The Shape of Things

I started a new job last summer and one of my favorites aspects has been the exposure to Linux.  I have been a “Windows” system admin for 10 years now so it feels good to learn something new.  I am still working with Windows, but 2 of the projects I have been working on are rooted in Linux.  The first project was to provide a blogging platform and I was quick to suggest Wordpress, which is a free open source software based on the “LAMP” stack… Linux/Apache/MySQL/PHP.   I have been using wordpress on my blog for a few years now, but I feel like I know the software much more intimately now that I have deployed 40+ blogs at work.  The second project I have been working on is  VMware.  When I was brought on we had 2 different VMware farms running different versions of the software.  Now we are setup in a single farm all running the latest version.  VMware uses Linux as its service console to help you monitor and support the environment.  Of course over the last 6 months or so I have had the rite of passage that is vi.  I am not going to claim that I am an expert but I am quite comfortable with the core keyboard commands.

Just today I was asked to deploy Urchin which is very similar to Google Analytics, except that you get to store your data in house rather than Google using it to learn more and more about you.  I had the option of using Windows or Linux on this project and I think I might just go with Linux

I work as a SysAdmin for a medium size software company and even though I have really smart and talented co-workers sometimes I wonder… how are other companies handling this or that.

Tonight (via my Google Reader feed) I found this absolutely fantastic forum:
The Server Room

Listen, I am not a forum guy most of the time… but this is just exactly what I have been looking for. A place where I can go to see what other people are doing in IT. Typically what I find in forum (such as Digg.com) is a bunch of comments that end up sounding like an argument from the playground in 5th grade.

I intend to follow this forum very closely and to actually post once in a while. If there are any other SysAdmins out there, what forums do you frequent?

The last two nights I have averaged 13 mph commuting from Bellevue to Seattle. I don’t know why it has been wearing on me so much lately… really all you are doing is sitting down and from time to time moving your hand a bit to guide the car down the road. It could be that I haven’t seen the Sun outside of work in a while. Friday the sun rises at 7:54am and sets at 4:19pm. Darkness… rain… long commutes…

Would it be better to take the bus to work?? I know it will take longer and I have to transfer but at least I will be able to read or listen to a podcast or two. I have been thinking about cutting down on the cost of gas and just in general being more “green” by taking the bus 3 days a week. That would lower my commuting costs by 60%… hmmm not to bad!! In fact, yeah… I think I will take the bus tomorrow. We’ll see how that goes.

Alright folks… now I want some feedback from you. How is your commute? Do you drive? Bus? Bike? Walk??

I have to take the I-90 bridge to work… I thought that was bad.

Check out what happened down in SF:

Tanker fire destroys part of MacArthur Maze

The Gov. Schwarzenegger of California has already announced free mass transit at least for Monday. I can’t imagine that it will be fixed in one day… we’ll have to see how they manage the situation.

Tomorrow my wife and I will return to California for the first time as a married couple. We met in California, dated for 6 years, got engaged, and also had our wedding there. We have waited 11 months before returning mainly to follow God’s command to leave, cleave, and weave. I am referring to Genesis 2:24 which Roy Chapin quoted during our wedding ceremony.

Honestly it has been quite hard leaving behind Hilmar Cheese Company, Monte Vista Chapel, and many good friends. We have found a church here in Seattle, but I still do have reservations about joining the church. We are finding that Genesis 2:24 is easier said than done.

I feel so blessed to be married to such a wonderful person, there is nothing like the sound of my wife talking to family in the other room. I could listen to her for hours. I will admit though… it was quite strange when we first moved in with each other. I found out how selfish I really was/am. I also found out that Kelly leaves the kitchen cabinets open all the time… and Kelly found out that I drink all of the juice in the house before she has a chance.

I have found a bit of success in my career in the IT field. Recently I was promoted from SysAdmin II to Sr. SysAdmin. There are quite a few really smart and talented people around me that I owe for allowing me to grow into role. It was also a bit of luck, in that the person directly above me left the company to work for Microsoft. I guess I am hard working and lucky…

Finding friends in the northwest has been quite interesting. I actually had 2 really close friends move from Turlock to Seattle within 7 months of me moving here. I am sad to say, that I am not as close to them now as I was back in Turlock. Maintaining friendships is also something that is easier said then done.

Alright. Here is the plan. I am going to obtain 3 Certifications which includes passing 6 tests within the next 12 months.

• 1st Certification (MCSA)
• Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator
• 4 required exams
• I have 1 exam left
• 70-291 (Implementing, Managing, and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Network Infrastructure)
• 2nd Certification (MCSE)
• Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer
• 7 required exams
• After obtaining the MCSA I will have 4 exams left.
• 70-293 (Planning and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Network Infrastructure)
• 70-294 (Planning, Implementing, and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Active Directory Infrastructure)
• 70-297 (Designing a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Active Directory and Network Infrastructure)
• 70-228 (Installing, Configuring, and Administering Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Enterprise Edition)
• 3rd Certification (MCDBA)
• Microsoft Certified Database Administrator
• 4 required exams
• After obtaining the MCSA and MCSE I will have 1 exam left.
• 70-229 (Designing and Implementing Databases with Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Enterprise Edition)