Why I Had to Stop Working Out

I was so pumped up! But it was too much! So I had to stop.

It took a long time to get all those muscles to atrophied! But, thankfully, I look much healthier today...

(Thanks, Dean, for the inspiration!)

Windows Server 64 Bit

When we recently received new servers from Dell, they came with 64-bit processors. We did a little research, saw no caution signs, and decided to install Microsoft's 64-bit Windows Server NOS. What a nightmare!

Drivers?
We discovered that the drivers included on the discs weren't 64-bit! So we fought gremlins for a few hours until we realized that the drivers Microsoft installed were only 32-bit, and they were the cause of our problems! So began the tedious task of searching websites for 64-bit drivers for printers and more.

Tools?
We next found that many of the Microsoft tools we rely upon only operate in 32-bit system! So we again had to search the web for 64-bit solutions. For those that only exist as 32-bit, we had to create a virtual Windows XP Pro we could log in to remotely to run them... far from ideal.

Our Conclusion
So, we decided we will avoid 64-bit Microsoft NOSs until they release a version that includes 64-bit tools and drivers that work nativly on those systems. Our clients deserve more efficiency and stability than 64-bit currently delivers.

Network Map Challenge

My friend Robert Bilderbach sent this photo. How would you map that network?!!

Reality

Reality is what you bump into when your beliefs are wrong. -- Harold Bullock

Faith

The best way to spell faith is R - I - S - K . --Harold Bullock

Verizon FiOS Failure Follow-Up

Well, when I'm not exactly right, I need to say so. Following is from Gary Messmer, our Lead Network Engineer, that gives further details about the Verizon FiOS outage. In an email he said:

"Verizon finally told me late yesterday what transpired. Apparently vandals destroyed conduit and the cabling inside it underneath a freeway overpass near Los Angeles early morning on November 7. That act crippled five Verizon OC48 circuits (OC48 is 2.5gbps – backbone circuits.) Based on what was cut, it also destroyed the redundancy which was originally engineered into their network. As you've seen, Verizon beat the original service restoration time of 11:00 pm November 9, by a good margin but we were all in an email blackout for nearly 24 hours."

So even though they haven't looped their customers as promised-- and we'd still like to see that fixed-- lack of local loops was not the cause of our outage yesterday.

Verizon FiOS Failure

We moved our Internet connection to Verizon's FiOS network because it promised so much: very fast connection speeds, very low cost, and an excellent network.

Well... today we learned their network design in our area wasn't what they promised, and our business processes are being severely impacted as a result.

Loop, or Branch?
We asked specifically if we would be connected to a loop or a branch. The difference is that if a loop suffers a break, communications may not be impacted because it is connected at both ends. With a branch, however, any break kills communications. Today we learned that Verizon looped their COs (central offices), but not their customers.

It's the Network
Verizon should do what's right and connect the branch at both ends, making it a loop. Fiber optic lines are more fragile than copper wires and thus more susceptible to breaks. One of their divisions advertises that "it's the network"... but clearly they didn't design their FiOS network well.