February 2011 - Blind-sysadmins - lists.hodgsonfamily.org

Telephony systems
by Andrew Hodgson 14 Nov '12

14 Nov '12

Hi all, Our current Call Manager 4.x servers are creaking under their age, and we are looking at replacing this either with a new Cisco telephony system or a completely new system altogether. The system has to use IP as the connection to the handsets, as we don't want to add in more cables. Has anyone any experience in deploying a new Call manager setup, or a similar telephony system, and how was the accessibility? Thanks. Andrew.

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let's talk Backup Exec
by Ryan Shugart 21 Dec '11

21 Dec '11

Hey everyone: I just got a promotion at work, and with the goodness of a promotion comes more responsibilities. I'm now in charge of our backup infrastructure. We run Backup Exec 12.5, and have 16 or so media servers in various branch offices around the world. While Backup Exec used to be very accessible, over the last two versions accessibility seems to have gone into something of a decline, I already use scripts just to read the main table of jobs, and might need more just to get around the scheduling window so I can actually schedule a job. I'd consider the rest of the program accessible but clunky, tabbing doesn't always bring you where you think it will, on some screens tab order seems to be dynamic. Backup Exec also has an odd way of bringing up alert windows and grabbing your focus, even when you tell it specifically not to. While clunkyness is OK on one server, when you have fifteen individual servers to manage and no way to do it in a centralized fashion clunkyness is less acceptable. This is also less than a quarter of my new responsibilities as well. The current admin has the remote desktop console setup with all the Backup Exec servers in his favorites, stays logged into each server with a Backup Exec window open, and flicks from screen to screen and can easily glance at the output from each job. For us screen reader users, that doesn't work well. I've already got e-mail alerts set up and am using some Outlook rules to sort failure jobs out from successes, but was wondering if there's anything else I can be doing? I'd think people in really large environments with hundreds of media servers aren't logging into each server on a daily basis, so there has to be better ways to handle this. Any ideas? Thanks. Ryan

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Blind System Administrators
by Darragh OHeiligh 03 Mar '11

03 Mar '11

Apologies. I registered the same domain as the list name accidently without checking to see if it was a duplicate. I'm hoping it doesn't stand on anyones tows but if it does. I'll register something else. Hello, I would like to introduce you to an exciting and potentially beneficial idea that I‘m mulling over at the moment. Like you, I am a system administrator. I continue to struggle with this job on two fronts. Firstly, I need to battle to work through challenges to software and hardware accessibility and secondly, I need to continually prove that the fact that I am blind has no impact on my ability to work at the same level of any other system administrator. What if we could significantly help with both of these issues at the same time? I think we can. The number of blind system administrators is very small but between us we have a huge amount of technical, procedural and operational knowledge and experience. Each of us has had to overcome barriers to accessibility in order to effectively and independently rise to meet the responsibilities of our chosen roles. Each obstacle to accessibility actually creates three potential benefits. Firstly and of course obviously, we have gained access to the system we are working on. Secondly, we have demonstrated flexibility and resourcefulness and finally, we can use the tools we have found or developed to resolve future issues we encounter. I believe that it is this continued struggle that doesn’t just make us effective system administrators, it makes us better system administrators. Recognising, analysing and solving problems are the most important abilities of a system administrator. When it comes to problem solving we’ve got it nailed! With the right communication tools with each solution we find that enables us to surmount an accessibility related barrier we provide a little more proof to employers that: Yes, we can do this, yes we can work independently and yes we can bring highly developed problem solving skills to your company. Let me introduce you to www.BlindSysAdmins.com This site is an idea I had yesterday that I strongly believe has massive potential. It could help you and me as people already in work and even people aiming to get into the area of system administration. Even more importantly, it could be a practical demonstration of how resourceful and adaptive blind system administrators need to be. Companies considering employing a blind system administrator would instantly see from the site that the applicant would be an effective, resourceful and independent addition to their work force. Accomplishing these objectives is actually not as difficult as it may seem. This is the part where I need your help and input. Don’t worry, I’m not asking for much and if it works, the result will be rewarding for all of us. I am thinking of the following ideas: 1. Individual profiles. If I could get five or six system administrators involved I’m be delighted. All I’m looking for is a really quick introduction to you. What systems do you work on, what you specialise in, how much experience do you have and what kind of environment do you work on. For example, the platform, number of users, number of servers etc. You can make this as brief or as detailed as you like. The key is to make it really positive and to show that you enjoy what you do. 2. Problems that you have overcome. What have you had to do above and beyond the call of duty to get access to a system or fulfil a responsibility? For example, I was the first person to organise the backup solution in this company. It was in operation for ten years before I got here but tapes and other media was never archived correctly. Restore requests were a very time consuming job as when the backup software requested a tape with a specific barcode, the administrator had to search through three storage rooms in three different buildings to find the elusive tape. Obviously for me, this wasn’t a viable set up. I dug out all the old boxes for the VOIP phones and the DLT tapes that I could get my hands on and created a barcode template for each one. This template included an abbreviated building name, the floor number and then an incremented identifier. For example. ABC4030. Tapes from specific libraries were put into specific buildings so I could tell that RK5 tapes should be in BCD3 so if the backup solution requested RK5030 I could look up a spread sheet and see that I had put that tape into the box labelled BCD3095. Armed with an off the shelf barcode reader and a laptop I could independently go to the room, find the box and the tape and load it into the tape library. Restore requests took no longer than 20 minutes with my method therefore the solution I implemented was a major improvement for the company I work for. What have you done? Write a simple account such as the one that I have given that demonstrates how you were able to get a job done using your own initiative to make the system accessible. 3. Step by step instructions. I’d love people to help with this so please consider it. If you have made a script for Jaws or Window eyes or you have found a work around to make an application work more effectively with your screen reader then please write down the instructions to help others do the same thing. For example: In HP data protector Jaws incorrectly load the wrong scripts. The fix for this is very simple but by documenting it I could save someone else a lot of time and effort. 4. Ask questions. There is a fantastic mailing list for blind system administrators and I would in no way like to infringe on this. Without that resource I would have been left stranded over the past few years. I would however like to provide a forum on the site so that people can pose questions. There is method to this madness. By asking and answering questions you are providing assurance to new system administrators and even employers that Blind system administrators are a supportive group of people. We’ve all been there. We’ve all had problems that we need a second perspective on. Just by being aware that there’s a group of people available to help with questions is a massive comfort. I’m not asking for any commitment from any of you. I explain this to show you my thinking behind this site and why I think that all of these ideas could actually lead to a resource that is really useful to both employers and employees. I have other ideas as well but this mail is already too long. I’d like to say thank you for reading. If you have any comments, questions or suggestions I’d really really appreciate hearing from you. If you’re interested in helping with any of the ideas above please reply. I have purchased the domain and I will work on this site over the weekend. IF people are interested in contributing then this could get off the ground really quickly. All it needs is your help. Darragh

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network speed testing site
by David Mehler 25 Feb '11

25 Feb '11

Hello, I got a new ISP and am wanting to test it's speed claims. I'm wondering a good site, that's accurate and one preferably without advertizements that I can go to and test my internet speeds? Any help appreciated. Thanks. Dave.

2 2

Vmware Workstation and natted wireless
by David Mehler 25 Feb '11

25 Feb '11

Hello, I've got a vm running xp. It's using a virtual nic in nat mode. The machine it's running on has two nics, one wired the other wireless. When connected by wired nic the vm works fine, it can get out to the net, and all is good. When I go wireless on the host machine the vm can connect to the net, i.e. pinging of an IP address works fine, however DNS resolution does not. For example, when the host is connected by wire pinging google's IP works fine and going to it's www address also works fine from the vm. When connected wirelessly the vm can only ping google's IP not connect, dns resolution fails. Nothing has changed on the vm at all, and the only thing to change on the host box is that the connection went from wired to wireless, host machine is still working fine. Is there a fix for this? Thanks. Dave.

1 0

Blind System Administrators
by Darragh OHeiligh 25 Feb '11

25 Feb '11

Apologies. I registered the same domain as the list name accidently without checking to see if it was a duplicate. I'm hoping it doesn't stand on anyones tows but if it does. I'll register something else. Hello, I would like to introduce you to an exciting and potentially beneficial idea that I‘m mulling over at the moment. Like you, I am a system administrator. I continue to struggle with this job on two fronts. Firstly, I need to battle to work through challenges to software and hardware accessibility and secondly, I need to continually prove that the fact that I am blind has no impact on my ability to work at the same level of any other system administrator. What if we could significantly help with both of these issues at the same time? I think we can. The number of blind system administrators is very small but between us we have a huge amount of technical, procedural and operational knowledge and experience. Each of us has had to overcome barriers to accessibility in order to effectively and independently rise to meet the responsibilities of our chosen roles. Each obstacle to accessibility actually creates three potential benefits. Firstly and of course obviously, we have gained access to the system we are working on. Secondly, we have demonstrated flexibility and resourcefulness and finally, we can use the tools we have found or developed to resolve future issues we encounter. I believe that it is this continued struggle that doesn’t just make us effective system administrators, it makes us better system administrators. Recognising, analysing and solving problems are the most important abilities of a system administrator. When it comes to problem solving we’ve got it nailed! With the right communication tools with each solution we find that enables us to surmount an accessibility related barrier we provide a little more proof to employers that: Yes, we can do this, yes we can work independently and yes we can bring highly developed problem solving skills to your company. Let me introduce you to www.BlindSysAdmins.com This site is an idea I had yesterday that I strongly believe has massive potential. It could help you and me as people already in work and even people aiming to get into the area of system administration. Even more importantly, it could be a practical demonstration of how resourceful and adaptive blind system administrators need to be. Companies considering employing a blind system administrator would instantly see from the site that the applicant would be an effective, resourceful and independent addition to their work force. Accomplishing these objectives is actually not as difficult as it may seem. This is the part where I need your help and input. Don’t worry, I’m not asking for much and if it works, the result will be rewarding for all of us. I am thinking of the following ideas: 1. Individual profiles. If I could get five or six system administrators involved I’m be delighted. All I’m looking for is a really quick introduction to you. What systems do you work on, what you specialise in, how much experience do you have and what kind of environment do you work on. For example, the platform, number of users, number of servers etc. You can make this as brief or as detailed as you like. The key is to make it really positive and to show that you enjoy what you do. 2. Problems that you have overcome. What have you had to do above and beyond the call of duty to get access to a system or fulfil a responsibility? For example, I was the first person to organise the backup solution in this company. It was in operation for ten years before I got here but tapes and other media was never archived correctly. Restore requests were a very time consuming job as when the backup software requested a tape with a specific barcode, the administrator had to search through three storage rooms in three different buildings to find the elusive tape. Obviously for me, this wasn’t a viable set up. I dug out all the old boxes for the VOIP phones and the DLT tapes that I could get my hands on and created a barcode template for each one. This template included an abbreviated building name, the floor number and then an incremented identifier. For example. ABC4030. Tapes from specific libraries were put into specific buildings so I could tell that RK5 tapes should be in BCD3 so if the backup solution requested RK5030 I could look up a spread sheet and see that I had put that tape into the box labelled BCD3095. Armed with an off the shelf barcode reader and a laptop I could independently go to the room, find the box and the tape and load it into the tape library. Restore requests took no longer than 20 minutes with my method therefore the solution I implemented was a major improvement for the company I work for. What have you done? Write a simple account such as the one that I have given that demonstrates how you were able to get a job done using your own initiative to make the system accessible. 3. Step by step instructions. I’d love people to help with this so please consider it. If you have made a script for Jaws or Window eyes or you have found a work around to make an application work more effectively with your screen reader then please write down the instructions to help others do the same thing. For example: In HP data protector Jaws incorrectly load the wrong scripts. The fix for this is very simple but by documenting it I could save someone else a lot of time and effort. 4. Ask questions. There is a fantastic mailing list for blind system administrators and I would in no way like to infringe on this. Without that resource I would have been left stranded over the past few years. I would however like to provide a forum on the site so that people can pose questions. There is method to this madness. By asking and answering questions you are providing assurance to new system administrators and even employers that Blind system administrators are a supportive group of people. We’ve all been there. We’ve all had problems that we need a second perspective on. Just by being aware that there’s a group of people available to help with questions is a massive comfort. I’m not asking for any commitment from any of you. I explain this to show you my thinking behind this site and why I think that all of these ideas could actually lead to a resource that is really useful to both employers and employees. I have other ideas as well but this mail is already too long. I’d like to say thank you for reading. If you have any comments, questions or suggestions I’d really really appreciate hearing from you. If you’re interested in helping with any of the ideas above please reply. I have purchased the domain and I will work on this site over the weekend. IF people are interested in contributing then this could get off the ground really quickly. All it needs is your help. Darragh

1 0

VMWare View administrator
by Darragh OHeiligh 24 Feb '11

24 Feb '11

Good afternoon, I was horrified and very annoyed to find that after updating to the latest version of VMWare View, the administrative site is flash based and I am unable to read everything that I need to access. What the hell are these companies playing at! Is it seriously too much to ask that they create interfaces that are accessible? Or at the very least not inaccessible? I don't mind having to work at things but I'm getting very tired of companies unknowingly putting obsticles in the way. Especially when I have a job to do. Have any of you come across this in the latest version of the ESX related tools? Before I do any more upgrading of our environment do you know if there is anything else I need to look out for? I'm becoming a very intollerent person when it comes to these updates. Why and howe they made what was a reasonably nice interface to navigate around a completely inaccessible flash based tragity I just cant understand. Regards Darragh Ó Héiligh System administration Fujitsu Offices of the Houses of the Oireachtas, Fredrick Building, South Fredrick Street, Dublin2 Telephone: +353 (1) 618 3559 Email: darragh.oheiligh(a)oireachtas.ie Internet: http://www.oireachtas.ie

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testing memory and hard disks
by David Mehler 19 Feb '11

19 Feb '11

Hello, I'm wondering if vinux can pull this off and if so if anyone has a procedure? I've got several boxes, one for sure is parts only. I'd like to put various memory modules in it and various hard drives in it and test them. This machine will be hooked up to speakers so software speech is an option. If anyone has done this i'd appreciate knowing about it. Thanks. Dave.

2 1

jaws tandem behind two nat routers
by David Mehler 15 Feb '11

15 Feb '11

Hello, I'm using jfw 10, a friend is using jfw 11. We are both behind high speed connections, I think both dsl, and behind nat routers. Under those circumstances I am wondering if it's possible to make tandem work? If so I'd like to know how as it would make remotely helping this friend much easier. Thanks. Dave.

2 3

VMWare View administrator
by Darragh OHeiligh 10 Feb '11

10 Feb '11

Good afternoon, I was horrified and very annoyed to find that after updating to the latest version of VMWare View, the administrative site is flash based and I am unable to read everything that I need to access. What the hell are these companies playing at! Is it seriously too much to ask that they create interfaces that are accessible? Or at the very least not inaccessible? I don't mind having to work at things but I'm getting very tired of companies unknowingly putting obsticles in the way. Especially when I have a job to do. Have any of you come across this in the latest version of the ESX related tools? Before I do any more upgrading of our environment do you know if there is anything else I need to look out for? I'm becoming a very intollerent person when it comes to these updates. Why and howe they made what was a reasonably nice interface to navigate around a completely inaccessible flash based tragity I just cant understand. Regards Darragh Ó Héiligh System administration Fujitsu Offices of the Houses of the Oireachtas, Fredrick Building, South Fredrick Street, Dublin2 Telephone: +353 (1) 618 3559 Email: darragh.oheiligh(a)oireachtas.ie Internet: http://www.oireachtas.ie

1 0