Thursday, November 11, 2004
Of course the bank is closed!
Whoa! Who made today a holiday? It's bad enough with banks and their bankers' hours …
I ain't got no password. You ain't got no password. They ain't got no password? Where the heck's the password?
Yesterday I was given the
previous sysadmin's computer, running Windows XP Professional. Well, I'm
given to understand that there are some support issues that require the use
of Windows (cough frontpage cough) and it's not like this is new to me; so
instead of using X-Windows
to prop open a dozen xterms I use Windows to prop open a dozen
putty.exes.
So when I sat down to use M's (the previous sysadmin) former computer she was already logged in. I did briefly think about changing her password just prior to leaving yesterday, but not knowing how to actually go about changing the password, I figured I could leave it until today. I'll just leave myself logged in and everything should be okay. Right?
Right?
You do see where this is going, right?
Today, I sat down in front of the computer, and right there was the Windows XP login window, asking me for M's password.
Sigh.
And none of the adminstrative passwords I've been given over the past few days worked. C couldn't even log in.
As I left the office tonight (the cubicle isn't nearly as depressive looking now that I've cleaned it up—now it has this Zen emptiness going for it) the XP installation CD was reformatting the harddrive (a different one—M's machine had important files on it and an XP reinstall is always destructive it seems—also, note to self: check to see if the cover is already off a computer before blindly removing screws out the back).
I've also learned the depths of my loathing of web-based adminstration. Of course you [the web-based administration program] couldn't create a sub-site—this computer doesn't have DNS on it you XXXXXXX piece of XXXX! Now create the sub-site! Aaaaaaaaarrrrrrgggggllll!
Fortunely, I didn't have to deal with the phone all that much today.
Reason #2.71828182845904523536 I hate PHP
So for my other job, I was requested to upgrade PHP from 4.3.8 to 4.3.9 because of a
non-functioning script on one of the websites (in and of itself, never a
good sign). So I pull it down, configure, make,
make install and other stuff to get it into Apache, get an
executable built, move it into place, start it up, and everything looks good
so far … request http://www.example.net/server_info to make
sure PHP is in there and … nothing.
Web server is running.
No page.
Any, and all requests are dying.
This is not good.
Check the log file and find:
[Sun Oct 10 02:09:49 2004] [notice] child pid 22113 exit signal Segmentation fault (11)
Put the old executable into place and start tracking down the problem.
Well, long story short, the “solution” to this “problem” involved deleting the existing PHP configuration (and associated files—the one installed for PHP 4.3.8) and installing the PHP configuration for PHP 4.3.9.
Okay, PHP 3x to PHP 4x, I could understand.
I might even forgive breakage from 4.x to
4.y.
But breakage from 4.3.8 to
4.3.9?
Truely, PHP is the scripting language du jour.
