Andrew Hale: IT Talk & Other Topics

I stopped PC gaming sometime back in 2009. I was working a lot and life just got in the way. I still had my gaming machine but I just used it for Hulu and general web browsing. Then my PC died. I was left to my iPhone and my wife's little netbook. When I heard the rumor of EA and Dice bringing back Star Wars Battlefront, all of that changed.

Tell me if this happens to you; You have a VMware virtual environment with a certain number of VMFS Datastores that are perpetually full all of the time. You might even need to Storage-vMotion VMs around to even out the storage load on your datastores and it's somewhat of a chore. Well, does it? This is where Storage DRS comes in. Just like how Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS) for CPU and RAM resources manages VMs making sure the load between the hosts is relatively fair (or rather that the VM has the resources it needs to perform optimally), SDRS comes in to make sure VMDKs have access to the right amount of free storage & IOPS.

It's with great excitement that I get to write here to let you (my one and only reader, Gary) know that I've put in my 2 weeks with my current employer and have accepted an offer for a new job, which I'll be starting soon. This isn't a post about trashing my current employer, nor is it a post for generic quitting-your-job advice (don't make a scene, be professional, actually work during your notice period, etc.) This post is about how to best transition your position for the next guy or gal, something I had a hard time digging up info on.

I'm on Reddit for both productive and unproductive reasons. Recently on the /r/VMware subreddit, there was a discussion asking redditors how they're protecting they're vCenter servers. This got me thinking about what I'm doing for my current vCenter server and what my options are going forward as my virtual infrastructure changes.

I've never carried a pen on the regular. When I did, I had cheap BIC or the occasional Pilot G2. At the time, I was working night stock at a grocery store and used my pens fairly regularly. Now, I work in IT and most of the writing I do is digital (email, IMs, Powershell, blogs, etc.). However, I still have to sign for things. I receive packages at work and sometimes the delivery guy doesn't have a pen for me to use. I've been to meetings with important people from around my university campus where I need to sign in and I look unprepared by having to ask to borrow a pen to sign in. I'll go on job interviews (and at my level, I take notes) and I believe that using a nice pen could be the detail that sets me apart from other candidates. The reasons may not be great but they were enough for me to start carrying a nicer-than-a-disposable pen (but not a super NICE pen).

I've always carried my keys on my belt-loop via a cheap carabiner (you know, the ones that are stamped with "not for climbing" on them just in case). It was easy and it worked. However, I work in a rather quiet office and everyone knew whenever I moved thanks to my keys jingling. Pocket carrying keys with out a key ring is a recipe for lost key disaster and pocket carrying them with a key ring is a recipe for pocket tearing or leg stabbing disaster. What's one to do?

As a kid, I remember admiring my dad's wallet. It practically told a story in its appearance. It was filled with cards for various things, receipts and notes, money and checks. A man's entire life had to fit in a piece of leather. I was amazed and enthralled with it. (I can't explain it but I loved old cards, wallets, keys and other small things adults carry on their person for various reasons. As kids we can't wait to grow up and once you're grown, you can't help but think how simple life was as a kid.)