Suggestions Welcome

G'day everyone, I've been really busy the past couple of weeks so I haven't had a chance to write a post. I've been busy doing an online course, and setting up a lab environment.

I'm really enjoying doing the course, I only have the write up left to finish. I already knew the practical side to the work, it was mostly the theory I needed to learn. I'll finish the write-up over the holidays.

I've set-up an awesome lab environment, in which I'm going to test numerous networking, server and workstation environments. I'm really excited about having a better lab. It should make testing quick and simple.

If anyone has a suggestion for an environment, or you would like to know how to set-up a certain type of server and or operating system, let me know.
It can be hard to know what information people are after, so any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. You can either leave a comment here or email me.
Thank You, Have a Wonderful Holidays!!!
Cheers Kris

7 Tips For Answering Your Tech Questions

We all come across problems in our computer ventures at some time or another. I have a number of tips that may help you find answers to your problems:

1. Search: Searching google, or any other search engine, will often yield results, and it's always a good place to start.
2. Search using your Error: If your problem is in relation to an error, and you have an error displayed on your screen try a search for that exact error. If someone has asked about it in a forum, or talked about it on there blog, then you will likely find your answer much more quickly.
3. Documentation: Search the Handbook/Documentation relating to your operating system.
4. Read the Manual: Read the manual pages relating to your problem.
5. Mailing Lists: Search through the mailing list archives relating to your topic. You can also sign up for a number of list, and often you find solutions to problems that you haven't had yet ;-)
6. Forums: Search the forums, relating to your distribution to see if someone else has answered your question.
7. Ask: After exhausting all other options ask your question on a forum. Make sure that no one has asked your question before, and that you have searched every where else first. Also make sure that you place your question in an appropriate forum, in an appropriate place.

Have Fun!!!

Giving the Customer What They Want

I just love this very funny description of project development. Funny because it's true ;-)
Click on image to see large version.

Windows for Free

You have just got to love free computers ;)
The other day my father arrived on the door step with six second hand computers. I couldn't believe it, at first I thought oh no, where am I going to find the money for these? However he doesn't want any money for them, he picked them up cheap at an auction and gave them to my partner and I.

My father has a new fascination with auctions, he says he loves them, I think its the competition that he loves.
I'm not complaining, they seemed like really sturdy well made computers, and so far I'm really impressed with them.

A couple of them have full Windows XP Professional disks and licenses with them, which I'm really happy about. I really needed at least one machine running Windows, I get asked questions about Windows based things all the time and it can be hard to answer without having a Windows computer.

I have set up a Windows box for both my partner and I. The other computers all run, and are very nice machines. I need to get CPU fans for a couple of them, and one of them has another issue that I'll need to solve, yet other than that they all seem fine. I'll have to wait to get new: surge protected power boards, and network cables before I can run them all.
I'm having fun playing with them though...