Dumb, dumb, dumb! « Daily Blogs!

2005, Sep 15

Dumb, dumb, dumb!

Filed under: Uncategorized — Hrishikesh @ 20:51

Maybe I should start a special blog for these kind of rants. But then again, since they make up quite an essential part of my blog, and contribute to its volume, I just might let them be here… Anyhow, here goes:

We had, after our OOAD Ma’am getting quite frustrated with us not doing any real work on Rational Rose, our first OOAD lab session. Ok, I better redefine that. My first job as the system admin. Or something like that.

I was the one who had the installation media for Rational Rose. Had got that from Swapneel. Originally, our lab sessions were scheduled to be held in the IT Department’s labs, but due to the typical bureaucracy and red-tapism, that kind of did not work out. So we decided to install our own version of Rose in our own Electrical department computer labs. (Those are the very same labs about which I had ranted earlier, where the CD writers were inaccessible.) So, I was given charge to install and set up the CASE tools.

Hmmm.

Now some background about Rational Rose. First, it’s old. They don’t sell it anymore, cause IBM took over it and morphed it into something far more scarier. More scarier? Purists may please excuse. But the thing is, the installation media is two CD ROMS. The license file is on the second CD ROM, so you run the setup from the first CD, get the licence from the second, then swap the CDs again to get to the install program, which then needs the second CD again to install special components, that is, the Microsoft JVM, after which you pop in the first CD back in. It’s not over yet. You then are told that some files had CRC errors, and that the installation will not be complete unless you restart. Ok. You restart. And then it does some sort of dll registrations, and launches the Release Notes. Whew!

But that’s not what this is about. It is about how we installed them.

First, since the CD ROM drives were not available to us, the lab assistant suggested we copy the CDs over to the server, that is, after deliberating whether the server had enough space. (Yes, it had more than enough space, 47 GB in fact.) But the CD refused to copy over to the server. So that plan flopped.

He then suggested that he’d give me access to the CD ROM Drives, and I could install the software locally. Nice. He asked me to wait, while he got the screw driver…

Come again?

Yes, the screw driver.

Apparently, the CD ROM drive was inaccessible not because I did not have administrator rights, but because they had physically removed the IDE cable from the drive. Gaaaah!

You can do the same stuff using administrative options, or setting up the BIOS. But no. We will never do that!

So here’s what I was expected to do. Shut down. Open up the machine, connect the IDE cable to the drive. Start the machine. Install Rational Rose, after all the swapping and juggling, reboot once. Shut down again, remove the IDE cable, screw the cover back and finally switch back the machine. Wow. Or, gaaaah!

But, since it’s me, and I am a trifle smarter than your next average geek, I did some automation. Opened up only two machines. Enabled their drives. Put in both the CD ROMs. Shared them. And mass installed them. Life would have been much simpler if I had thought of this in the first place.

Oh and yes, I almost forgot to mention, since installation of almost any software needs administrator rights, I had to keep calling the lab assistant every now and then. Sooner than later, he got fed up, and gave me the admin password. Nice. And I did not even have to crack that using some key logger or recovery program. Very nice.

Anyway, if people have dumber experiences than this, please comment.

====================

Ameya Hate, another friend of mine, scored a 1530 at the GRE. Kudos.

====================

UPDATE: Replaced all instances of practicals in the post with lab sessions. They sound kewler, and are the real thing. There is no such thing as practicals.

Comments (22)

http://www.blogger.com/profile/5154159 rohit bhute

I kept telling you. Your admin experience not withstanding, installing the Rational Rose Demo from the USB key would have been simpler. And it would have fit our needs nicely. But you needed your dose of fun, right? So we let you have it all by yourself
http://www.blogger.com/profile/5154159 rohit bhute

I kept telling you. Your admin experience not withstanding, installing the Rational Rose Demo from the USB key would have been simpler. And it would have fit our needs nicely. But you needed your dose of fun, right? So we let you have it all by yourself
http://spaces.msn.com/members/sagyer sagyer

This post has been removed by a blog administrator.
http://spaces.msn.com/members/sagyer sagyer

This post has been removed by a blog administrator.
http://spaces.msn.com/members/sagyer sagyer

I wanted to comment on the screwdriver-cdrom thing. But i didnt know what to comment. All i can say is, “People!”
http://spaces.msn.com/members/sagyer sagyer

I wanted to comment on the screwdriver-cdrom thing. But i didnt know what to comment. All i can say is, “People!”
http://xanga.com/jumbojet Aditya

“practicals never are”

“Apparently, the CD ROM drive was inaccessible not because I did not have administrator rights, but because they had physically removed the IDE cable from the drive.”

as commented above:

“People!”

*sigh*

but the real test is – have they changed the password now?
http://xanga.com/jumbojet Aditya

“practicals never are”

“Apparently, the CD ROM drive was inaccessible not because I did not have administrator rights, but because they had physically removed the IDE cable from the drive.”

as commented above:

“People!”

*sigh*

but the real test is – have they changed the password now?
http://www.blogger.com/profile/5164138 Hrishi

No. He asked me to, yes, promise him that I would not reveal the password to anyone.

Basically, he trusts me. And yes, PG was there too.

And the lab assistant was Gurav.

And then the other chap from the computer dept. lab wanted me to teach him how to install RR, since apparently it was very difficult, and his eyes kind of grew when I told him I just installed it on some eight machines.

So yea, people!
http://www.blogger.com/profile/5164138 Hrishi

No. He asked me to, yes, promise him that I would not reveal the password to anyone.

Basically, he trusts me. And yes, PG was there too.

And the lab assistant was Gurav.

And then the other chap from the computer dept. lab wanted me to teach him how to install RR, since apparently it was very difficult, and his eyes kind of grew when I told him I just installed it on some eight machines.

So yea, people!
http://www.blogger.com/profile/5513182 Varun Rajkumar

…LOL….
http://www.blogger.com/profile/5513182 Varun Rajkumar

…LOL….
http://www.blogger.com/profile/5494318 amey ashok kulkarni

well, I observed a classic case of hypocrisy. Gurav (and PG) trust thite with the password. But then moments earlier thite wanted all the OOAD guys to try and get the password from Gurav when he was typing it. So its like if u help me get the password u have a right to use it, if I get it myself, I won’t tell it to anybody.
http://www.blogger.com/profile/5494318 amey ashok kulkarni

well, I observed a classic case of hypocrisy. Gurav (and PG) trust thite with the password. But then moments earlier thite wanted all the OOAD guys to try and get the password from Gurav when he was typing it. So its like if u help me get the password u have a right to use it, if I get it myself, I won’t tell it to anybody.
http://www.blogger.com/profile/5164138 Hrishi

No, there’s a slight difference. If you see me keying in the password, or Gurav for that matter, you did not steal the password, you happened to find it. It’d be the same if I were to write the password down somewhere on a piece of paper (Gurav did), and you were to find it (there’s a hint here).

The problem, if at all any, would start if you use it for some reason, and were caught using it.

Now, since I was officially given the password, and I am officially forbidden from revealing it to anybody, I cannot tell it to you. Cause it would be betrayal of trust. Now, if I was to find out about the password using some sort of a tool, then I would have known it without them knowing that I know it, and so would have gladly told you the same. Since then, I will not be the person who leaked it out officially.

Call it what you may, but that is how it works.
http://www.blogger.com/profile/5164138 Hrishi

No, there’s a slight difference. If you see me keying in the password, or Gurav for that matter, you did not steal the password, you happened to find it. It’d be the same if I were to write the password down somewhere on a piece of paper (Gurav did), and you were to find it (there’s a hint here).

The problem, if at all any, would start if you use it for some reason, and were caught using it.

Now, since I was officially given the password, and I am officially forbidden from revealing it to anybody, I cannot tell it to you. Cause it would be betrayal of trust. Now, if I was to find out about the password using some sort of a tool, then I would have known it without them knowing that I know it, and so would have gladly told you the same. Since then, I will not be the person who leaked it out officially.

Call it what you may, but that is how it works.
http://www.blogger.com/profile/5494318 amey ashok kulkarni

well, I cannot help agreeing with your reply.But if u are going to play by the rules if u are officially incorporated in the secret, u should (have) never tried to get the secret (password) by many other means.
http://www.blogger.com/profile/5494318 amey ashok kulkarni

well, I cannot help agreeing with your reply.But if u are going to play by the rules if u are officially incorporated in the secret, u should (have) never tried to get the secret (password) by many other means.
http://www.blogger.com/profile/5118250 Nadeem Mohsin

You really should start charging these guys for your services – I see some weird admin experience in practically every one of your blog posts these days…

At least they have the brains to come to you – our admins would have heart attacks if they had to be helped out by students…

I’ve begun to wonder if this kind of incompetence is typical of all engg. college admins…
http://www.blogger.com/profile/5118250 Nadeem Mohsin

You really should start charging these guys for your services – I see some weird admin experience in practically every one of your blog posts these days…

At least they have the brains to come to you – our admins would have heart attacks if they had to be helped out by students…

I’ve begun to wonder if this kind of incompetence is typical of all engg. college admins…
http://xanga.com/jumbojet Adi

“if u are going to play by the rules if u are officially incorporated in the secret”

The crippled god built his own house of chains, and begged the master of the deck to sanction it.

All the other gods and godesses pleaded the master to not bestow any form of recognition for the crippled god, to not sanctify the house of chains.

Yet, the master of the deck – ganoes stabro paran, captain of the Bridgeburners, the wanderer within the sword – sanctioned the house.

and now, the crippled god suddenly found himself bound by the same rules that govern the deck. the one who had spent an age not playing by the rules, was bound by them.

a summary from steven erikson’s tales from the malazan book of the fallen

not wholly relevant, but revealing nevertheless, IMO.
http://xanga.com/jumbojet Adi

“if u are going to play by the rules if u are officially incorporated in the secret”

The crippled god built his own house of chains, and begged the master of the deck to sanction it.

All the other gods and godesses pleaded the master to not bestow any form of recognition for the crippled god, to not sanctify the house of chains.

Yet, the master of the deck – ganoes stabro paran, captain of the Bridgeburners, the wanderer within the sword – sanctioned the house.

and now, the crippled god suddenly found himself bound by the same rules that govern the deck. the one who had spent an age not playing by the rules, was bound by them.

a summary from steven erikson’s tales from the malazan book of the fallen

not wholly relevant, but revealing nevertheless, IMO.