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The [sysadmins] Thread: Quick, hide your user friendly policies, Bowen is coming back!

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Posts

  • DietarySupplementDietarySupplement Still not approved by the FDA Dublin, OHRegistered User regular
    edited March 2014
    TL DR wrote: »
    I never touched my original copy - all attempts at fixes were done with separate copies of the data.

    None of this was our call. We were brought on to build them a new server that was to replace this server. They just failed to pull the trigger for 11 months and then stopped paying attention even to their NT backup. We're very lucky things are going as well as they are.

    I just sent their db to the app vendor, who seems confident that they'll be able to attach it to the appropriate version of SQL and make a backup. It being Friday, I am more than content to wash my hands of this.

    If you have the ORIGINAL, UNTOUCHED copies of the files then you should be able to attach them to a fresh install of SQL Server 2000 provided that you get it patched up to the appropriate service pack and cumulative update as the previous server.
    BigBadWolf wrote: »
    Sentret wrote: »
    Cog wrote: »
    While we're on the subject of SQL, does anyone know of a simple and ideally free program to give a user a flat view and ability to edit the table data of dbf and mdf files? They don't need to be able to run queries, they just need to be able to view the contents of the table and make changes. And I refuse to give them the SSMS.

    There's a reasonably good chance that you can do it with MS Access.

    Is the database actually attached to a SQL server instance, or do just want to edit the data straight from the mbf files?
    If its not attached, a workaround might be be to install SQL server express (free), attach the database - then just link to the data from MS access.

    With appropriate permissions they can edit the data, but not touch the underlying structure (which i'm assuming is your concern with giving users SSMS).

    Yeah that's what I would do, give them something like Access to connect to a remote server and then edit data. Just give them explicit permissions to the objects that they need access to, nothing blanket like datareader or datawriter. Of course, that still wouldn't stop some more enterprising users from discovering the SQL input mode vs datasheet mode... so if you're worried that data updates will get out of control, just put the database into full recovery, do nightly backups, and every 10 minute transaction log backups. Keep about 2 days worth, so you can go back to any point in time (within 10 minutes) in case someone "experiments" with a delete statement.

    If you do go with SQL Express, I'm fairly certain it doesn't install SQL agent, so you can't schedule jobs. You'll have to get creative with a Powershell script and a Windows scheduled task to do database and transaction log backups.

    And speaking of log files...
    jaziek wrote: »
    Now see, these seem like sensible solutions.

    Not something my manager is going to let me do.

    I don't get him. It seems like he knew what he was doing in the year 2000 and just hasn't bothered learning anything since then.

    Yesterday: Oh look, the move to sql server 2012 has broken some of the jobs on this server.

    What does this one do?

    BACKUP LOG <dbname> WITH TRUNCATE ONLY

    What does he tell me to do? Change it to

    BACKUP LOG <dbname> TO DISK='NUL:'

    DBCC SHRINKFILE (dbname_log,1)

    :rotate:

    I hope this isn't some production server and you're not backing up logs.

    Why not just put the database into simple mode?

    Shrinking log files should only be done to clear out high numbers of VLF files; it's just going to grow in size again.

    DietarySupplement on
  • jaziekjaziek Bad at everything And mad about it.Registered User regular
    I hope this isn't some production server and you're not backing up logs.

    Oh it is. And we're not.
    Why not just put the database into simple mode?

    Because that would be the right thing to do. I suggested this to my manager, and he said no because it's always been full, so it must stay as full.

    Its always been full because the person who set this db up in the first place didn't know what he was doing. Fucks sake.

    Shrinking log files should only be done to clear out high numbers of VLF files; it's just going to grow in size again.

    Yep.

    This job is going to drive me insane if I have to keep working under people who have no idea what they're doing. I mean. I am fully ready to admit I know virtually nothing, but even the slightest bit of googling can show the right way to approach this issue.

    Steam ||| SC2 - Jaziek.377 on EU & NA. ||| Twitch Stream
  • Mei HikariMei Hikari Registered User regular
    Le_Goat wrote: »
    LD50 wrote: »
    While it wasn't exactly my wittiest moment, it was meant to be tongue-in-cheek.
    I work in a rather feminist environment. Every single day I have to deal with someone in the office making a comment about how I'm stupid because I have a different set of genitalia than they do. "Of course he fucked up. He's a man." Shit like that. I constantly have to watch what I say or do because a staff member could easily sway it in the direction of me being a sexist, chauvinistic bigot, and it pisses me off to no end. So when I read your comment, I quickly took offense due to my hypersensitivity towards the topic. There were over 100 more tactful ways for me to have responded, but I chose the more juvenile, lashing out approach. That being said, I apologize for the severity of my response.
    That sounds like a shitty environment, and I don't want to derail the thread, but I wouldn't say it's a feminist office so much as a sexist one. Sexism goes both ways.

    AiouaDonovan PuppyfuckerLe_GoatTofystedethTL DRErin The RedDelmain
  • Mei HikariMei Hikari Registered User regular
    In other news: fuck yea Meraki MDM + Apple DEP!
    devices can be enrolled right when they are purchased and arrive in users’ hands with Systems Manager as part of the initial setup process. Along with this functionality, comes more control for MDM administrators, most notably, the ability to prevent users from removing the Systems Manager profile from a device.

    jeffinvaAbracadanielMr_Rose
  • AbracadanielAbracadaniel Registered User regular
    Yeah, I'm lookin forward to playing around with that soon.

  • BigityBigity Lubbock, TXRegistered User regular
    Le_Goat wrote: »
    Bluuuuuh. Anybody got some tips for figuring out a DNS issue. We just got our new fiber connection at work but we're still running into issues with DNS lookup timeouts.
    With the new fiber connection, did you have to switch ISPs?

    Yeah, from Windstream to ATT. I always chalked it up to our shitty T1 but we're still seeing some issues. SonicWALL router, and I've tried both the DNS servers ATT supplied and Google's

    Windstream is shitty ever since the guy sold it to some parent company in Mexico.

    Abracadaniel
  • lwt1973lwt1973 King of Thieves SyndicationRegistered User regular
    Sure I'm going to setup an Exchange rule for each individual user so that they can have their own personalized signature because they are too lazy to set it up in Outlook.

    Sure.

    "He's sulking in his tent like Achilles! It's the Iliad?...from Homer?! READ A BOOK!!" -Handy
    Abracadaniel
  • chamberlainchamberlain Registered User regular
    My morning.

    Forefront for Exchange 2010: Psst, chamberlain, my licensing expires to 30 days.
    Chamberlain: no problem, I am sure Microsoft licensing makes logical sense.
    -- time passes --
    Chamberlain: well shit, I think this the right number. What's the worse that could happen?
    Forefront: License accepted. Have a nice day.
    Forefront: Wait, never mind, all scanning engines full stop, queue all mail, phones can no longer sync for no reason at all, fuck you buddy.

    ...

    I love rebooting exchange during business hours. It's so suspenseful.

  • AbracadanielAbracadaniel Registered User regular
    lwt1973 wrote: »
    Sure I'm going to setup an Exchange rule for each individual user so that they can have their own personalized signature because they are too lazy to set it up in Outlook.

    Sure.

    I did this through FlashPanel for Google Apps after I got tired of seeing stupid inaccurate Tea Party quotes in staff's signatures.

  • CogCog What'd you expect? Registered User regular
    Chamberlain: no problem, I am sure Microsoft licensing makes logical sense.

    Ahh, I see where you made your fatal assumption.

    TL DRApothe0sis
  • chamberlainchamberlain Registered User regular
    edited March 2014
    Cog wrote: »
    Chamberlain: no problem, I am sure Microsoft licensing makes logical sense.

    Ahh, I see where you made your fatal assumption.

    Forefront 2010 for Exchange has actually reached end of life. They are replacing it with something but specifically say that you can still renew your licence. They just don't bother to say how.

    I took a wild guess and put in my new Microsoft Partners ID and it worked.

    chamberlain on
  • MyiagrosMyiagros Registered User regular
    I'm going to go insane by the time I finish these upgrades.

    iRevert wrote: »
    Because if you're going to attempt to squeeze that big black monster into your slot you will need to be able to take at least 12 inches or else you're going to have a bad time...
    Steam: MyiagrosX27
  • AbracadanielAbracadaniel Registered User regular
    Awwww yiss, got our Business Apple Account ID, getting the DEP stuff set up for Meraki 8-)

  • Le_GoatLe_Goat Frechified Goat Person BostonRegistered User regular
    edited April 2014
    Not sure if you guys would find this interesting, but because of the networking involved, I thought you might. An excerpt from Flash Boys. It's pretty fascinating actually, and gets into the technology involved with high-frequency trading in the stock market, which was used to screw over pretty much everyone except those who knew what was going on. What's great is the image showing a box they used to create latency, slowing everything down on the server end, which made the playing field level for everyone in the exchange they created. The box contains 38 miles of fiber optic cabling:
    06flash3-blog427.jpg

    I'm not doing the excerpt or the book justice with my explanation, but from the IT side, it's crazy interesting. Not going to lie, it's a long read, but totally worth it.

    Le_Goat on
    While I agree that being insensitive is an issue, so is being oversensitive.
    bowenTL DRErin The RedArcSyn
  • KakodaimonosKakodaimonos Code fondler Helping the 1% get richerRegistered User regular
    The networking is interesting and we have some of the kernel bypass cards in our servers.

    Just remember that the entire Wall Street and trading industry has always screwed someone. From the days where JFK's father was doing short squeezes to HFT now. But that's a different discussion.

  • DietarySupplementDietarySupplement Still not approved by the FDA Dublin, OHRegistered User regular
    edited April 2014
    Oh look, it's the day after a software release and several SQL jobs and business reports are failing. I guess I get to spend my day refactoring a bunch of views that I didn't break!

    Actually, I shouldn't complain. The developers mean well and they generally do a good job. Some rinky dink reports were missed, I guess I shouldn't complain too much.

    DietarySupplement on
  • KharnastusKharnastus Registered User regular
    Le_Goat wrote: »
    Not sure if you guys would find this interesting, but because of the networking involved, I thought you might. An excerpt from Flash Boys. It's pretty fascinating actually, and gets into the technology involved with high-frequency trading in the stock market, which was used to screw over pretty much everyone except those who knew what was going on. What's great is the image showing a box they used to create latency, slowing everything down on the server end, which made the playing field level for everyone in the exchange they created. The box contains 38 miles of fiber optic cabling:
    06flash3-blog427.jpg

    I'm not doing the excerpt or the book justice with my explanation, but from the IT side, it's crazy interesting. Not going to lie, it's a long read, but totally worth it.

    That was a great way to spend 30 minutes. Thanks! :)


    ultimakay
  • Le_GoatLe_Goat Frechified Goat Person BostonRegistered User regular
    'Significant' solar flare may affect communications, GPS on Wednesday

    Feel free to use this as a legitimate excuse this time

    While I agree that being insensitive is an issue, so is being oversensitive.
  • BigityBigity Lubbock, TXRegistered User regular
    Sweet!

  • CogCog What'd you expect? Registered User regular
    edited April 2014
    The woman on the other side of the wall refuses to use her phone's headset and takes every phonecall on speakerphone at the top of her god damned lungs. People over here have been over 3 or 4 times to tell her to talk quieter, and that we can all hear her crystal clearly like she's shouting directly into our brains. She gives noncommittal answers and goes right back to her shout-calls.

    I'm going to disable speakerphone on that particular phone in our system. When she comes over to complain, I'm going to tell her that I'll turn it back on when she promises to turn her fucking voice down from 11.

    Those will be my exact goddamn words. I'm sick of this shit.

    Cog on
    bowenLD50
  • IcyLiquidIcyLiquid Two Steaks Montreal, QuebecAdministrator, Vanilla Staff vanilla
    Disable it with a screwdriver. There is a technique called Thrusting/Stabbing Disruptive Decommissioning Protocol, or TSDDP.

    Erin The RedbowenDisruptedCapitalistLe_GoatDonovan PuppyfuckerVegemyteLD50BigityTofystedeth
  • CogCog What'd you expect? Registered User regular
    Most people make phone calls rarely enough that I'd let it slide... however, this particular person is conducting interviews, so she's on the phone all goddamn day.

    However, she's visiting from another office. That means I can't actually stabbinate the phone, because someone else will use it after she's gone. However, it also means I don't have to see her or interact with her on a daily basis and can freely piss her off so.....
    tumblr_m0dm5hqKfi1qzytu7.gif

  • KakodaimonosKakodaimonos Code fondler Helping the 1% get richerRegistered User regular
    When we had a guy at my previous job who liked to use his speakerphone all the time, a group of us got together and called him and left him a voicemail. Which was 3 minutes of audio from an adult film.

    CogErin The Redultimakay
  • SentretSentret Registered User regular
    IcyLiquid wrote: »
    Disable it with a screwdriver. There is a technique called Thrusting/Stabbing Disruptive Decommissioning Protocol, or TSDDP.

    Does this technique work on consultants?

  • Mr_RoseMr_Rose 83 Blue Ridge Protects the Holy Registered User regular
    Sentret wrote: »
    IcyLiquid wrote: »
    Disable it with a screwdriver. There is a technique called Thrusting/Stabbing Disruptive Decommissioning Protocol, or TSDDP.

    Does this technique work on consultants?

    Yes, but beware they come with excellent warranty and replacement plans, so it's not necessarily a long term solution.

    ...because dragons are AWESOME! That's why.
    Nintendo Network ID: AzraelRose
    DropBox invite link - get 500MB extra free.
    CogErin The Red
  • DevoutlyApatheticDevoutlyApathetic Registered User regular
    So we have an outside source that can't reply to emails. Original inbounds are fine, if she responds to what we send her it doesn't work. The error messages come back to her with:
    Delivery has failed to these recipients or groups:

    Xxxx Xxxx
    There's a problem with the recipient's mailbox. Please try resending the message. If the problem continues, please contact your helpdesk.

    Our helpdesk is a checked out guy who is sorta handling our mail server on the side, kinda. Also lazy and sucky.

    Searching headers gives me this error:
    Generating server: our domain.local

    [email protected]
    #< #5.2.0 smtp;550 5.2.0 STOREDRV.Deliver: The Microsoft Exchange Information Store service reported an error. The following information should help identify the cause of this error: "MapiExceptionNamedPropsQuotaExceeded:16.18969:EE000000, 17.27161:00000000D8000000000000000F00000000000000, 255.23226:00000000, 255.27962:7A000000, 255.27962:56000000, 255.17082:00090480, 0.16993:80030400, 4.21921:00090480, 255.27962:FA000000, 255.1494:00000000, 255.26426:56000000, 4.6363:0F010480, 2.31229:00000000, 4.6363:0F010480, 2.17597:00000000, 2.22787:00000000, 2.22787:00000000, 2.22957:00000000, 2.19693:00000000, 2.17917:00000000, 2.27341:00000000, 2.22787:00000000, 4.5415:00090480, 4.7867:00090480, 4.4475:00090480, 4.4603:00090480, 4.5323:00090480, 255.1750:00000000, 0.26849:00000000, 255.21817:00090480, 0.24529:0F010480, 4.18385:00090480".> #SMTP#

    After a brief trip to the googles this seems to imply that a DB on our exchange server has reached the limit on some entry. Sorta weird that this is only impacting one person sending in emails to one user but I don't expect to understand this. Fixes involve registry editing on the server...which I am not doing.

    So...this is totally our mail servers fault, right? I'm going to have to push old lazy sucky guy to call in a tech service to fix it but the impacted user is head of Sales so it will happen. I just like making sure I'm right before I get them to write a check for slightly less shitty tech service.

    Nod. Get treat. PSN: Quippish
  • Gilbert0Gilbert0 North of SeattleRegistered User regular
    Le_Goat wrote: »
    Not sure if you guys would find this interesting, but because of the networking involved, I thought you might. An excerpt from Flash Boys. It's pretty fascinating actually, and gets into the technology involved with high-frequency trading in the stock market, which was used to screw over pretty much everyone except those who knew what was going on. What's great is the image showing a box they used to create latency, slowing everything down on the server end, which made the playing field level for everyone in the exchange they created. The box contains 38 miles of fiber optic cabling:
    06flash3-blog427.jpg

    I'm not doing the excerpt or the book justice with my explanation, but from the IT side, it's crazy interesting. Not going to lie, it's a long read, but totally worth it.

    It was on 60 minutes this week as well. Super interesting.

  • CogCog What'd you expect? Registered User regular
    edited April 2014
    @bowen asked me to communicate this to you all from his exile on Elba.

    http://www.theverge.com/2014/4/2/5574830/windows-9-start-menu-new-desktop-experience

    2014-04-01_23-03-12.0_standard_800.0.jpg

    Rejoice and weep, all ye downtrodden.

    Cog on
    bowenschuss
  • GaslightGaslight Registered User regular
    All of the Win8.1 updates and Win9 stuff they've announced so far are basically no-brainer stuff that they should have had in Win8 from the beginning. Would have saved them so much lost goodwill and sales.

    bowenCogAiserouLe_Goat
  • CogCog What'd you expect? Registered User regular
    I'm most interested in how they're going to unfuck the server UI.

    bowenDietarySupplement
  • AiserouAiserou Registered User regular
    If they had gotten that out 2 months ago they probably would have sold a lot more Windows 8 licenses to people replacing XP.

    bowen
  • CogCog What'd you expect? Registered User regular
    edited April 2014
    Aiserou wrote: »
    If they had gotten that out 2 months ago they probably would have sold a lot more Windows 8 licenses to people replacing XP.

    You mean they would have avoided this clusterfuck:

    os_market_march_2014.png

    XP still has over a quarter of the fucking share and support for it ends on TUESDAY.

    Cog on
    Vegemyte
  • iTunesIsEviliTunesIsEvil Cornfield? Cornfield.Registered User regular
    I'm using Server 2012 R2 daily now. What's wrong with the server UI?

    AiouaApothe0sis
  • CogCog What'd you expect? Registered User regular
    I'm using Server 2012 R2 daily now. What's wrong with the server UI?

    The tile interface is a waste on a server UI, and in general I find that things are a bit too obfuscated and unintuitive to find. A lot of it is 'ololopinions' but the OS seems to go out of its way and to be overly helpful and ends up getting in its own way.

    bowen
  • iTunesIsEviliTunesIsEvil Cornfield? Cornfield.Registered User regular
    I'm liking the tile-interface on 2012. I find I can organize it into columns of os-utils, db-utils, and programming/debugging/editing utils in a nicer way than I could pinning things to the start-menu in 2003/2008.

    Maybe since I'm not doing the same things as you do with your servers I'm not seeing the "overly and ends up getting in its own way" part. So far the only thing that's seemed "overly helpful" (in a "lets put everything here" kind of way) has been the server-manager, but that's mostly just because it seems to attempt to be the central point for everything. It also feels like it's very much built with people managing a large number of servers in mind.

    AiouaApothe0sis
  • DehumanizedDehumanized Registered User regular
    Cog wrote: »
    I'm using Server 2012 R2 daily now. What's wrong with the server UI?

    The tile interface is a waste on a server UI, and in general I find that things are a bit too obfuscated and unintuitive to find. A lot of it is 'ololopinions' but the OS seems to go out of its way and to be overly helpful and ends up getting in its own way.

    why do you use anything but server manager and powershell

    AiouaApothe0sis
  • CogCog What'd you expect? Registered User regular
    Cog wrote: »
    I'm using Server 2012 R2 daily now. What's wrong with the server UI?

    The tile interface is a waste on a server UI, and in general I find that things are a bit too obfuscated and unintuitive to find. A lot of it is 'ololopinions' but the OS seems to go out of its way and to be overly helpful and ends up getting in its own way.

    why do you use anything but server manager and powershell

    I just use 2008 R2. :P

  • StraygatsbyStraygatsby Registered User regular
    Surviving downsizing is kind of a double edged sword. At first you're all like Conan beheading James Earl Jones, but then times passes and you look around at your reduced team and think of the people that left and what it means for the future and you're more like sad sitting on the Throne end of the movies Conan.

    Maybe that's just me.

  • CogCog What'd you expect? Registered User regular
    edited April 2014
    Buck up, li'l pony.


    _1253676055.jpg


    You could be looking for a job.

    Or, you know. Beheaded.

    Cog on
  • jeffinvajeffinva Koogler coming this summerRegistered User regular
    The overall UI for 2008 R2 is fine, if sluggish. I pretty much just launch MMC snap-ins and applets and utilities via run dialog, powershell via shortcuts I create for whatever snap-ins I'm about to use (different for say an Exchange server than Citrix), Explorer, and command prompt. I rarely dig into the UI of my desktops (Win 7 and Chrome). Shit my Windows desktop at home is a glorified Steam and porn interface device.

This discussion has been closed.