Friday February 24, 2006
How to convince management of necessities?
- Posted by Rob (#1) on February 24, 2006 15:47 CET
Today I have been installing Debian on a dozen servers at work, in pairs of two identical machines at the time. So far so good: every single server is shiny, clean and consistent with its counterpart. But therein lies the problem: how to ensure that these servers stay in sync when it comes to code updates to our own software, as well as configuration settings? I once wrote a script called cvssync which did just that, but I am afraid I won't get the resources to reimplement such as system.
The alternative would be a custom-made automated system (but if a proper one would exist then I doubt I ever had to write cvssync in the first place) or something I would definitely hate: procedures. Not that I have a dislike of procedures in general, but I can already guarantee that when we enact procedures at some point:
- dependencies for our own Perl code come from CPAN, not Debian packages
- our own scripts will simply be copied onto the servers without any kind of version control made possible by either packaging them or using cvssync
- configuration settings will not have a proper backup, version control and in the end will be in all sorts of states except for synchronisation
- undocumented hacks will enter the system without anyone documenting changes
- and so on..
In other words, if I don't get to reimplement any sort of automated synchronisation system for code and configuration settings.. my job as a system administrator will be hell.
Any tips on how I should convince management that this is vital for our operations?
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- Tags: Perl, Debian, cvssync, CPAN
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Child rape versus consensual sex
- Posted by Rob (#1) on February 24, 2006 16:13 CET
It is no secret that I get along very well with younger people - it's somewhat of a requirement if you still want to see punk rock shows at the age of 28. And it's true, I do happen to fancy girls in their late teens. So even though I always wait for the legal age of consent, I am glad Neil wrote about "Jessica's Law" to get across :
I want to see a politician have the guts to say "Let's lock up child rapists for life," and have the temerity to make clear the difference between rape, and consensual sex with a minor.
Indeed. Unfortunately a lot of people seem to not see the difference between raping a kindergarten "student" and practically being seduced by a 15-year-old party animals. The second might not be a moral highpoint, but to put the same "sex offender" label on it as child rapists, that is indeed what Neil calls it: hysteria.
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- Tags: age of consent, ephebophilia
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Feeling hot, hot, hot
- Posted by Rob (#1) on February 24, 2006 18:23 CET
Yesterday I finally installed my new weather station. Apparently my flat is a mere 13.8 degrees Celcius (57F) when I get home from work and regardless of whether I heat it in the evening or not, bedroom temperatures drop to 11.7C (53F) during the night now that it is (only barely) freezing outside. And yet I feel comfortable wearing a shirt plus hoodie and more often than not I feel hot in bed - in more ways than one I must admit.
Guess I should strike weather of the list of reasons to move to California!
- PermaLink: Feeling hot, hot, hot
- Tags: weather, California
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