How is a company supposed to know if you have any idea what you're talking about in an interview?
I've gone through the tests, and from what I can gather by the questions, there are some really stupid people out there who think they know their stuff in IT. I would hate to think about the results of blindly hiring people to take care of a company's infrastructure without asking some of those questions.
You take a driving test for a CDL. You have to pass basic training in the armed services. Plenty of professions (someone else mentioned mechanical engineering tests, etc) require proof that you have some clue as to what you are doing before you get a job, and for good reason. IT related positions shouldn't be any different.
I was referring to the activity on the local machine, not on the modem. I realize that if you have only one machine connected to a DSL/cable modem, and you are configured in such a way that your public IP resides on the PC, both the modem and the PC will still show activity when any traffic destined for the public IP goes through both systems.
Again, I'd disconnect the PC from the internet to do any troubleshooting and searching for an infection.
So, taking pride in work you perform for others isn't considered "professional"? Are you trying to tell me that a doctor won't refer to a complicated bit of surgery that went without a hitch "a work of art"?
Happens all the time, in every profession. If you don't take pride in your work, how can you be a professional?
If I know what my job is better than my boss does, and the company agrees with me, how is that a fault of mine? Sounds like you're just bitter middle-management, clinging to your MBA for comfort.
Re:Sixty-hour work weeks with no overtime...
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Should IT Unionize?
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"IT" can be a very large group of individuals performing different tasks (infrastructure upkeep, printer operator, programmer, systems administrator, etc).
Saying "IT jobs are becoming a blue collar skill" is like saying "Banking jobs are becoming a blue collar skill", based on how little you really have to know to be a teller, feed the ATM money, etc. in the grand scheme of things at a bank. IT isn't becoming "blue collar" any more than any other industry OUTSIDE of a factory setting.
I agree with the 60 hour a week thing. I left my previous job, well on my way to a promotion and my second raise in less than a year, because the owner was insane with the hours he expected everyone else to keep. I'm happily employed, making more money, at another company where the hours aren't as bad now.
If you think your machine is infected, would you leave it connected directly to the internet (or left in a static NAT situation behind a firewall) while troubleshooting?
A machine plugged into a switch that leads nowhere is a pretty good start, so nothing can talk to the system in question. I'd think you would want to isolate it from the rest of your systems anyways.
Read some more, I clarified my original post in a follow up, and I didn't forget about services, which can be disabled just like applications.
I guess I'll have to start posting 200 page technical docs for folks like you and the guy I originally posted to, since you apparently need the hand holding.
By "technology", I was referring to the black box that sits inline with the uplink(s) to the internet.
The system I used to maintain was such a beast, and it did everything from real-time AV scanning, SPAM scanning, and IDS/DoS functions. It could in fact be used to detect DoS attacks, and send alerts via SMS/email to us. I also used it to shape/limit Bittorrent and other P2P protocols.
I've had the displeasure of working on plenty of infected systems in my time, and it's fairly easy to disable services that need the network on XP and 2000 systems, and still have a machine you can work with.
Traffic on the network? I would think while troubleshooting a system that you suspect may be infected with something, you would want to isolate the system as much as possible! Putting it in your DMZ instead of on the same network segment as the rest of your network would be a good start. Nothing should be trying to talk to it, intended or not.
ISPs can, and it was something I used to do as an "added feature" at the wireless ISP I used to work for.
It can be construed as an invasion of privacy, and I was yelled at plenty by some of my former customers. While a pain to administer, it had an incredible impact on our network's performance, and a decrease in customer complaints for individual towers being slow, etc.
The same technology Comcast uses (used?) to throttle Bittorrent users most likely could kill off zombies and DoS attacks. It's a shame they don't apply their resources appropriately.
How about checking the network activity, AFTER YOU SHUT DOWN ANY APP THAT REQUIRES THE NETWORK TO FUNCTION. This isn't exactly a great leap of logic here.
If you're still blasting traffic AFTER you have shut down your mail client, IM, web browsers, streaming video, automatic updates for Windows, Java, etc, you may have an issue.
I weep for anyone you ever offer to help troubleshoot anything.
No, Google Mail is the EASIEST solution for this scenario.
Yeah, shit happens, but I've managed to not incurr significant downtime on any of the mail systems I've administered over the years due to geographically separated backup servers. I've been through extended power outages, tornadoes, internet provider failures, you name it.
If you plan it out, and implement a good solution, it's hard to go offline completely. Google must have had something serious going wrong in their backend systems for this to have happened. I never lost access to any of my Google apps (personal stuff) during the outages.
The Air wasn't for me, I set it up after the owner received it, and he let me carry it around for a few days to get my thoughts on it.
This laptop isn't for business, period. It's for a casual user at home, or something to chuck in your backpack for classes to take notes. You are right on the money with regards to the lack of connectivity to external peripherals one may need in a business setting.
Honestly, the competition for the Air is something like the Asus EEE, and it's sad to think that the EEE is probably the better equipped laptop to make the transition between casual use and business use simply because of the hardware connectivity options.
I should have been more specific: The Air was slower than I expected it to be, even considering it was meant to be ultra-portable.
For casual use, it seemed OK, but firing up Office on it just sucked the life out of it. It also didn't appear to multitask well with more than three or four apps open.
I didn't care for the LCD, and I didn't care for the feel of the keyboard.
Honestly, for the price, it was a huge disappointment. I'm just glad I wasn't the one who bought it.
I think that illustrates his point perfectly. If crackers had an interest in exploiting OS X, they could do so and in short time.
I've played with a MacBook Air for a couple days, and was really unimpressed by its performance in every aspect aside from battery life and weight. I'd have gone for the Windows laptop and tossed Slackware on it.;-)
I've got a sweet job in Illinois (no where near Chicago) where I pay next to nothing for health insurance (HSA, and company pays the monthly premiums), my auto insurance is dirt cheap and dropping, and I have awesome flex time and vacation time as well.
Working in the midwest can have its perks sometimes.
1. Nothing has to last forever. Maybe IIS's time has come.
2. MS will gladly consult for a fee to migrate these ISVs to their new platform/API.
3. Microsoft and Novell are in bed together these days. Not so long ago, Novell sponsored a Linux based Exchange replacement product, Openexchange (http://www.linux.com/feature/42075). It is possible to replace of Exchange and retain compatibility, if they wanted to.
4. Those numbers say nothing about parked domains, etc. More domains may be shifting IIS, but I'd wager more production sites are using Apache and more will continue to do so in the future.
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So it would be a lot like the banking industry?
How is a company supposed to know if you have any idea what you're talking about in an interview?
I've gone through the tests, and from what I can gather by the questions, there are some really stupid people out there who think they know their stuff in IT. I would hate to think about the results of blindly hiring people to take care of a company's infrastructure without asking some of those questions.
You take a driving test for a CDL. You have to pass basic training in the armed services. Plenty of professions (someone else mentioned mechanical engineering tests, etc) require proof that you have some clue as to what you are doing before you get a job, and for good reason. IT related positions shouldn't be any different.
I was referring to the activity on the local machine, not on the modem. I realize that if you have only one machine connected to a DSL/cable modem, and you are configured in such a way that your public IP resides on the PC, both the modem and the PC will still show activity when any traffic destined for the public IP goes through both systems.
Again, I'd disconnect the PC from the internet to do any troubleshooting and searching for an infection.
Instead of buying new cars every four years, we should be extending the life of our existing cars by at least another four years.
If everyone drove their cars 10+ years, bought used, etc., the impact of producing new cars would lowered drastically.
We need more simple daily drivers that are easy to maintain than anything. Hybrids won't save the Earth if you don't drive it for 10 years or better.
IT is everywhere, and so is the demand. You can get a better/different job that meets your lifestyle requirements, even if it means moving.
Get off your rear and hit the classifieds. Don't like how stuff works in the industry/area? Go solo, if you can, and set your own hours.
This guy is spot on. Anyone can set up a server, sure. Can anyone keep it running, secure, and respond to issues in a timely fashion?
So, taking pride in work you perform for others isn't considered "professional"? Are you trying to tell me that a doctor won't refer to a complicated bit of surgery that went without a hitch "a work of art"?
Happens all the time, in every profession. If you don't take pride in your work, how can you be a professional?
If I know what my job is better than my boss does, and the company agrees with me, how is that a fault of mine? Sounds like you're just bitter middle-management, clinging to your MBA for comfort.
"IT" can be a very large group of individuals performing different tasks (infrastructure upkeep, printer operator, programmer, systems administrator, etc).
Saying "IT jobs are becoming a blue collar skill" is like saying "Banking jobs are becoming a blue collar skill", based on how little you really have to know to be a teller, feed the ATM money, etc. in the grand scheme of things at a bank. IT isn't becoming "blue collar" any more than any other industry OUTSIDE of a factory setting.
I agree with the 60 hour a week thing. I left my previous job, well on my way to a promotion and my second raise in less than a year, because the owner was insane with the hours he expected everyone else to keep. I'm happily employed, making more money, at another company where the hours aren't as bad now.
If you think your machine is infected, would you leave it connected directly to the internet (or left in a static NAT situation behind a firewall) while troubleshooting?
A machine plugged into a switch that leads nowhere is a pretty good start, so nothing can talk to the system in question. I'd think you would want to isolate it from the rest of your systems anyways.
Glad you had so much to offer in this thread.
Read some more, I clarified my original post in a follow up, and I didn't forget about services, which can be disabled just like applications.
I guess I'll have to start posting 200 page technical docs for folks like you and the guy I originally posted to, since you apparently need the hand holding.
I used to maintain a handful of black boxes that easily handled multiple T3 connections to the internet, and did real-time packet inspection.
It's amazing what specialized hardware can do, and even more amazing what a decent PC properly configured can handle.
By "technology", I was referring to the black box that sits inline with the uplink(s) to the internet.
The system I used to maintain was such a beast, and it did everything from real-time AV scanning, SPAM scanning, and IDS/DoS functions. It could in fact be used to detect DoS attacks, and send alerts via SMS/email to us. I also used it to shape/limit Bittorrent and other P2P protocols.
http://www.fortinet.com/ is where you can find one example of such "technology".
I've had the displeasure of working on plenty of infected systems in my time, and it's fairly easy to disable services that need the network on XP and 2000 systems, and still have a machine you can work with.
Traffic on the network? I would think while troubleshooting a system that you suspect may be infected with something, you would want to isolate the system as much as possible! Putting it in your DMZ instead of on the same network segment as the rest of your network would be a good start. Nothing should be trying to talk to it, intended or not.
ISPs can, and it was something I used to do as an "added feature" at the wireless ISP I used to work for.
It can be construed as an invasion of privacy, and I was yelled at plenty by some of my former customers. While a pain to administer, it had an incredible impact on our network's performance, and a decrease in customer complaints for individual towers being slow, etc.
The same technology Comcast uses (used?) to throttle Bittorrent users most likely could kill off zombies and DoS attacks. It's a shame they don't apply their resources appropriately.
Are you serious?
How about checking the network activity, AFTER YOU SHUT DOWN ANY APP THAT REQUIRES THE NETWORK TO FUNCTION. This isn't exactly a great leap of logic here.
If you're still blasting traffic AFTER you have shut down your mail client, IM, web browsers, streaming video, automatic updates for Windows, Java, etc, you may have an issue.
I weep for anyone you ever offer to help troubleshoot anything.
No kidding. This is much quicker than IE or FF on sites loaded up with CSS and JavaScript!
Sweet!
Doesn't take up a lot of RAM either.
My first post from Chrome! ;-)
I don't think that is the case. I know people in the same city using the same ISP who were offline with Google.
No, Google Mail is the EASIEST solution for this scenario.
Yeah, shit happens, but I've managed to not incurr significant downtime on any of the mail systems I've administered over the years due to geographically separated backup servers. I've been through extended power outages, tornadoes, internet provider failures, you name it.
If you plan it out, and implement a good solution, it's hard to go offline completely. Google must have had something serious going wrong in their backend systems for this to have happened. I never lost access to any of my Google apps (personal stuff) during the outages.
The Air wasn't for me, I set it up after the owner received it, and he let me carry it around for a few days to get my thoughts on it.
This laptop isn't for business, period. It's for a casual user at home, or something to chuck in your backpack for classes to take notes. You are right on the money with regards to the lack of connectivity to external peripherals one may need in a business setting.
Honestly, the competition for the Air is something like the Asus EEE, and it's sad to think that the EEE is probably the better equipped laptop to make the transition between casual use and business use simply because of the hardware connectivity options.
It doesn't run better than other ultra portable notebooks I've used, though. It's SLOW, especially with anything accessing the SSD.
I replied to the post above yours with more specifics about what I didn't like about the Air. I should have included them in the original post.
For the money, the Air is a huge letdown.
I should have been more specific: The Air was slower than I expected it to be, even considering it was meant to be ultra-portable.
For casual use, it seemed OK, but firing up Office on it just sucked the life out of it. It also didn't appear to multitask well with more than three or four apps open.
I didn't care for the LCD, and I didn't care for the feel of the keyboard.
Honestly, for the price, it was a huge disappointment. I'm just glad I wasn't the one who bought it.
I think that illustrates his point perfectly. If crackers had an interest in exploiting OS X, they could do so and in short time.
I've played with a MacBook Air for a couple days, and was really unimpressed by its performance in every aspect aside from battery life and weight. I'd have gone for the Windows laptop and tossed Slackware on it. ;-)
Hooray for Indiana! My home state... ;-)
I've got a sweet job in Illinois (no where near Chicago) where I pay next to nothing for health insurance (HSA, and company pays the monthly premiums), my auto insurance is dirt cheap and dropping, and I have awesome flex time and vacation time as well.
Working in the midwest can have its perks sometimes.
I think you needed to apply a bit of sarcasm detection when reading the post you reponded to.
1. Nothing has to last forever. Maybe IIS's time has come.
2. MS will gladly consult for a fee to migrate these ISVs to their new platform/API.
3. Microsoft and Novell are in bed together these days. Not so long ago, Novell sponsored a Linux based Exchange replacement product, Openexchange (http://www.linux.com/feature/42075). It is possible to replace of Exchange and retain compatibility, if they wanted to.
4. Those numbers say nothing about parked domains, etc. More domains may be shifting IIS, but I'd wager more production sites are using Apache and more will continue to do so in the future.