in reading through the list it appears that you have fairly regular
problems with one element or other of your network. This is not ment as
criticism as anybody who runs a network at home will have the same problem, especially if they enjoy "tinkering" with it. My network currently has two workstations spread in bits over the kitchen table, much to the amusement of the
"boss".
The approach taken in most areas that utilise computer resourses for "critical" functions, is that of having a fully documented structure to the
network, and a fully reviewed change control policy, that restricts changes
from being made to the live system, until they are fully tested in a dedicated
test environment.
This may not suite your situation, and I accept that you want to be taking
variable star data, not acting as a network/system administrator, however it
would provide a consistant and documented structure that would assist the experts on the list in providing you assistance when required.
If you would like to proceed down the path to a formalised structure, we
can sit down and work out the best way to proceed. Otherwise you can continue as
is, and throw individual problems/issue at the list, and we will attempt to advise on solutions as best we can.
Brisbane Australia.
>>> <droege@snapmail.us> Wednesday, November 17,
2004 3:12:06 pm >>>
Hey! It is not that bad. I have pretty much the system I want if the
parts worked as advertised. Mostly
it is knowing how to configure things
like k3b so they actually
work.
I am trying hard to run the same software on all the
computers. Until I
get someone to help me get linux software running to
take data (probably
next spring) I am stuck with a dual Windows/linux
system. But now that I
have learned to reload Win98 every day, the windows machines give little
trouble. I keep upgrading my Mandrake linux
systems since each upgrade
seems to make the CD/DVD systems work
better. I am currently running 10.0
with 10.1 on order. If they
ever actually work error free, I will quit
upgrading as everything else does
what I want. Note that some of you know
how to upgrade/patch kernels. I
don't know enought to do that so I have
to work from a packaged
distribution.
I don't think I have a philosophy problem, I think I have a
relatively
small set of specific problems like the example.
Here is a
repeat of an
example:
----------------------------------------------------------------------
After
a few changes I finally have a DVD writer on matt (the computer
where a night's images end up) that writes successfully under k3b. Each
night I
run I write a DVD for each of the 3 cameras. The write looks good
and
spot checks are OK. k3b has a verify mode. If you check the box it
does a read compare after it finishes the write. This is convenient
for
me to use since I can then be off doing other things for the hour or so
it
should take to write and read compare a file. However, if I use it,
it
appears to read back at 1x. Boggle! It takes 8 hours or so to
do a read
compare of a disk that writes in 1/2 hour or so. Somewhere
there is a bit
to set that fixes this. Note that matt is available on
the network so you
can ssh to matt and poke around and solve the
problem.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note
that I can now write DVDs. I solved this by buying DVD writers until
I
found one that k3b knew how to handle. The previous one wrote at
too
high speed, and this caused it to fail to write correctly about half way
through the disk. Sigh! I have a lot of data archived on half
full DVDs.
However, it obviously does not know how to handle everything on
this
model.
The general configuration is just fine and does what I
want. It is
specific little bugs that I don't know how to handle that
make my life
miserable. I am forced to do heroic things because all the CD/DVD writers
do not work the same. For example, the CD/DVD writer on
matt will not
read CDs. So to load it with some of the archive, I have
had to read an
archive disk on another computer and transfer the images over
the network.
This takes twice the time and effort.
I think most of the
problems that give me trouble are software, and mostly
setting up software
that will work if you tell it what to do. Some
problems may be due to
devices needing firmware upgrades or loading the
proper drivers, etc..
In most cases I just don't know how to do this. I
now have a way for
any of you to come and work on my system, so if anyone
is serious about helping, they can come sit on matt or mark or mike and
get at any of my machines and fix things. I am mostly here all the time so
you can send messages asking me to load disks and the like.
Tom
>
> I
said pretty much the same to Tom. He needs to start thinging
> of
his computer farm as one "system" that needs to work reliably
> with less
maintance effort and step back and think of
> the big picture and get out
of "fly swatting mode".
>
> --- Peter Stewart
<Peter_Stewart@health.qld.gov.au> wrote:
>
>>
>>
Do you have a list of the current system configurations? and maybe a
>>
plan for what you would like the system to look like as a "Perfect"
>>
system?
>>
>
> =====
> Chris
Albertson
> Home: 310-376-1029
chrisalbertson90278@yahoo.com
> Cell:
310-990-7550
> Office: 310-336-5189
Christopher.J.Albertson@aero.org
>
KG6OMK
>
>
>
>
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