My frustrations as a network engineer

[dave_the_nerd]

At work we had a rule for VM snapshots. Absolutely NO snapshots on database or file servers or anything that has high I/O. If you do make a snapshot on a server set a reminder in your calendar to delete it the next day. Snapshots are basically a delta file of changes and the longer you let it, the bigger it gets. When you delete the snapshot it basically has to go through each delta change and apply to the main disk. So the bigger the snapshot the longer it takes to restore.

Either way, just let it go and be patient and try not to do anything to the VM while it's happening. Though I have seen instances where it fails for whatever reason and you end up with a corrupted VM. Not fun.

This may be a good policy to adopt. We're in the habit of making snapshots before system configuration changes and then leaving them as insurance.

...98%

 

[seepy83]

This may be a good policy to adopt. We're in the habit of making snapshots before system configuration changes and then leaving them as insurance.

...98%

The thing is...how long does it make sense to leave them as "insurance"? I know it all depends on the environment, but I would think that 24 hours is the absolute max...because at that point you're likely going to have another form of backup. Also, there aren't many businesses that could easily turn back the clocks 24+ hours. The BCP side to it is tough.

I like to take a snapshot on some systems before patching or config changes, but, for me, that snapshot disappears after a little bit of validation/verification is done.

 

[Tsavo]

It's called "job security". Now stop complaining and start hoping nobody invents a GUI that automates your job

I can hack together a pretty mean gooey in visual basic that can maybe track IP addresses.

I am the future.

 

[serpretetsky]

I can hack together a pretty mean gooey in visual basic that can maybe track IP addresses.

I am the future.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkDD03yeLnU

I burst into tears laughing every single time i watch that.

 

[CharlieThompson]

well job in networking field is really very tough and boring sometimes.

 

[RFC Rudel]

today i kill someone.......

3 node Exchange dag,no problem since 2011..... then in last 3 month....50G mailboxes, no replace to failure HDs,,,,,
Have 2 down......and they keep dataminig the last one, when I went to fix one.......

 

[ultimatebob]

end user hardware failure

a printer is not a piece of networking hardware

its access layer gear

nice try though

That really depends on the size of the company. Where I work, the lone overworked IT guy supports the network, the printers on the network, the print servers, AND the clients connecting to the print server.

Needless to say, I try to fix things like empty toner cartridges before harassing him about it since it would take him awhile to get to it.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

If you are typing a command into a Linux server that includes the words, "c:\program files (x86)\" and are confused why it does not work... are you really qualified to write Linux software?

That is all.

(Edit: Maybe we need a thread like this in the Programming forum...)

 

[shadowman724]

Networking is the "voodoo" of IT, black magic. Thing is it really isn't that hard.

I administer the network of a financial institution and I often get a call from colleagues saying "I have a slow application. There's a network problem". I always wanted them to fix the problem they "seem" to know and save me some headache

 

[Zargon]

That really depends on the size of the company. Where I work, the lone overworked IT guy supports the network, the printers on the network, the print servers, AND the clients connecting to the print server.

Needless to say, I try to fix things like empty toner cartridges before harassing him about it since it would take him awhile to get to it.

who fixes it, does not determine what kind of problem it is.

Just because I fix something doesn't mean it was a 'network problem' just because I am a network engineer!

 

[Railgun]

who fixes it, does not determine what kind of problem it is.

Just because I fix something doesn't mean it was a 'network problem' just because I am a network engineer!

Exactly. It's usually bringing to light a horribly written application, or just something that got bunged up on the server side. 95% of the time, it's those guys that call the network guys first.

You'd think they'd learn.

 

[Zargon]

we have someone call us last week that we provide transport for, that was having issues

turns out they had been blacklisted by a number of sites because they had compromised machines participating in udp/ddos attacks towards a number of large websites
#notthenetwork #itsyourshit

 

[imagoon]

That I need a solution to deal with all the sales people wasting my time trying to sell me wizbang device / application / toilet bowl cleaner that will optimized my network / SAN / bowel movements. Basically sales calls waste more of my time than most of their solutions will save me.

I don't even like answering my desk phone anymore unless I recognize the number.

 

[Harrod]

I love the friday at 4:30 pm escalations that I get, and then when I open the ticket up I find out that the issue has been ongoing for 2 months now and they just now are deciding to ask for help.

 

[Zargon]

I got a nice 'hey update me on this project by 9am tomorrow, at 6pm, while on vacation

from a project manager

way to be on top of things dude...

 

[imagoon]

I got a nice 'hey update me on this project by 9am tomorrow, at 6pm, while on vacation

from a project manager

way to be on top of things dude...

Yeah that ends up in the ignore folder.

 

[sdifox]

I got a nice 'hey update me on this project by 9am tomorrow, at 6pm, while on vacation

from a project manager

way to be on top of things dude...

Status update on said project - I am on vacation, ask someone who isn't.

 

[Zargon]

status update was 'still waiting on lead systems admin to actually do some of his work on the project, no new updates since January'

sent with glee, after 3 large beers with my brother at a local taproom

 

[pcm81]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkDD03yeLnU

I burst into tears laughing every single time i watch that.

First I LOLed very hard watching this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pe6gGUR3Ga4
Then I cried in realization of just how dumb most people are.

 

[Harrod]

First I LOLed very hard watching this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pe6gGUR3Ga4
Then I cried in realization of just how dumb most people are.

I've used the "It's a unix system, I know this" line at work a few times. As well as the super troopers "Enhance, enhance, enhance" phrase a few times.

Here's my story of the week.

I saw a ticket hit my queue this past friday at 6:30pm for a customer whose VoIP phones stopped working. Supposedly the group that escalates to my group is supposed to check this stuff. I ended up jumping into their equipment and saw that none of the phones were ARPing up to the router, and were showing unresolved after several refreshes. I ended up sending the ticket back to the group to get them to look at what was going on in the POE switch, since I don't have access to it. I get in on Monday to see that they have noted the ticket that the phones not getting an IP address have nothing to do with them not being able to place calls or register with the voice switch.

Crap like this blows my mind, they want to insinuate that the issue is with the firewall or the voice switch, but show no proof that they have done any troubleshooting at all on their side. So yesterday, it gets escalated again, but this time the phones are working and the customers phones are now pulling ip addresses.

 

[Zee530]

Relatively new to the networking world. I see I understand next to nothing bring talked about in this thread

 

[pcm81]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkDD03yeLnU

I burst into tears laughing every single time i watch that.

Thanks!!!! now you made my cry from laughter; AGAIN!

 

[MtnMan]

I got a nice 'hey update me on this project by 9am tomorrow, at 6pm, while on vacation

from a project manager

way to be on top of things dude...

Poor planning on your part does not constitute any urgency on my part.

 

[Harrod]

I got a rejection email for a job that I didn't want, that someone I used to work with told me about.

I've never been to a place that was so cocky about their phone system and network. I actually do the exact same thing that they want to do, except I get to work on a network that is huge compared to theirs. I got to the end of the interview and they said something about how they were going to interview a few other candidates, I told them good luck with that. My company has had several job openings this past year, and no one with VOIP experience ever applies. I left the interview thinking that they did a crappy job at selling me on the idea of coming to work for them.

At the end of the interview they said something about "Describe yourself in two words", I said, "I'm boring". I told a co-worker about the question, they said I should have said "Irish Goodbye" and hung up. Looking back that would have been pretty awesome. Ironically I have that listed as a skill on my Linkedin account.

 

[pcm81]

At the end of the interview they said something about "Describe yourself in two words", I said, "I'm boring".

I am stealing this punch line.