Where In The World Is Sum1?

Teaching This week, Schaumburg again

Date: Week of November 12^th


Locale:  Schaumburg, Illinois


         This week back in Schaumburg to deliver what we call a 'resident class.  For someone who is a 'remote instructor', I sure seem to spend a lot of time here.  Especially recently.


         Yep, I was up here last week, but only for a day.  I worked on that small Conventional RF System, but got no where at all.  The main reason was the computer I was loading Windows 10 on.  When you place the CD in the drive and reboot the PC, it's supposed to go into a setup routine, and load Windows.  It should get to a screen that gives you a choice on loading Windows 10 home, or Windows 10 Pro.  I needed to load the Pro version.  Well, on this particular PC, it never gets to that screen.  It just loads Windows 10, but it's the Home version!  Can't have that on this PC for a couple of reason.  End result?  I left, and the support crew will use an 'Image' of another PC just like this one, and load Windows that way.

         I came back to Schaumburg this week, ready to deliver this Basic RF Class.  Along with this, I needed to get that PC loaded with the correct software, and the stuff I don't need (want) on it removed.  I also had to figure out why we couldn't access the system's SNMP Manager.  Figured I had my work cut out for me.  Removing software was the easy part.  Installing the software I needed wasn't too hard either, I've done that many times.  Then I tackled that SNMP Manager issue.  I tried to open it using Internet Explorer like we had in the past.  No luck, it never went to the home screen.  I fiddled around a little more, and honestly have no idea what I did, but suddenly the home screen was there.  But I still couldn't log on!  All it would do, was save a file with the date, and a name/IP address for the Virtual Machine I was trying to access, and it had a JNLP extension, one I'd never seen before,

         A co-worker was nearby, so I asked him about it.  He explained what I needed to do, and we did that,  Still no go.  So I putzed around a little more, upgrading some software, and walked around.  It was then I realized I hadn't renamed this computer yet.  This is such a small system that it doesn't have a DNS Server.  It uses the 'Hosts' file (which every PC has  (C:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts) to substitute as one.  I renamed the computer to match the contents of the Hosts file, and did a few more things.  The PC needed to be rebooted because of the name change, so I did that.  Once it rebooted, I decided to try one more time to access the SNMP Manager.  And it worked!!  I was so thrilled, I about danced a jig!  So, my biggest problem is fixed, and now we can teach classes on that system once again....


         On top of all that, I'm teaching a class this week, so I can only get things done when on break, at lunch, or after hours.  I left work at 6pm last night... 

In Closing

         I will spend next week at home, but will fly out on Black Friday, heading for a class in England!  Til next time, be good to yourselves and those you love, and WRITE!




Jim Dorrell