Sleepless in Sandpoint
Yesterday was from hell. Our library software was due for an update to the latest revision. No problem. We do these about once, sometimes twice, a year. The software vendor tech connects to our server after we close at 8PM (11PM his time, poor guy), then runs the necessary scripts and does the necessary things to our Oracle database to update our files. This usually takes all night. Then, I come in early the next day and run the client side update on each workstation. That is usually a one-click process and goes fairly quickly. Well, that was not the case this time.
Problem #1: Power outage due to major storm occurs at 5:40 AM PST. The scripts have been running for about 5 hours. The outage lasts long enough that the server reboots. :( I get in at 6:45 AM and see that the server has rebooted. I try to call the tech on his cell phone. No answer. I leave a message. I don't know whether to continue with the workstation upgrades or not, so I don't, waiting for a call back. I finally decided to do my workstation to see what the process is like.
Problem #2: This is not a one-click upgrade. I have to install Oracle 9i on each workstation, which takes about 13-20 minutes, depending on how ancient the computer is (some are 5 years old with barely enough hard drive space to turn on and only 64MB RAM), then I install the library software client. This process takes anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes per workstation. I have 37 workstations to do - alone.
Problem #3: An hour passes and no call back. Now I'm getting stressed. I call the company, who calls the tech, and who also gets no answer. I figure the poor guy took a nap after being up all night, and has no clue the power went out. The company tells me that the database is probably corrupted and the tech will need to restore our old database, so don't update workstations. Finally, half an hour later, I get a call back. The database
wasn't corrupted. The tech caught the power failure at about 6:30 and restarted the scripts. We're about an hour behind schedule on the database upgrade, but I'm almost two hours behind schedule on workstation upgrades.
I begin frantically updating workstations, running into three that have to have their RAM increased because they simply will not work with only 64MB. I set about doing that while simultaneously starting the upgrade on multiple computers. I spend all day - literally all day - running between computers in various stages of upgrade. The circulation and information desk computers were the priority ones, of course (there are 10 of those), so I had to get them done ASAP. Next came the cataloger's station, then the circulation supervisors. Finally, I started on all the other staff workstations. I had NO help whatsoever. I worked from 6:45 AM until 6:45 PM, non-stop, no lunch, nothing. I went home and just fell into the recliner, with barely enough energy to make dinner for Tom. I really needed to go to the grocery store, but just couldn't bring myself to stop on the way home. I still had two troublesome workstations to do today, one of which is still giving me fits, but that's nothing compared to yesterday. What a day!
Now, I have to just get our new firewall configured and in place, get the one for the branch ready to go, install the new switches, and then I can move on to the next project - ordering 33 replacement computers to be delivered the end of the month and put into place - again by me alone - over the course of the next month. Oh, and while I'm doing that, I get to install new software for managing our public internet access on 33 workstations, including installing 33 smart card readers that have, so far, given me fits whenever I've installed them. The joy of it all.
