Wednesday, January 03, 2007
I've got some good news, and some bad news …
Today felt like one of those Bad News/Good News type of jokes. And it all started out because I needed to modify a client's managed firewall (we manage their firewall).
Bad News: I can't log into the firewall.
Good News: It probably just needs rebooting (which involves walking across the parking lot to another building to the client's office, and flipping a power switch).
Bad News: That didn't work. Perhaps it's the router in the building?
Good News: We have extra ports on that router we can try (which involves making yet another trip to the other building).
Bad News: That still didn't work.
Good News: Which means the router isn't probably at fault.
Bad News: Which means it's the cable that runs from the router to the client's office, or the firewall. Since I have no easy way to test the cable, I'll assume (for now) it's the firewall.
Good News: It's probably a simple configuration setting I forgot to save when setting it up.
Bad News: There's no way to actually log into the firewall at the client's office (doing so requires a terminal or a computer with a serial port and … well … it was probably best not to ask about using a computer with a serial port).
Good News: The firewall itself is pretty small and easy to take back to The Office (which means more schlepping between buildings).
Bad News: When powering up the firewall at my desk, it kernel panics (basically: crashes, and crashes hard) when trying to check the disk.
Good News: Maybe it's just a loose connection.
Bad News: Nope. Still crashes.
Good News: Maybe it just needs some more memory. Here, let's install a 512MB stick of memory.
Bad News: Fails to even do the self test.
Good News: We have plenty of spare Cobalt RaQs (which we use as firewalls) sitting around.
Bad News: Moving the harddrive to another Cobalt RaQ fails to produce any forward results.
Good News: Perhaps if I cannibalize the memory from RaQ I tried to use and put it into the RaQ initially used as the client's firewall.
Good News: There is no more bad news!
Oh wait.
Bad News: Gotta schlep back to the client's office to reinstall the firewall.
Good News: It all now works properly.
“Goodbye, Farewell and Amen”
Bunny made good on her promise, and I saw the final episode of M.A.S.H., almost twenty-four years after it first appeared.
I found it to be excellent (if sad—I mean, it is the end to one of the best series on TV) but a very taxing episode to watch (horrors of war and friends going their own way). I also came to the realization that Charles Emerson Winchester III is one of my favorite characters in the series, trying to maintain his dignity in an undignified location.
