Diary of a Network Geek

Playing a little catchup here.

I’ve read two books in about as many weeks and I’m just now getting to put something up about them.
The first is Beneath an Opal Moon by Eric von Lustbader, who also wrote the excellent book The Ninja, though it’s not related. His fantasy work is not quite as good as his modern fiction, but it’s pretty good. Okay, it’s not bad, but it’s not quite as good as I remembered it as a kid. Kind of pulp-fiction feeling, but a little less purple prose than a lot of things from that genre. Beneath an Opal Moon is about a navigator/adventurer tyring to find a way home, but getting entangled in someone else’s adventure. It ends up being a quest to prevent the end of the world. I know, I know, it sounds terrible, but it’s really not that bad. It makes nice Summer reading, anyway.

Another Summer read that suprised me was
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J. K. Rowling. I’ve been resisting reading this series simply because it’s so popular and because my wife and daughter have read it and are likely to sneak out spoilers on me. But, it, too, was a good, light Summer read. It really is a kid’s book, in spite of how it was billed, but, it still was engaging enough to capture my attention for a couple of days. And, thanks to studying for my certifications, my brain is a little fried and all I really wanted was some simple escapist fantasy, which this provided quite well. Of course, by now, everyone in the world knows the story of the “boy who lived”. If not, read the book or rent the video or just ask any kid under 15 who happens to be walking by a bookstore.

Now, I’m about to start
Novell Netware 5.x to 6 Upgrade Exam Cram 2. Updating my CNE is pretty darn important to me, since it’s sustained me all these years. Besides, it’s kind of a niche market these days and I’ll take any niche I can! And, honestly, I really love working with Novell products. They pretty much work as advertised, unlike my experience with Microsoft’s products. In any case, updating my CNE is my next goal, so that means I’ll need to read this book. Ah, well, back to work for me!

Until next time!

I just passed my Linux+ test!

I took it this morning before lunch and passed in the first try. Woo-hoo! It seemed like a kind of strange test, to me, but I figure that’s because it’s my first CompTIA test. It had a lot of hardware questions on it. And, some of the questions about Linux seemed not very “real world”. But that’s all water under the bridge now, because I passed!
And it’s about time I had something relating to networking and business, not to mention my career, to post here.

So, now I’ve gotten one of the four or five certifications that I want to get in the next year. That means that I have to start working on my CCR to update my CNE from Netware v5.x to Netware v6.x. That means reading the Novell Netware 5.x to 6 Upgrade Exam Cram 2 book and working the SelfTest Software pre-test. But, first, I’m taking a couple of days R&R for good behavior!
And, I’ve been thinking about getting Novell’s Linux Certification, too. Hmmm…. The path of certification never seems to end.

Time for a little Novell propaganda.

As a Certified Netware Engineer, I always appreciate hearing stories about how people are moving from WindowsNT to Novell. Here’s an example of a hospital that moved to Novell for the stability. Frankly, it frightens me how many hospitals run on an operating system, WindowsNT, that needs to be rebooted on a regular basis.
Also, there’s an announcement on Novell’s Main Certification page about their new certification program: the Novell Certified Linux Engineer. Now, this is cool. A big name, known for being a leader in certification programs, getting behind Linux. I think that’s great. I hope this really takes off. I won’t be able to worry about it for a year or so, but I look forward to pursuing this certification, too. Way cool.

What search terms get the best results?

My site is fairly well optimized for Google on the terms “CNE Resume“. It’s mainly what I do. My primary area of expertise is Novell Netware and I am a Certified Novell Engineer. But, that’s not all I do. I know a little Linux and, of course, the never escapable WindowsNT and Windows2000. I even have a little experience with WindowsXP, though it’s just the client side. So, while it makes sense that my resume is optimized for Novell products, I’d like to reposition myself to be more of a generalist Network Engineer.
Right now, I show up on the first page of a Google search for “network engineer resume houston“, but not for “network engineer resume“. I suppose I should be happy. After all, I don’t plan on leaving Houston anytime soon, but it just isn’t good enough for me. I need to be on that first page for “network engineer resume”. So, I’m going to work at it. I managed to get that top spot for “CNE Resume”, so I ought to be able to get it for “network engineer resume”, too!

Well, I guess I’m right on topic this week….

On Sunday, I questioned how long Novell, and Netware, was going to last. Well, it seems that with BrainShare, Novell’s user conference, this week, Computerworld was asking the same questions. They ran two articles: NetWare community insists their NOS will live and NetWare Stalwarts Remain Loyal Despite Dwindling Market Share. So, it seems that I’m pretty much in the mainstream of Novell Netware enthusiasts. But, like a lot of other Network Engineers, I’m looking toward other solutions, like Linux, for instance. Well, guess what? So is Novell! According to this article, also at Computerworld, Novell adopts Linux as NetWare migration path! I guess Linux, and the Linux+ certification, really isn’t a bad thing for me to do at all! (On a side note, this story got a mention on Slashdot, a news website for geeks. The posting is here.)

I guess I really have been in this business long enough to see the writing on the wall. Go figure.

Is Novell dying?

I’ve heard a lot of people say that Novell and Netware are on the way out. Of course, I’ve been hearing that since 1995 and they’re still around, so there’s no telling. But, I have to admit, this last time I was out of work it sure took a long time to find a job. Sure, the economy is hurting, especially in Houston, but I’m a CNE with ten years experience. I’ve been a supervisor for several years, though I’m not supervising anyone at the moment. And, still, even with that, and all the other varied experience on my resume, it still took a year to find a job.
So, how is Novell doing? Look at the charts. Not a great picture, is it? But, compare them to Sun, for instance. Now, it doesn’t seem quite as bad, does it? And, I’d say that Sun is an “up and comer” still, or again, depending on your point of view. In any case, Sun doesn’t seem like they’re going away any time soon, and I’d say Novell has kept pace with them, at least. So, how much danger is Novell really in?
They’re advertising everywhere at the moment, including Yahoo, TechTV, Slashdot and the SciFi Channel. And, I know that it’s registered with me, but I’m already a Novell Geek.
They continue to win awards. But, then, Microsoft’s popularity never had anything to do with awards. Windows is a pretty ubiquitous OS, but it’s fairly buggy and insecure, no matter what Microsoft says about their “security initiatives”. And, of course, history is littered with “better” products that never made it very far. Like the Tucker, for instance.

In any case, I’m not comfortable keeping all my eggs in one certification basket anymore. So, I’m studying for my Linux+ cert and next I’ll work on Security+, then my CCNA. Wish me luck!

Read an interesting post on Slashdot today…

There was an entry about a “Software Survival Kit” on Slashdot that got me thinking. What should go into that kind of thing? Some of the more useful suggestions I saw, and thought of myself, were: a DOS boot disk with CD-ROM support, hard drive repair utilities, a CD-ROM of documentation, and a CD-ROM of drivers. But, of course, a lot of that is subjective and depends on what OS might be encountered. For Windows systems, not only would I have a boot disk, but I’d suggest having a copy of the OS CD-ROM and the latest patches on a second CD-ROM.
For networks, though, it gets a little more complicated. Since I’m a CNE, I’ll use Novell as an example. The latest patches, uncompressed, take up most of a CD-ROM, but are worth having. Also, making a copy of the install and documentation CDs is a good idea, too. (I remember lugging all 50+ floppies to remote sites before it was all on a CD! Yikes!) I also recommend Server Magic for Netware. Also, I recommend the Netware Server Tools, which is free and downloadable from Novell’s website. This one NLM (Netware Loadable Module) gives a server admin all the most necessary command-line tools to work with a Netware server. And, it makes your server feel almost like a UNIX server. Very, very cool. I can’t vouch for how well it works on Netware 6, but it’s great on everything else.

One of the more interesting suggestions was to use F.I.R.E. (Forensic and Incident Response Environment), which, I have to admit, is a new utility for me. The website describes it as a bootable and free recovery and investigation tool. Sounds interesting, so I’ll have to check it out.

The important thing, I think, is to figure this all out long before the recovery toolbox is needed. By the time there’s an emergency, it’s too late. Of course, I’ve been saying for a long time that no one in IT plans well enough. But, what do I know? I’m just a tech.

Keep your certifications current!

Well, at least, try. And, I found something that will help: CBTNuggets. More specifically, the free CBTs they offer.
They run off the Internet in your browser, and you have to register to get to them, but they’re still free. So, if, like me, you need to shift your carreer from Novell to Microsoft, here’s a place to get some very basic knowlege to get you started. And, did I mention that it’s free? Well, except for the registration, but so far, they haven’t used my personal information against me, so even that is basically free.
I’ve only watched one on Active Directory, but it was pretty good. Sure, it’s just the basics, but that’s a fairly good place for me to start anyway.

Check it out!

Linux+ Exam Cram

Yep, that’s what I’m reading now. I’ve actually had it for some time, as you can tell by the publication date and the fact that it’s currently out of print. But, the exam is still good and, when I pass, I’ll be Linux+ certified for life.
That’s the nice thing about the CompTIA certifications. They’re good for life. One test, one certification. Forever. Pretty sweet. And, since I’m tired of being a one-trick Novell pony, lifetime certification looks pretty darn good.

I’ll keep you all posted on my progress.

I can’t remember what the first thing is!

For the past week or so, I’ve come up with several ideas for blog entries and forgotten them before I could get to a web interface and make the actual entry! Just now I sat down to write an entry that I’d thought of yesterday and drew a complete blank. How terrible! I’m sure that it would have been enlightening and horribly important, too. No doubt it would have made comment on current events and Linux and Microsoft vs. Novell. Or, maybe it would have mentioned certification and Cisco. Or, possibly even debated the merits of the CNE vs. the MCSE vs. the CCNA.
Or, it could have been total dribble about how pretty my ponds are.
Who knows? Damn early senility. See what working in the IT industry does to you?!?