Quoth the Craven

Why I Hate Tests

craven — Mon, 11 Jul 2005 04:57:00 GMT

I came across this as part of an SBS Skills test:

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You are performing a needs assessment for Fabrikam, Inc. As part of your needs assessment, you are identifying the business requirements of Fabrikam, Inc. Which of the following examples are valid requirements?

Choose all that apply.

A fast network.
Better than 99.7 percent uptime for critical systems.
Security that is implemented on the network.
The ability to access network file shares, desktops, and e-mail remotely.
Accessibility of systems by means of dial-up and Virtual Private Network (VPN) connections.

( they only selected the 2 items below as valid )

Business requirements should be specific and measurable. Uptime of 99.7 percent for critical systems is both specific and measurable. The ability to access network file shares and e-mail remotely is also a measurable criterion, and hence, it is a valid requirement. You can implement a system and determine if it does or does not meet this criterion.Business requirements should be specific and measurable. Uptime of 99.7 percent for critical systems is both specific and measurable. The ability to access network file shares and e-mail remotely is also a measurable criterion, and hence, it is a valid requirement. You can implement a system and determine if it does or does not meet this criterion.Business requirements should be specific and measurable. Uptime of 99.7 percent for critical systems is both specific and measurable. The ability to access network file shares and e-mail remotely is also a measurable criterion, and hence, it is a valid requirement. You can implement a system and determine if it does or does not meet this criterion.

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Try telling you clients that a fast network, Security and Dial Up and VPN access aren't valid Business requirements in a needs assesment ....

I can test Network speed easier than I can 99.7 uptime.

I can test Network security and VPN/Dialup access as well as you can File Share and e'mail .access

....and so on it goes .....

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You are talking with a customer who is considering an implementation of Windows Small Business Server 2003. The customer has 15 employees and has a peer-to-peer network configuration. How would you recommend an Active Directory network configuration to this customer?

Choose all that apply.

Peer-to-peer networks are less secure because security is centralized.
It is more difficult to manage resources on a peer-to-peer network because are they distributed across many different machines.
Peer-to-peer networks often are at risk for data loss because data cannot be backed up in one central location.
Peer-to-peer networks require more network administration experience than Active Directory networks.

( they selected the 2 below as the valid answers )

When resources are spread across many different computers, users need to track more information, such as computer names, to access those resources. A centralized Active Directory network can also store data in a single location and regularly back up that data to help prevent data loss.When resources are spread across many different computers, users need to track more information, such as computer names, to access those resources. A centralized Active Directory network can also store data in a single location and regularly back up that data to help prevent data loss. When resources are spread across many different computers, users need to track more information, such as computer names, to access those resources. A centralized Active Directory network can also store data in a single location and regularly back up that data to help prevent data loss.

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Who says you _CANNOT_ or wouldn't copy data to ( or share data from ) a central location and have that backed up on a Peer-2-Peer network ?

...............ARRRRRRGGGGG !

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The method employed I will gladly explain,
While I have it so clear in my head,
If I had but the time and you had but the brains
But much yet remains to be said.

Fit the Fifth Lewis Carroll
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free, connected and in control

craven — Sun, 26 Jun 2005 16:48:00 GMT

I’d been looking to get more mobile and was looking to combine features of the Mobile Phone and PDA in a single powerful device with broad coverage. The largest local telecommunications operator (Telstra) were releasing their CDMA Data Network so I bit the bullet and purchased an I-Mate PDS2K EVDO on the CDMA network

So here I am a week later sitting in the back of a Taxi going from A to B when I get a call from a client that they can't access the Internet. Well, I’ve got meetings for the rest of the afternoon, and everyone else is similarly committed and busy so it will be a few hours till we can get to it.

I hung up and decide to give the PDA a run for it’s money. I open a Terminal Server Session into clients Small Business Server, check the event logs and Services determine that Web proxy service has stoped, re-start the service, browse a bit from the server desktop and log out.

I phoned the client back and told them the issue is resolved and I still hadn’t reached my destination yet. - Now that's mobile computing.

Now to find ways to -not- have the clients expect me to drop everything and resolve all issues instantly. ….and of course dissuade them from their expectation that as I didn’t have to go on-site they shouldn’t have to pay…. :-)

I use a similar CDMA modem card (Siarra Card) in the laptop which frees me from both the wired networks and Wi-Fi Hot spots. I get good data speeds even in areas where GSM Phones won’t work.

I’m also free of the need to negotiate access and re-configure the laptop to log into client domains, or the myriad of –expensive- Hot Spot accounts and log-ins in Hotels, Coffee Shops, Lounges etc….

….and then of course there is the Bluetooth Earpiece. Sooo convenient for talking / collaborating with a colleague while busily typing at the keyboard, or for taking calls safely while driving from A to B.

Put these devices together with Microsoft's Small Business Server’s mobility features such as Remote Web Workplace, Remote Desktop, Remote Admin, Outlook Web Access, Outlook Mobile Access and Outlook RPC over HTTP/S, Sharepoint Websites for Intranet, Extranet and Public Websites, and the promise it held for anywhere, anytime has coming true.

Owners and managers can now take the wife and kids on holidays and stay in touch with the office as if they were there. Made a contact while away from the office? Create a Quote, download the contract forms and sign them up on the spot before the deal goes cold. Save travel time by remoteing into the office rather than having to commute in.

I’m excited about computing again and as I move about I find myself crying inside “I’m Free” while knowing that I’m still connected, contactable and in control.

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The crew was complete: it included a Boots

A maker of Bonnets and Hoods

A Barrister; brought to arrange their disputes

And a Broker, to value their goods.

Fit the First Lewis Carroll
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so, if we're all sitting comfortably on our botties I'll begin.

craven — Sun, 26 Jun 2005 15:45:00 GMT

To Blog or not to Blog, that is the question. Whether it is nobler in the Wild to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or take up the electric pen against a sea of troubles, and by opposing them, end them.

With over 10 Million Blogs on the Net, do we really need another one? Probably not, but I find myself repeating the same stories over and over again, so here will be tellings that people can accept or ignore as they choose. Take what value you find in the Words and Ideas, assimilate them into your own story, and ignore the rest.

So saddle up a Dragon and let's go hunting Snarks.

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Come, listen, my men, while I tell you again
The Five unmistakable marks
By which you may know, wheresoever you go,
The warranted Genuine Snarks.

Fit the Second Lewis Carroll
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