As I sit here feverishly refreshing the MSDN Subscriber Downloads page, waiting for the RTM release of Windows 7 to become available. I thought I’d take a moment to shoot a brief update.

Since starting my new job, I’ve really let my Cisco training slip. I’ve been bouncing around, going back and forth in my studies. One day it will be SCOM, the next ITIL. Then one day I’ll spend researching Powershell. Basically a lot of work without getting a whole lot accomplished.

That’s not to say I’m not learning anything. However, I’m not exactly keeping my promise to myself to acquire one new certification per Quarter.

However! I have just been asked to sell upper management on adopting ITIL Best Practices, and coming up with a strategy to implement it here at AAFES.

This will actually prove to be a very exciting opportunity.

Certification, Cisco, ITIL, jobs, MSDN, training, Window 7

Curses!

OpenFiler was originally introduced to me by Greg Shields (ps, that article is a good read) as part of his training series on VMWare ESX Server, where he demonstrates the VMotion Technology using an OpenFiler IP SAN.  This is what originally gravitated me towards using OpenFiler in my own lab.

Well, I got all of my resources online and ready to go.  I added the Failover feature to each node of the cluster.  I started by creating a new cluster using just a single node.   And then when I tried to add the 2nd node, the cluster validation wizard was showing failed checks related to the shared storage.  I should have taken a screen shot of the exact text.  But the point is, while searching for what might be the cause of the problem, where should I find the answer?  Why Greg Shields of course.  This time in the form of an entry on his Blog entitled “No, OpenFiler Does Not Work with Windows Server 2008 Clustering“.

Apparently there are a few solutions out there that will work, however they are either not free, or are only provided by Microsoft OEM providers in the form of a specialized version of Windows Server called, “Windows Unified Data Storage Server 2003″.

The cause of the problem is that Windows Server 2008 clustering requires support of persistent reservations.  I’d have to say that I’m a fan of persistent reservations, they can prevent some nasty data corruptions that can occur in a shared storage environment, but dang…  I wish I could disable the requirement for my testing.  :(

blog, Cluster, iSCSI, Microsoft, Openfiler, SAN, training, vmware

I just got back from the Live Microsoft Skills Week event in Irving, TX.  As expected, the event was geared at selling training, and introducing people to the new certification designations Microsoft has come up with.

I didn’t really learn anything new, although I did get some more information about the Microsoft Certified Masters program.  This is something I may be interested in the future, that is, if I can find $18-$20 THOUSAND DOLLARS lying around to pay for it. 

I guess my main motivation for attending was to try and win some free swag!  I knew they were going to be giving away a free class, and that is what I was most interested in.  I’ve been wanting to get my VCP (VMWare Certified Professional) certification.  Honestly, I don’t need the training from an educational stand point.  I need the training because VMWare has said that in order to become a VCP, you not only have to pass the test, you HAVE to have taken their official curriculum as well.  Essentially making the cost of the certification around $3,175.  Words can’t describe how much that annoys me.

Certification, Microsoft, training, vmware