Diary of a Network Geek

Kind of goofy, but fun.

Well, those crazy Swedes have finally done it. They went and invented the self-parking car. At least, according to this website they have. Apparently, a mechanical engineering school in Sweden has a senior project and this year someone created a car that uses Linux to park itself. They worked with Volvo on the project, so there’s no telling if it works with an American pickup-truck, but it’s a cool idea! Lord knows, I’ve seen plenty of people that could use a little extra help getting into a tight parking spot. Myself included!! (Oh, and I’m kidding about not working on a pickup. I’m sure it can be adapted to any size passenger vehicle.)

Anyway, it’s a fun site for a Friday! Go have fun!

I’m sorry I missed a “fun” link yesterday.

Yesterday was my last day at Loomis, Fargo & Company. It was a bitter-sweet day, I have to admit. I’m glad to be moving on to something that I think will be a much, much better job for me, but I’m really going to miss a lot of the people I used to work with there. It’s sort of ironic, really, that I’m going to miss this place, because when I started, I never planned on staying very long. I always saw this as a place-holder, or stepping-stone, to somewhere else on my way to a better job. It was just something to pay the mortgage while I waited for the market to recover. Well, the market still hasn’t quite recovered, but it’s getting better and I’ve spent about 18 months treading water.
Okay, that’s not quite true. I did learn a lot more about Linux and I got my CompTIA Linux+ certification. I also updated my CNE (Certified Novell Engineer) to version 6.x. I haven’t quite completed my CompTIA Security+ certification, but that’s been mainly due to the upheaval of changing jobs. After I settle in, I’ll start working on that again and bang it out. It is, after all, a single test that will certify me for life. And, of course, I also learned more about Unix in general and the Veritas backup program on Sun Solaris in particular. All of which has been very, very cool.
But, one of the things I was “promised” was that I would be working on more Windows 2000 servers. The plan was to be replacing all the 35+ Novell servers with Win2K servers at all the branches. Well, that never happened due to budgeting problems and a CIO that didn’t understand why remote sites needed servers. (Yeah, I know, I can’t believe it either!) So, what that meant was I did a lot of backup administration and played nursemaid to a bunch of old, cranky Novell Netware servers. Not a great “resume builder”, is it? Well, I didn’t think it was a great use of my CNE either. So, when the rumors of outsourcing started, I started paying closer attention to the job-list e-mails that I got. And, well, the rest is history.
So, I found myself another job, but I also managed to place a friend of mine from the “old days” at Harbor at this position. He’d been out of work for 15 months. It was a pain that I knew all too well and I was very happy to help out a fellow CNE who was down on his luck. Also, this guy used to report to me so I knew he could do the job. It was a really good fit. And, in 90 days, I get a kickback from the recruiter, so it’s all good!

I’m really going to miss working with a great bunch of people, but I really look forward to meeting some new friends and working in a new, challenging environment that will really use my skills.

Could it be true?

Well, according to this article on AustralianIT, that’s just what they’re doing! They’re allegedly opening up their operating system and the technology for their SPARC chip to the OpenSource community.
I’m assuming that they hope to generate more interest and, therefore, sales. Also, I’m sure they’re hoping that making it open will make it easier for programmers to develop new tools and utilities for their OS. More tools equals bigger market. It makes sense, really, but I wonder what it means for the Unix market and the industry…

Hooray!

Well, I suppose I should wait to see if this article on AustralianIT is correct, or not, but Novell is expecting their Linux market to grow. I certainly hope so!
First, not only do I love Novell, but I love Linux, too! Okay, sure, I really dig the Netware kernel because it’s stable as all get out, but Linux is, too, so it’s a logical step. And, it gives Novell some more marketing leverage in shops that they might not have gotten a foothold into before! Remember, ZenWorks isn’t just for Netware anymore. You can run that on Win2K and, soon, Linux as well as the Netware kernel.
And, yeah, I have to admit, I’m biased because I’ve been Novell certified since 1994. (Well, I’ve been certified since 1993, but I’ve been a CNE, or Certified Novell Engineer, since 1994.) Well, here’s hoping it’s a growing trend!

Well, it’s official. I’ve given notice, both in e-mail and on paper. My last day at Loomis will be Friday, June 25th. My first day at Oceaneering International will be July First. I’m going to have to wait a week or so before I start growing my beard back, though. Some kind of crazy insurance policy thing that might mess up my current boss if I started growing my beard before I’m almost out. Eh, whatever. I can wait a few more days to be my old self again.
And, finally, a job using all my Netware skills and my shiny, new Linux skills, too!

Sort of….

Okay, not really. I know I’m their “only candidate” and I know they’re talking to my head hunters, but that’s it. I’m fairly certain that the guy I’d be reporting to wants to hire me. We hit it off fairly well and he seems like a good guy. (He also has red hair like my current good boss. Coincidence?) So…
So, that must mean that it’s coming down to the “doh, re, mi”. The “cabbage”. The “green”. In short, MONEY. And, isn’t that always the way? I’ve actually tried three times now to get hired on at this company, because they’re a growing, dynamic, stable company that believes in technology and it all comes down to a few thousand dollars. The hell of it is, I’d work for less, if I could. I really would. The job is that good, at least on paper. But, honestly, I’ve given them my rock-bottom, “I’m starvin’ here!” price. God, I hope it’s low enough.

The real ugly part of it all is that now I find myself thinking,”What else could I possibly bring to the table to make me worth it?”. Like 10+ years of hard-core, hands-on experience with Novell isn’t enough, right? Like teaching myself PERL and Linux isn’t evidence of my ability to get in to it and figure it out? Like my years of supervisory experience doesn’t count for something? (Okay, maybe that actually doesn’t. I hated being a supervisor…)
Well, I do tend to play it low-key in interviews. I tend to not tout myself too much, lest I get in too far over my head. Besides, it’s the Scotty Factor. If I can surprise them the first week or two, I usually find that I quickly develop the reputation for being a miracle worker. You get more interesting projects when people think of you as the miracle worker.
So, here I am, to keyed up to do anything useful, questioning my own value as an IT worker, blogging to take the edge off.

God I want this job so bad I could vomit.

Or is that “blues”?

Well, I got a call from the headhunter today. No offer yet. Still, I’ve been told that I’m realy their only candidate anymore, so I’m not worried.
What was worrisome, however, was the fact that the headhunter kept pushing me to see how low I would go on salary. Apparently, I’m a little bit more expensive than the client wanted to pay. On the other hand, how many CNEs with 10+ years of hands-on experience, who also happen to be Linux+ certified, can there be floating around Houston? How many of them, assuming that there are more than one, have broken NDS, on purpose, and recovered it? Twice? What is that worth? I guess we’ll find out tomorrow….
The truly hard thing is that I’d really, really like to take this job. But, I just can’t afford another pay cut. We’re living at the bare minimum as it is. Another cut and someone around here has to stop eating! (Of course, I could stand to loose another 15 pounds, or so….)

Well, based on the way things were sounding, I did some follow up on two other jobs that had come my way. We’ll see if anything turns up there. And, on the “plus side”, they still haven’t set a date for outsourcing, so I’m ahead of the game. If I can just find a good job that pays at least what I’m making now, before the outsourcing starts, I’ll be a happy network geek!

Prospects look good!

The company is Oceaneering International and the job itself looks great. I’d be one of two guys rolling out a world-wide network solution using Novell products. And they’re using pretty much everything: Netware, Groupwise, Zen for Desktops, Zen for Servers, you name it. This is the big-time. The slowest links they have are fractional T1, but that should be enough to use RSync to synchronize data back to the corporate office for backups. Which is the plan. So, unlike the current gig, there’d be no chasing after users at remote sites to change tapes! They also have Linux and are looking to do more with Linux. They also seem to be pretty good about training and certification. I talked with one guy there who was telling me that they reimburse for books.
Also, the benefits look great. They match 100% of the first 6% on 401k contributions. They have a vision plan, which matters to a family of glasses wearing freaks like us. And, if I’m reading the benefits description right, I’d get three weeks vacation after the first year. So, the benefits are pretty damn good.
Perhaps more importantly, the guys that I’ve met so far seem pretty easy to get along with. They’re really easy going and always cutting up, so I think I’d fit in quite well. Oh, and one of them has a full beard, so I asked if I could grow mine back. Yes. Yes, I could rebeard myself. Huzzah!

The only thing now is for them to actually make an offer. And, if they will offer enough for me to live on… In the interview they tried to low-ball me. Frankly, as much as I love the job, I just cannot take another pay cut.
So, I guess the good news is there’s been a law firm sniffing around for a Groupwise admin…. Not my favorite pidgeon-hole, but it’s better than being outsourced! So, we’ll see how it goes.
I’ll post updates!

Hmm, Linux just seems to be in the news…

So, what am I going to do, ignore it? Of course not!
Well, this is a little old, but this article on Australian IT talks about Red Hat releasing a version of Linux meant for the desktop. Hunh? I mean, hasn’t that been around for a long time? Well, I guess not according to Red Hat. Anyway, if they can get the installer to be simple enough for my mother to use, they’ll have something. Until then, though, it’s still a tool for us geeks.
Still, it’ll be interesting to see how this one plays out.

This time, it’s big business.

Apparently, Australia’s biggest four banks are looking at Linux. At least, according to this article on Australian IT, they are!
Wow, what a blow that would be to Micro$oft! Apparently, several of these banks are at least considering what it would take to revamp everything in their system to run off Linux. And, I mean, everything: ATMs, teller stations, back-office systems, you name it. Looks like it’s a great time to be a Linux geek in Australia!