Posts by BILL_ME

How a good business deal made us underestimate BASIC

Re: English is one of the easiest human languages...

Native English speaker here, and I also think its the easiest language in the world.......

Every non-English speaker is going to have a different opinion on what language is easier to learn.

German was easier for me than Japanese because of the reverse sentence structure though the actual language is easier as pronounciation is the same as is writen without the weird exceptions English has.

If pronounciation of the new language is not too dissimilar to the native speaker, then probably the most important criteria in classifying it as 'easy' is does the new language sentence structure follow the native one.

Aside from having to learn new words, training yourself to reverse ubject–Object–Verb to Subject–Verb-Object, or others like High-context vs low-context.

Not sure how/why this is in the discussion though, BASIC was written in English because thats what its creators spoke.

Network died, hard, during company Christmas party, leaving lone techie to fix it

Re: Cisco survival

Another good tip is to back-up the running config to flash under another name like bu-date, and a copy to your local machine.

Only problem with the 'rel in 10' is the spastic auto-muscle-memory I have in doing 'wri mem' after x number of entries or cut and pastes.

"With Cisco it's always best to use the following steps:

1) 'rel in 10'

2) do the needful (set the reload time as appropriate for your reconfiguration)

3) test the results. If stuff works, 'rel can' then 'wri mem' and go home happy. If not, nervously watch the clock while you wait for the reboot (optionally grab the BOFH excuse calendar and play defense on the phone).

Learned that after borking a router that was a 4 hour ride away."

So, the difference between an 'admin' and a basic networking guy.

All the comments read so far, and none bothered to mention the basic fault.

Easily since the late 2000's, most decent/large companies were not using VTP Mode Server to manage VLAN synchronization, but were using VTP Mode Transparent.

Transparent disabled VLAN synchronization and central management in favor of manual creation of VLAN's an each switch.

Primary reason why is that installing a new switch with a higher revision version and also default set to Server will quite often overwrite the rest of the connected switches. Usually setting all the switches to default to VLAN 1 as the only VLAN and the hilarity that induces.

This is sort of Level 101 of networking you learn on Day 1-2, and why Transparent is usually used once you get above a small business size.

Not that scary or that hard: Two decades of VLANS

Wow, many of these comments are downright crazy.

I decided to jump back into IT back in 98, where I should have stayed focused on and gone into after highschool/college in the first place.

Even back then we were ripping out Bay Networks and Cat5000s using CatOS, and aside from the the BN's being unmanaged, we were using VLAN's, STP etc.

Now even 2 decades later and there are technical people responsible for networks who are mystified about IOS Layer 2 Vlans?

If I had to interview someone and they were more familiar with routing than switching, they'd be a no go probably for even an entry level position.

Switching may seem as relevent as Y2k nowadays, however its far faster than routing, and all of your User Access and Distribution networks absolutely rely on it.

Vlans minimize your broadcast domain, provide security segmentation, and make our jobs easier.... What can't Vlans do!

I'm primarily on Cisco kit, and the first thing I used to do when I was implementing or a config monkey was changing the the default native Vlan from 1 to something else, disable Vlan 1 and setting VTP Mode to Transparent.

You only need to work through a fire drill once where some idjit plugs a new switch onto the corporate network which happens to have VTP Mode set to Server, which then proceeds to upload its empty vlan db to all of your switches set to VP Mode Client.

Or because VLAN 1 is up/up he actually connects and starts populating his dept. lab with a DHCP server, router, etc and the Help Desk alerts your Dir to a network outage/incident occurring.

Very shocked to hear about SPB, totally missed that the past years. Checking on it, and now I know why, as it appears Cisco spurned it for TRILL which has died.

I know VSS works without STP, and C3850's and above allow both uplinks to be active with LACP, IIRC.

And the reasons for buying new IT gear are as follows ...

"Steal them"

As a netops guy thats worked his way up to net engineer since the late 90's in the F500 space, I still think disappearing your client's equipment even if old/obsolete without their permission is just theft.

Even without experience in the SMB space, it shouldn't take that much brain power to realize that SMB's don't have the capital to engage in such an upgrade cycle.

I can state that even the F500's I work for all have C3560's still in-place.

As a Network Consultant, you should be able to do standard network discovery across their network, and identify what equipment will not support the architecture they have in place.

Part of this may include re-architecting as necessary, and upgrading equipment to support things like trunking, vlan's, etc.

From there you should be able to pull together a proper business justification for new equipment, services, etc.

We all would like to be able to get a client's out-dated mish-mash of equipment upgraded to something modern and coherent.

But the problem is, while that might be what we want, the client is always going to ask if there is any way to keep limping along as they have been.

If you think about it, we do the same thing when the car is in the shop. We get a list of things that NEED to be replace, and there are others that should, or could be replaced.

The problem in the author's story seems to be coming to inherit a customer who was either sold a bill of goods with D-Link or other consumer equipment, or a customer who pushed their original Network consultant to minimize cost as the primary goal.

To some extent, you DO get what you pay for.

While it might seem iffy, eBay has tons of Cisco gear available for pennies on the dollar. I was going to recommend 3560's for general LAN switches, however just checked and it looks like even 3750's are available in abundance down to $125.

This presupposes the client actually needs more advanced equipment.

OCZ Vertex bashes users with Blue Screen of Death

OCZ sucks like its 1999...

I am in the middle of RMA'ing a Vertex2 60GB. Sometimes it is seen in BIOS, other times not. This drive probably has 100 hours on it of light use.

Its a known issue like the V3 referenced in the issue. Fortunately, the last several months I've been busy on my work laptop to not even turn the hex-core the V2 is in, on. So missed the last OCZ crisis and outright malfeasence on the V2 34-25nm fiasco.

But, it did give me pause to think about doing business with them. And Corsair's definately looking like they are a class act.

Once I get this V2 RMA successfully completed, I'm getting away from anything Sandforce for my next SSD, that will be coming as soon as I can sell this one.

Intel, Marvell, Samsung, heck even JMicron.

But never again, OCZ.

Unarmed Royal Navy T45 destroyer breaks down mid-Atlantic

OK....

OK, I'll bite. As an American, I guess I prove the rule here and am just too stupid to get the nuanced view being expressed.

On one hand a number of poster's are complaining about shoddy workmanship/engineering. Which sounds like it is becoming routine.

On the other, there is a sarcastic slam at the author for not adding his obligatory comments on some American kit that he believes should have been bought in its place.

Curious and curiouser.

I've read a few of Lewis' pieces before, some have been interesting, and some rather off in my estimation. However, maybe you should all make up your minds? First bitch at the guy for suggesting American kit that could have been purchased, or bitch that he doesn't make such suggestions. Seems like the classic definition of 'blithering'.

Top Gear is a hit over here, and the wife and I love Clarkson, his typical Euro trashing of the US not withstanding. However here, just like with Jeremey, I hear a lot of bitching, whining and excuses.

Many of you are exactly like Clarkson, comparing and dismissing an American product, even though there is little if anything locally produced. Its interesting to note that when Clarkson dismisses US-made vehicles, its always against some German, Italian, or even French made vehicle. Aside the occasional Vauxhall, I really don't see where Clarkson or the average UK snob has a pot to piss in when it comes to any sort of manufacturing capability/comparison.

I really just don't get how otherwise intelligent people can talk trash about others when they can't make squat themselves, and not feel like total bare-assed baboons.

The UK has poor record of maintaining a consistent defence budget as a part of GDP. As of 2009 IIRC it was below the world average, now, probably even more. If you don't 'invest' consistently, you lose the talent and capability, and are then forced to either join in with a pool of others like you have, or purchase from others.

And, relying on subs is as foolish as relying on planes. For the guy who had the container ship idea, kudos for cheap, down and dirty outside the box thinking.

You can always go talk to the Russians or Chinese you know.

Boeing's 'Phantom Eye' Ford Fusion powered stratocraft

LOL,

LOL, 3 years in development is considered pretty fast. Especially for being a 'hybrid' so to speak.

"Blighty's fighter factories haven't built a new plane on their own since the 1960s: all the UK forces' current aircraft are full of imported technology and have been for decades."

Since you guys haven't built anything locally in the UK since the '60's as you said in the other article, reposted above, I don't quite get some of the jibes.

Oh wait, of course. Those who can do, those who can't sit on the sidelines and let their envy dribble out their mouths.

Yeah, Brits getting as bad as the ChiComs with copying more advanced nations. For the record, from the US Airforce itself:

" X-45A

In 1999 Boeing was awarded a demonstration phase contract by DARPA and the USAF. Under the contract, Boeing Phantom Works completed two X-45A demonstrator air vehicles. The roll out ceremony of the first vehicle was in September 2001. The first flight was completed in May 2002."

So, 8 years for you to get a copy going, eh? Crikey, you must be cream crackered after such innovation....

Fast USB 2.0 Flash Drives

pfft....

I bought the SUPER TALENT Pico_C 8GB Flash Drive from NewEgg last year. Smallest one I've seen, and no problems attached to my my keyring being banged around all the time.

Seems to come in very close to 2nd place.

They just came out with a 32GB, waiting for NE to stock one in gold for a change.