The Return of the Lonely Tech

Things once again got crazy. Everytime that happens, I drop this blog faster than Asus adds Eee-branded products. But normalization has returned and so I'm picking up the blog again. ("Normalization has returned..."? Where did that come from?

Since I last posted,

• the Chrome browser folks have released pre-beta v2. Didn't "pre-beta" used to be called "alpha"? At least it's not a "pre-community technology release" or whatever Microsoft calls it.
• Spiceworks moved to v3.5. They now claim to support 500 devices which is enough for me. I'm seriously considering giving them another shot for my network management. I only dropped them because they couldn't handle all my devices. They are dead-easy to install, include a help desk, look slicker than an Apple UI, and provide access to a pretty good forum of small-business tech pros. I need to verify that they include a syslog server to centralize logs. If they do that, I'll probably switch from Zenoss.
• Speaking of Zenoss, they're up to v2.3. I really like Zenoss. They have both free and Enterprise (read, $$) versions and scale well if you have lots of devices. The interface is nice, but not as slick as Spiceworks'. They lose some points for not being as easy to install or maintain. In fact, the main reason I'm thinking of switching to Spiceworks is because I totally destroyed my Zenoss install while trying to upgrade to 2.3. I'm not blaming Zenoss entirely, but I am saying that Spiceworks is easier to install and upgrade.
• In sad news, Sandy passed on. This was one of the coolest products available. Somebody seriously needs to take that concept and run with it.
  

For those wondering about the ITIL project... It's alive, sorta. GLPI/OCS NG is working pretty well as a helpdesk/change management system. We seem to have hit a bit of a doldrum, though. I thought that ITIL would lead to more communication but that is just not happening. I'll have to find a way to kick that into gear. Any suggestions would be welcome.
So there is the big catchup post. I'll try to get a post comparing Zenoss and Spiceworks here soon.

Chrome is now available

They kinda missed the 11am PDT goal, but Google Chrome is now available.

Google Chrome

I cannot wait for 11am. That's when the new Google Chrome browser will be released. (I just had a scary thought. They might mean 11am PST!)

This browser looks like the answer to many problems. It will run each tab in it's own process which should conserve memory (not on startup, but over time), increase stability, improve security and allow some cool features.

But you don't have to listen to me while you sweat out the interminable wait for the download to go live. Go read this. It's informative, entertaining and has pictures!

Sandy Groks My World

The two biggest helps early on this school year have been GLPI and Sandy. GLPI, I have discussed. It has proven popular with the staff already and is keeping me way more organized with trouble tickets than I have ever been before. For those who missed my previous post, GLPI is an open source CMDB and help desk application. The staff enters trouble tickets (I call them "requests") and I am able to priorize and work them.

This has been much better than the old "write it on scrap paper which I stuff in my pocket and then lose or run through the washer or (occasionally) actually work" system I used to use. Still, there are times when I am not at a computer and need to remember to do something. This is where Sandy has been a big help.

Sandy behaves as a virtual, electronic personal assistant. Email Sandy a list of things to remember and she reminds you about them by email, SMS, or Tweet. Tag each reminder with @todo and they are added to a Todo list. I've been pulling items from GLPI and entering them into Sandy then printing off a daily agenda of things to do. As I roam the halls working on tasks, I write in additional tasks as I learn of them. Then I sync up at the end of the day, completing tickets in GLPI and tasks in Sandy while adding tickets and tasks to both systems.

Of course it's still early in the year, but I'm feeling a little more in control of things with this system.

BONUS - If you set up a Jott account (Although I use the free account and it is enough for me, there are now accounts you can pay for if you need extra features), you can call Sandy and add things to your todo list. Just make sure to say "tag with todo" at the end of your message.

Wyse Streaming Manager

Oops. This is a common pattern for me:

1. Install new technology.
2. Use new technology.
3. Realize there were better ways to install said new technology.
4. Rip new technology out and install it again.

If it is new, I don't think I have installed it less than twice. Sometimes I do it several times. Minus several points for productivity, but I usually gain in knowledge of how the product works and (especially) how it is installed.

So I set up Wyse Streaming Manager last year and wasn't real happy with how I set up the base image. This summer, I deleted the old base image and recreated it. I used Windows XP Pro both times but the new image has the shiny new SP3 installed.

Whoops! WSM doesn't recognize SP3 and so will not allow my streaming apps to work. So now I'm in the middle of base image creation #3, carefully avoiding SP3.

*sigh*