Month: March 2005

Matt and I are working on the transition from our current server to a nifty new rack-mounted VA Linux Systems (named “soju”). We’re setting up a whole new environment and structure to control the configuration and management of the domains we’re hosting. At present, this is being set up on the existing server so we can verify it all works and port all our client domains across to the new world. Once it’s ready to go, we will get Soju up and running, load it into the racks at the RUCC (our hosting provider) and transfer everything to the new machine.

We’ve got the new directory structure set up and are working on the users, groups, etc. Matt’s just started working on the first script to manage the structure.

To make things “interesting,” two transformers have blown out within a few blocks of this place (could hear the explosions as the lights went out). This scrammed soju and took out the phone line. Fortunately the power restored itself quickly, soju rebooted cleanly (although RAID 5 re-sync’ing took a while) and the phone lines came back on line eventually (guess the power spike took out the exchange for a while too).

Hopefully we can get the new system going quickly as I’d really be happy if we could get soju out of my home office and into the racks. It’s a great machine but even with the front two cooling fans disabled it’s still noisy has hell :)

So, where have I been for the past few weeks? Well, mostly here in my home town but, as usual, I’ve been busy. Between crewing for Balloon Sunrise some mornings (all the dosh will be posted soon in the Fly Me Friendly section of this website :) plus working full time at the AWU, squeezing in tech work for APC.au and playing dad for my son Nykolai, there’s not much time for anything else.

Well, I guess there is ‘cos Nykolai and I are now doing a couple of Tae Kwon Do classes per week at Prahran Tae Kwon Do. It’s good to get back into it after 24 years or so (I used to do it as a kid with my parents and sister back in New Zealand). Lots of fun and good for the fitness although I think I need to get into some of the later classes if I’m really going to stretch myself…

The other big news down here is that my partner Kitt has finally moved down to Melbourne and into the apartment with Nykolai and I. We’re hunting for a new place to live ‘cos we need more space for her studio as well as my geek space, Nykolai’s room, our room, etc. All squeezed into a first floor or higher apartment in the St Kilda East area.

Final news is that Binky (the RX-7) blew a radiator hose the other day – fortunately about half a block from the office, so hopefully I didn’t cook the core as I coasted into my car park. Called out the RACV and bodgied the hose (cut the end, re ran it over the block, all OK for a temporary fix :) and I’m picking up a replacement hose to install over the weekend.

Yup, another quiet couple of weeks in my world :)