July 2009 Archives

Scaling past the economies

| No Comments | No TrackBacks
When I eventually got logged into my work VPN this morning, I happened to look at the IP settings because, predictably, it wasn't working properly.

There are 23 domains in the DNS search list. That's at least 19 too many.

At what point does a company stop trying to consolidate and centralise, and start separating systems again so that they can be maintained? I think my company has gone a long, long way past that point. In an attempt to have one single desktop for everyone, that single desktop is so completely overburdened with configuration that it ceases to work properly.

It's more than just the domains. The login scripts rarely work properly. The systems for installing applications are cumbersome. The systems for security exceptions are impossibly bureacratic and stupid. I need to get a newer version of an application installed so I can actually use it for its designed purpose. I need the security officer's personal approval so I can upgrade a licensed, approved application on my own comporate-standard laptop. I've been waiting nearly two weeks for a reply.

Even with 100,000 fewer employees, the systems are still sized for a few years ago, and for the budgets from a few years ago. Someone needs to take a big decision. I just know that noone is willing to stick their neck out that far.

IPv6 the rematch

| No Comments | No TrackBacks
According to my ISP, I now have real, genuine IPv6 being routed down my ADSL line. Not tunnelled, cheat IPv6. The real thing.

Let's see if that makes it a bit less of a curiosity then the last time I tried IPv6. Then, it was tunnelled; it was clunky; it was unbearably slow. In other words, it was a complete joke.

Here's hoping.

About this Archive

This page is an archive of entries from July 2009 listed from newest to oldest.

June 2009 is the previous archive.

August 2009 is the next archive.

Find recent content on the main index or look in the archives to find all content.