September 29, 2011
My Blog Has Been Broken
It's true, I lost a couple entries due to some file permission problems, then tried to repost them, then the whole thing went South. I'm hoping this will show up where it's supposed to.
Posted by rossm at 8:28 AM | Comments (0)
April 6, 2009
Coming Back to the Blog
How did it get to be April already?? As a once-faithful blogger, I thought it was about time to get back into blogging form. It's an easy habit to acquire, and an easy habit to "unacquire".
Well, a lot has been happening here at Western Oregon Univerisity with regard to our Oracle databases. We have spent a good deal of time attempting to get the CBORD residential and food service application upgrade running on Oracle. To say it has been frustrating would be a gross understatement. The Windows server where the application resides upgraded just fine. We created a special database just for CBORD - they require either version 10.2.0.2 or 10.2.0.3 - NOT 10.2.0.4... Well, of course nobody has one of those just sitting around, so we created one. The CBORD queries, however, don't like version 10.2.0.3 - each of their queries takes an unbelievable amount of time to complete. Their SQL queries have a lot of joins and are written in a way with which we are unfamiliar here.
Here's an example of a query that returns 8 records, 13 columns per record. Running time: 122 seconds.
SELECT ft.FacilityType_SK as FacilityType_Key , ft.Name , ft.Icon , ft.Listing_Order , ft.Active , ft.IDStartPosition ,
ft.IDLength , ft.IDPrefix , ft.IDIncludeInChildren , ft.Is_Space_Level as IsSpaceLevel ,
(CASE WHEN EXISTS (Select 1 FROM HMSp_FacilityTree ftr JOIN av_hms_db_Assignments a
ON(ftr.Facility_SK_FK = a.Facility_SK) WHERE ftr.EndDate is Null and ftr.FacilityType_SK_FK = ft.FacilityType_SK )
THEN 1 ELSE 0 END) As OnContract , (CASE WHEN EXISTS (Select 1 FROM HMSp_FacilityTree ftr
JOIN av_hms_db_ContractEl_Facility a ON(ftr.Facility_SK_FK = a.Facility_SK_FK_SpaceLink)
WHERE ftr.EndDate is Null and ftr.FacilityType_SK_FK = ft.FacilityType_SK ) THEN 1 ELSE 0 END) As IsLinked ,
ft."ROWID" FROM hmsp_FacilityType ft
ORDER By ft.Listing_Order
We do a lot better with PL/SQL, PHP, that sort of thing. Anyway, after much tweaking on our part, and their part, we were forced to have them roll back the upgrade so that we would at least have our old version to use.
They suggest that it's our Solaris 10 operating system on the db's server that is the source of the slowness. We, of course, have a hard time accepting this since we have literally hundreds of applications which run just fine on our production databases. Also, we feel that Solaris is a much more efficient OS than Windows. Plus, how would their application even know what OS it was calling to? The application is only requesting data from the db. So, back and forth we go.
I have done some investigation into the Solaris OS parameters that Oracle uses to run efficiently. Dave and I worked on a different way of setting those parameters (OK, so Dave did it all and I just watched) in Solaris 10. This seemed to make the db run the CBORD queries using much less CPU time. Unfortunately, it still took the same length of time to finish the query.
We are continuing an investigation into the Optimizer parameters, and maybe there is a magic button out there that will make these queries run in an acceptable amount of time. Also, Michael is going to set up some db's on different OSes and see what differences he might discover.
Well, that's enough for today. It feels good to blog again!
Posted by rossm at 3:56 PM | Comments (0)
October 22, 2008
Things That Have Happened Recently
Well, things have been going by pretty furiously around here the past month or so. First, the good news. Dale and I applied the 10.2.0.4 patch to our twou test Oracle database and got it working. This upgrade takes care of those nasty incompatible time zone files that most of us never even knew existed until Oracle and Sun spewed out two different versions that weren't compatible with each other and screwed up a lot of applications including Enterprise Manager. Dave, Travis and Brad got me another 200 GB on Slider which allowed Dale and me to move the backups over to the new, spacious disks. It's really nice to have some elbow room on Slider. Vikingweb continues to perplex us. I worked with Andrew on the Viking app the other day and we discovered a very interesting query. It had an explain plan with a CPU cost over 600,000,000. Changing one line of the query made it run so fast I couldn't catch it on the CPU to get an explain plan. So, occasionally we'll see Vikingweb eating up between 50-100% of the CPU on Slider while really doing nothing but running one of these severely untuned SQL queries. Andrew was going to work with Viking on correcting those queries, and in the meantime if I notice one running I just kill the process.
Yesterday I unearthed a coding project that had been buried for a couple months. It is a fairly simple modification of the SWAMP Parts form to allow a space for notes. The fun part is squeezing in the new code without tipping over all the other code dominoes in the area. It is in Alpha testing right now, so should be done if I can spend an hour or two on it uninterrupted (unlikely any time soon!).
Astra is really coming along swell. I can confidently state that nearly all spaces are configured correctly and entered into the application. So are the users. We are still juggling some user permissions, and working on training the users. Bill has gotten the move to Version 7 going, and it looks like we'll have that upgrade done by the end of this year, give or take a few months. The Astra application requires quite a bit of day to day attention to the many details required to make it function correctly.
The past few weeks have been very rough with the HVAC servers. One of them in particular is getting zapped with a virus about every two days. We have not yet figured out how this virus attack is getting on the computer, but we are all sick of rebuilding it. As of today, it is still infected and has been removed from the MASH domain. We had suspected that a user account had been compromised, but this last time there were very few to no accounts. Dale and I are working on cleaning up the mess, but that doesn't help with discovering the source of the problem.
The bookstore is doing pretty well. The registers now communicate with the controller over a SSL layer, and we physically moved the controller back into the secure area of the store. This put us in compliance with the credit card security guidelines. There is an OS upgrade I got from Mark yesterday. This needs to be installed one night soon, but first I have to educate myself on the upgrade procedure.
The other day Dale and I toured the new MNB Building. Wow, it was nice! The sim lab has some pretty realistic dummies in there for teaching purposes. It is an impressive building!
Posted by rossm at 9:17 AM | Comments (0)
August 13, 2008
This Week!
OK, so I have been staying up late watching the Olympics. This puts me in a ranting mood for sure. But what is going on around here? Monday was spent unravelling wires over at the Bookstore, and moving equipment around to accommodate their new setup. It was fun, but unscheduled, and took all day. In the end we had unravelled and removed a ton of wires, and it really did look nice. EM was out to lunch on Aero - our server decided to croak over the weekend - again. Just had to restart the emconsole. No problem, there's always Tuesday to catch up, right? Wrong! Another HVAC server got hacked into, the Mailroom computer was not happy with the printer install, and I don't know what else - Tuesday morning was also shot! Today Dale is going to put the hacked server back online.
It's not all bad, the databases are idling along - not much usage on them these days, the air conditioning works, and I've got a good supply of coffee. Anyway, some weeks you run full speed just to get back to where you were the week before - this appears to be one of those weeks!
Posted by rossm at 9:11 AM | Comments (0)
February 28, 2008
Goodbye to Another Good Guy
Well, when it rains it pours they say. Alex worked his last day yesterday. That's three of our top hands that have left for greener pastures in the past month or so. Alex is going to work with Joe Crowe in Corvallis, and I wish them both all the best! This is a free society we live in, so they were able to make those decisions themselves, or else we would have never let them go! I have enjoyed working with Alex, and we were just about ready to do the 10gR2 upgrade together, which would have been fun. But, it's not to be. Brad is going to help us out now.
I'm just wondering out loud if anyone out there knows or cares how much work is done by the UCS department behind the scenes? I know you care when everything goes to h - e - double hockey sticks, but how about when you just turn your computer on and can do your work. Michael Ellis did an informal study of IT departments around the country. For our size, WOU has about 50 - 60% of the average number of IT employees. This would explain why we have all developed two (or more) jobs. We were hired for one job, but we've all wound up doing an extra job because there just isn't anyone else to do it. Do not think this is a slam against Bill Kernan, because it is just the opposite. Bill has somehow managed to not only keep things running smoothly, but to put WOU at the leading edge of technology. I'm just saying, we could use some help! Also, this might help us to keep some our talent from taking off for greener pastures.
Well, that's just my opinion.
Posted by rossm at 8:42 AM | Comments (0)
August 31, 2006
Vacation, Sweet Vacation
Today is my last day before departing for the wilds of Montana. I'll be out camping in the woods, and trying my best to fool some of those Montana trout.
My office will be closed until September 13th. If you need help, please contact the UCS Helpdesk at 88925.
See you again in a week or so!
Posted by rossm at 11:37 AM | Comments (0)
August 4, 2006
Comments
Like all other things that can be used for good, my blog developed a dark side - I don't know how many spam "comments" were coming in each day, but something close to 50. So, I was forced to implement some rather strict rules for commenting on my blog. Several people have just emailed me instead, which I suppose is a good idea. Porn sites and on-line casinos seem to be the ones who have the resources to ruin an otherwise good thing. Seriously, half of those comments weren't even intelligible. Even though this is a "rant", I'm not going to jump and down and wonder about who or what is "out there", but it's just another example of some people willing to ruin things for the rest of us in an awkward attempt at personal gain.
Posted by rossm at 2:32 PM | Comments (0)
I'm Back at the BLOG
Hi. Well, it's been awhile since I've Blogged anything, so thought this would be a good time to get started again.
The sleepy summer days have been replaced with a maniacal pile of work demanding to be accomplished. Some of the projects I'm working on right now include:
A new report for the Mailroom that shows totals for coded mail for either the current month, or the previous month. There is some clever code in there that figures out what "last month" was, no matter what day you ask for the report. I'll put that out in a future blog to see what you think.
A couple SWAMP forms need some minor modifications. A new search item needs to be added the the pre-req history form, and the employee form needs a minor change to put some input into upper case. The employee change came about as a result of modifying the charge-out rate for the physical plant (sorry, rest of campus)....
The bookstore had three point upgrades that needed doing. Last night I did two of them, and there is one more to go. The main upgrade performed last night modified our POS (it's not what you think, it stands for Point of Sale) system to comply with legal requirements for safely handling credit card data. That upgrade has been successfully installed, so we are in full compliance with the regulations for safely handling credit card information. Next week I'll be installing MBS point upgrade 2006.1, which is a series of minor program enhancements and bug fixes.
Dale and I have been working on our Oracle DBA skills on most Thursdays, and this week he helped me code up part of the Mailroom's report for SWAMP. I had the bright idea of showing Dale how SWAMP is put together so he could be a backup for me, and this coding project was a good introduction.
Another project I'm working on is cleanup of SWAMP data. We have some historical data that was migrated to SWAMP from the old FAMIS program that needs cleaning, and also some open PO's and prereq's that have accumulated over time. These don't really cause any problems with the day to day operations, but they could if we don't keep the data up to date - especially with the queries that rely on our historical data.
Posted by rossm at 2:12 PM | Comments (0)
July 13, 2006
Hey, I'm Outta Here
In case you're looking for me over the next week, good luck. I'm taking off for vacation up to Whistler, B.C. Hope to get in a bunch of fishing, some golf, and some general goofing off.
I must return, so will be back July 24th.
Posted by rossm at 2:09 PM | Comments (0)
May 31, 2006
The Chair is Vacant
I'm gone on vacation from Friday, June 2nd until Sunday, June 11th. For assistance you can call the UCS Help Desk at 88925. See you on the 12th!
Posted by rossm at 8:33 AM | Comments (0)
March 17, 2006
WOU's Faculty Negotiations and President Minahan's Talk
Hey, what good is "rants and such" if you can't blast off a good rant once in a while? So, if you're easily offended, read something else.
I attended the "meeting" on Wednesday at noon. It was generally a good meeting and Pres. Minahan did an EXCELLENT job! The faculty member's comments that "we don't have the money" (Pres. Minahan's basic position) isn't a good premise for "negotiating" because it's always the first move in any negotiation was very interesting. And, I think, also very weak. Just because it's been used elsewhere as an excuse, doesn't mean it is never true. In the current circumstances, PM's (Pres. Minahan's) premise is TRUE. I'm convinced that PM has carefully considered WOU's financial status. Further, he KNOWS WHAT HE'S TALKING ABOUT. Who else has the knowledge of this place to match his? PM has WOU's best interests at heart, and is sincere in making his offer as good as it can reasonbly be. In fact, his offer is based on pretty shaky financial predictions. He could easily justify a lower offer based on WOU's current financial picture. The related position of "numbers lie" therefore PM's numbers lie (or are inaccurate) is also weak for the same reasons.
There was also a comment to the effect that faculty aren't the only ones bearing the financial burden here at WOU. As an unclassified employee I say RIGHT ON! We've ALL been under serious financial restrictions for at least the last three years, if not longer. I've seen my friends get layed off, got my "90 day" letter, had my own salary frozen, and had to do without such frivolous things as training and reference books. My point is that the weak financial position of WOU is not a new topic. Neither is it a frivolous negotiating "pawn", with a secret pile of money being hidden at the end of the rainbow. The faculty's demands don't seem to take the reality of the current situation into account.
I've just got to throw this out, too. We're suffering the real and serious effects of really weak leadership the past few years. Real and serious financial consequences as well as losses in many other areas. We now have strong leadership. This one fact will go a long way toward turning things around here at WOU. I hope to be part of the rebuilding effort.
Good job PM! Faculty, please reconsider what you're about to do to this place. I do not call your position "greedy" so much as it is just damn bad timing. WOU does not need any more bad press. WOU needs you to suck it up for another two years.
Posted by rossm at 9:23 AM | Comments (1)
February 9, 2006
Just say NO to Wal-Mart
You probably saw the allfacstaff email regarding the showing of the movie about Wal-Mart ("The high cost of low prices"). I went to see it. Never again am I shopping at Wal-Mart. That movie was a real eye opener. This gigantic corporation has managed to crush everything and everyone in it's path. From employees to local businesses to local governments to workers in their sweat-shops in China. Wal-Mart has screwed them all over.
It's ironic, but a lot of people tell me that they MUST buy their goods at Wal-Mart because they can't afford to spend a few more dollars for the same thing somewhere else. I know there are a lot of people struggling to make ends meet, and this is one way they do it. And yet, by making your purchases at Wal-Mart, you support this corporate monster that feeds itself by crushing people, creating a situation where those people can't make ends meet....
Anyway, the closest I'm getting to a Wal-Mart store from now on is to stand out front with a sign saying "Danger: Keep Out"!
Posted by rossm at 1:28 PM | Comments (0)
Where Ya Been??
OK, so it's pretty easy to check and see when my last Blog entry was. Guilty of Blog AWOL. I don't even have an excuse like Joe does. I guess blogging is sort of like exercise. Sometimes you're ready to do a lot of it, and sometimes you're not!
Posted by rossm at 1:05 PM | Comments (0)
December 23, 2005
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
I am outta here for a week, returning on January 3rd, 2006!
Posted by rossm at 1:59 PM | Comments (0)
September 30, 2005
I Guess You Better Wear Your Seat Belt
OK, so I'm one of those guys who does not like the government telling me what to do, ten times over, every time I turn around. I do not like the mandatory seat belt and motorcycle helmet laws, although I do agree it is a good idea to use these items. I just think it should be your choice.
Do you remember when certain groups were trying to pass the mandatory seat belt law (repeatedly, mind you) - one of the big selling points was that the fine would only be $5 or $15 or some minimal amount. Of course, once the law was passed, it was soon turned into another fund raising item for the state and now there are a couple million dollars worth of signs out there reminding us how much it will cost if we don't "click it" (gag).
Well, you can kind of see that I MIGHT be one of those rebels who doesn't always click, but a minor rebel with those missing clicks only for around town trips.
I always figured, hey, how many people get hurt in car wrecks in Monmouth in a year anyway? One or two? I'll take my chances. Well, it might interest you to know that actually there are *about* 25 people injured in vehicle accidents in Monmouth each year. Sure, some of these are minor injuries, but still, it seemed like a lot to me.
Bottom line, I'm back to clicking. Nuts.
Posted by rossm at 8:29 AM | Comments (0)