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It Won't Print!
Posted by frank on Monday, July 14 @ 18:33:36 EDT (56 reads)
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For whatever reason, I ended up looking at some printer configurations this morning and decided to see if there were any errors on the printers. Low and behold one was really hung up. I mean REALLY hung up. Like 495 jobs to be exact.
If at first it does not print, click PRINT, PRINT, PRINT again.
The problem: out of paper.
I opted not to clear the queue. When they load paper, it should serve as a valuable lesson.
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New Version?
Posted by frank on Wednesday, July 09 @ 12:26:46 EDT (110 reads)
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Okay, so it's been a while. Get over it.
This morning prior to lunch, I sent an email out to our helpdesk advising them that next Monday I will be pointing one of my applications to a new database cluster. That was it. Not much to worry about. I only notified them because they use the application and didn't want them in a panic.
So, I go to lunch. Mmm...fish sammiches! However, upon my return, there it is: the email of woe.
The message: "Hey, what version of the software are we going to? Are there any known bugs or issues with the new version that you'll be installing on Monday?".
I'm almost in tears, about to committ seppuku (also known as hara-kiri) with a 12 inch wooden ruler. I laid it out as simple as possible and yet I get questions not even pertinent to what I told them in the email.
Sadly enough, I can't make this stuff up. It's too stupid. Oh well, in the mean time, maybe I can find a sharper object to commit seppuku with.
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The Sky Is Falling
Posted by frank on Tuesday, June 24 @ 12:12:58 EDT (55 reads)
Topic Rant
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...or the print server has crashed!
I'm sitting in my office enjoying the day when out of the blue comes an email from our Helpdesk stating that the print server is currently having issues, and that they will be notified upon it's fix.
Okay, first off, I was not aware that our print server was having issues. So, I spring into action...by talking to my co-workers, who also are taken aback about the email. We attempt to print, and viola! It prints!
Being the good guys that we are, we contact the helpdesk regarding the issues. My co-workers choose the "contact 'em by phone", whereas I opt for the "I don't care" method of email. Well, it's been 2 hours and I haven't gotten a reply. However, my co-workers did and we proceeded to troubleshoot accordingly.
Here is what we found:
1. One printer did not have an IP address assigned in the configuration.
2. One printer had the wrong IP address assigned in the configuration.
3. One printer had the wrong paper size selected in the paper tray.
4. One printer was out of paper.
5. One printer was set to work offline.
6. Three printers had failed print jobs stuck in the queue.
7. Two printers were mapped to an old print server (how they were continuing to *supposedly* work is beyond me).
8. The print server was NEVER down.
9. You can lead a horse to water, you just can't legally drown our helpdesk staff.
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Account Lockout
Posted by frank on Monday, June 23 @ 18:16:36 EDT (74 reads)
Topic Rant
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The other highlight of my day was receiving a call from our helpdesk regarding a user who's admin account gets locked out every time someone powers off her monitor.
Seriously?
Seriously.
I had to explain (in detail) that the only way an account can get locked out is when an improper password is passed to the DC for authentication and it fails. Okay, that's not true, I didn't explain it in detail. I explained it 3 times to the helpdesk and twice to the user.
It was requested that I close the request for assistance.
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I Assure You
Posted by frank on Monday, June 23 @ 18:14:08 EDT (93 reads)
Topic Rant
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So today was no different than any other Monday (or any other day of drudgery at work). And, when the phone rings and it's our 40 year helpdesk veteran, nothing is to be hoped for.
Upon answering the phone, I'm presented with the challenge of, "Why is it that when one of our users tries to print, she has to press the continue button on her printer?". Well, that's typically an easy answer, but today is different.
I respond that it's typically the paper size selecter in the paper tray. If it's not set to the default size (letter for this paper tray, per the printer setup), then it will prompt the user to press the "Continue" button before firing off the print job. However, this is a new day. A new leaf has apparently been turned.
I'm met with, "Nope, I checked that already.". Wow! I'm shocked to say the least. Something was tried prior to contacting me. Interesting. However, I tend not to fall for such trickery. So, I make it known that I'm going to walk over to the user and "take a peek" at the printer. Before I can say "Goodbye", I'm advised that they are going to walk with me to "watch" what I'm doing.
Ha! Gotcha!
And, as you could have guessed - the paper size selecter was set to the wrong size. I assure you...that I hate being assured by our helpdesk that they tried something.
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Stupid Users
Posted by frank on Monday, June 16 @ 15:13:43 EDT (52 reads)
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I'm sitting at work goofing off, err...working and receive a call from the front door of the IT Operations offices. So, being the nice guy that I am (not really), I answer the phone. I shouldn't have, but I did.
The user on the phone stated that he had a dumb question and asked if I could let him in. I thought that was it. It was, after all, a dumb question. However, I went and let him in, hoping that he would turn the corner or go into a different office (I didn't get my door closed fast enough apparently).
Once in my office, he inquires about who can clone a hard drive that was in his hands - a BAD hard drive. So, I go on to explain that cloning a bad hard drive will only get him, you guessed it, another bad hard drive. Apparently my certs and job experience mean nothing, as he told me I was wrong and that this particular drive had been cloned many times before since it went bad. At this point, I'm holding back my tears. After asking how the working copies of his cloned "bad" hard drive were working, he replied, "That's why I need it cloned again. They are bad.".
I mourn all day.
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SAP Differences?
Posted by frank on Monday, June 16 @ 08:48:40 EDT (91 reads)
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We're currently having issues with one node of one of our SAP clusters. So, since it's application related, our SAP group is hot on it. Well, they are on it. While the lead is busy casting blame and pointing fingers at groups not even associated with this, the technical folks are busy asking us question related to SAP.
Wait...did I say that our SAP folks are asking us, the Systems Administrators, SAP related questions? Why yes, yes I did. It would be one thing if we configured SAP or at least assisted with setting the permissions, shares, etc. However, we had no hand in it, other than building the servers for them and configuring Windows to the specs that they gave us.
One bit of humor was when asked for a location of the one of the files that they wanted restored, the email came back with a screenshot and the words "Any of these four places would be fine.". Well, in the screenshot, two of the items were pre-fetch file locations and one was a shortcut. Maybe we'll just restore the shortcut.
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Vendor Woes
Posted by frank on Thursday, June 05 @ 07:03:25 EDT (62 reads)
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So we're in the process of going away from our VAX. Yeah, you read it right - VAX. Yup, in 2008. I weep constantly.
I digress.
Anyhow, we have a really turd of a vendor here assisting the migration from the actual VAX to a Windows-based VAX emulator. Now, typically I don't mind consultants, vendors, etc. of the like. This turd is different. Here's why:
1. The overuse of the phrase: "I don't know!" (including his turbo nerd attitude).
2. He fell asleep during testing.
3. He looks like two white chocolate Hershey Kisses took a dump in an office chair (thanks Keith for the inspiration for this one).
4. When asked a question about how Windows needed to be configured, he said - "Hey, I'm not the Windows guy, you guys are!".
5. See #3, I'm stuck on that one.
Impressed? Nah. Not me.
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Things Going On
Posted by frank on Tuesday, June 03 @ 19:29:33 EDT (67 reads)
Topic News
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Sorry about not keeping things up to date. I've become back-slidden with new projects popping up at work and just general "they take the final drop of life from me" from some of our turbo techs and stupid users.
Things have ranged from "Is the network down?" when one PC wasn't mapping a drive, to "How soon do you need it?", to be answered with, "I'm already a week late.".
Unfortunately, it never ends...it just gets compounded when new projects pop up out of nowhere.
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Got The Time?
Posted by frank on Thursday, May 15 @ 18:37:15 EDT (82 reads)
Topic Rant
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The EU tech that I write about 99% of the time called me on the phone this morning asking what time it was. Seeing where he was calling from I questioned why he needed the time due to having a workstation at that location.
Explanation: "I can't get logged into the computer. I think the time is out of whack on it.".
Okay, there is a known issue there. I give him the timeframe of what would cause that and he swears that the time is dead on. I go on to ask if the date is correct. Yup - it's today alright. So, I run a time check on what the workstation is reporting and there it is: PM. Notice that I initially said that he called this morning - the time on the workstation said PM.
Attention to detail strikes again....
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Old Articles
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| Thursday, May 15 | | · | Intranet Transport |
| Tuesday, May 06 | | · | Folder Access |
| Monday, April 28 | | · | Two Minus Two Equals? Anybody? |
| Wednesday, April 23 | | · | Active Directory |
| Friday, April 18 | | · | Are You Serious? |
| Wednesday, April 09 | | · | Progress |
| Thursday, April 03 | | · | I Got Served |
| Friday, March 14 | | · | Workstation Name |
| · | Restore This File |
| Thursday, March 06 | | · | Lysdexic Developer |
| · | Printer Not Printing |
| Tuesday, March 04 | | · | How To (Revisited...Over & Over) - Again |
| Friday, February 29 | | · | Newest Drivers? |
| Wednesday, February 27 | | · | How'd That Happen? |
| · | So Dirty |
| Tuesday, February 26 | | · | You're Kidding, Right? |
| Friday, February 22 | | · | Question Of The Day |
| Thursday, February 21 | | · | Don't Feel Left Out |
| Tuesday, February 19 | | · | How To (Revisited...Over & Over) |
| Monday, February 18 | | · | The Sky Is Falling! |
| Tuesday, February 12 | | · | Undecided |
| Wednesday, February 06 | | · | Software Install! |
| Monday, February 04 | | · | No News Today |
| Friday, February 01 | | · | File Copy Assistance |
| Wednesday, January 30 | | · | No Response Necessary |
| Friday, January 25 | | · | Can't Save Files |
| · | Do We Do Backups? |
| · | Network or Intranet Error? |
| · | Catching Up |
| Tuesday, January 22 | | · | No News, Good News? |
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