... At night, the area around the Termini is not the best. Graffiti and tagging everywhere. We asked a policeman to point us to our hotel, the Bettoja Nord Nuova Roma on Via G Amendola. He told us it was nearby. Great!... So we walked a couple of blocks according to his directions. After attempting to cross one intersection, we soon feared for our lives. Crossing the street is very dangerous. The cars don't seem to want to stop. And when they do stop, it's literally inches away from you! We somehow survived and eventually found the hotel. 23 hours after leaving LAX, the day has ended.
Day 3 - The Late Start
We woke up around 2PM. We finally got some much needed sleep. Sleep deprivation + jet lag = no fun... We went out for a walk to see what is around the neighborhood. We ate at a nearby pizzeria. Hmm... They don't put tomato sauce on the pizza... And tried some gelato. Good stuff.
Along the way, we had a small... argument. Something about her wanting to take lots of pictures and me not wanting to stand out like a typical tourist. But my argument was moot... Wearing sweats and sneakers already made us stand out. Typical American tourist... It turns out everyone is fashionable in Rome. Even the pan handlers... Man we suck... But an hour later, we made up and all was good again.
In the evening, we decided to walk to Trevi Fountain. According to a cheap map from the hotel, the fountain is nearby. Take Via del Vimenale to Via del Quattro Fontane. Make a left on Via del Tritone and look for the crowds. Simple. But they forgot to mention that many intersections do not have street signs! Man this sucks... A short walk that should have taken less than 3o minutes is turning into a nightmare of streets with no names, narrow sidewalks, and speeding cars. Will we survive the walk to Trevi?!
Semi-lost, we walked along Via del Quirinale and ended up in front of The Quirinale, the White House of Italy. Hmm... That explains all the guards with the assault rifles... With the help of a policeman, we found our way to Trevi and, later on, the Spanish Steps.
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