November 7th, 2008
10:33 am
General
So for those who don’t know, the bulk of the servers in the Drogon Empire are hosted in a small anonymous data centre in Sheffield. This works well for me as I know the people personally who own and run it, I’ve seen their setup, know and understand how their network works and it’s generally “just fine” and things tick away without intervention.
Well - until 23:30 on the night of the 5th. (Bonfire night) when a fire across the road from them caused the emergency services to cut the power to the local area as a precaution. No worries, they have multiple UPSs and an on-site generator. A full tank of fuel will keep them going for over 24 hours, so no immediate issues. They’ve been able to secure access to keep the tank topped up every 12 hours and are expecting the mains to come on sometime later this morning (the 7th)
I know they make regular tests of their generator and UPSs, so life’s OK and although I’ve informed my major customers that were “at risk”, I’m really not expecting any drama.
But how often do you check your own UPSs? You do have UPSs, don’t you? How old are the batteries? Have you ever changed them? I have multiple UPSs at Drogon HQ. There’s a 1.5KVA double conversion unit unit feeding the main servers, PBXs and Internet connections, and 2 smaller ones in the office feeding the workstations, Wi-Fi access point and local network switch, and after 3 years I’m about to replace their batteries, or will I just buy new ones? Not sure yet. I’ve used this site in the past to buy new batteries from and while the service was good, I’m still in 2-minds about new batteries or a new UPS.
Comments always welcome!
Software Engineering is a buzz word that was talked about when I went to uni - oh, some 25+ years back. Engineering being the “job” of carrying something from a mere speck of a thought right through to design, implementation and testing to final delivery. I think it’s fallen out of favour in these modern days, alas… Or I did until today.
Charlie Collins of Ayrmer Software is someone I’ve known about for some time. A couple of years back, we met in a pub with some mutual colleagues and he introduced me to the NRG networking lunches. One important factor of these networking meetings is the One to One and you know what? Until today I’d not actually had what you might call a proper One to One with Charlie.
We met at his office in Heathfield, had coffee and set the world to rights. Charlie and his team have an amazing approach to bespoke software design and implementation. To say they’re a web design company would be a gross understatement! For his clients, the website that you see is merely the tip of the iceberg compared to the workings that go on underneath - and what’s underneath? You name it - CRMs, accounting packages, asset tracking, database management, and so on.
The back-end platform they have developed looks great, is adaptable and even emails them if it thinks something is wrong - often before the client even knows about it! Charlie and his team understands how things work at the nuts and bolts level, they know how to optimise their systems to make them snappy, fast and more importantly, usable. They use just enough of the so-called “web 2.0″ tools to enhance a sites usability, but not so much that the site is slow and clunky.
25 years ago we were taking about developing libraries and “software re-usability”. Charlie and his team have this to a fine art and that’s what proper software engineering is all about: Starting with the client, listening to them, developing the initial design, implementing the design and system, right through to delivery, and beyond.
Ayrmer Software. Engineers of the 21st century.
I attended a business lunch recently where Graham Hill made a presentation. Who’s he? He’s the Founder and Director of Verbatim The Phone answering Service. Graham is an interesting man with an interesting business - answering phones!
He presented us with some statistics - For example: On average, a business will miss 15% of incoming calls.
He later emailed me a couple of documents:
The Facts behind UK Telephone Behaviour
and
Basic Telephone Skills
So if you thought you knew how to answer the phone, think again!
This is the latest addition to the DSX-10 range, the DSX-10v. V because it’s VoIP only - there is no provision for PSTN hardware in this box - and you can see why - at 215mm square it’s tiny!
Small in size, but big in features. It’s capable of handling up-to 60 extensions with all the features you’d expect from a modern PABX. Call-groups, hunt-groups, music on hold, voicemail, etc. All controlled by simple star codes from any phone, or via a web interface.
And remember, ‘v’ is not just for voice, it’s for video too. This unit supports video phones (eg. the Grandstream GXV3000 and ATL IP400) out of the box.
Ever had a call from someone who just hung up? The chances are that it’s a marketing call system and alas, you’re going to get more …
What to do… Firstly if they didn’t withold their number, then look it up. How? Several ways and they might not even cost you anything. Firstly, find the location - if it’s a UK number (starting 01, 02, or even 08, 07, etc.) Try this site: Magenta Systems. That will tell you where (in the UK) the call originated from. Maybe it was just your long-lost Aunt Flo from Durham?
Then… Google the number. The chances are you’ll either find the companys website (if it’s legit!), or you might find the number listed it a “Who called me” website. One I’ve used in the past is: Who Calls Me.
And if there is a human on the end of the phone? Well, Speak to them. Tell them that you’re not interested (which you won’t be!) ask to be added to their do-not-dial list. They’re paying for the call, so just waste a little of their time and get on with your life.
And if by-chance you hear a robot saying something like “Please press 9 to be connected”, then don’t wory about and rumours that you might hear or read about - there’s no-way you can be charged (yet) in the UK for an incoming call, so go-ahead and press 9 - it’s just their way of making sure there really is a human at your end, and then waste a little of their time, then get on with your life.
Do not call the number back. Especially if it’s an 09 or 070 number. (Note: 070 is NOT a mobile number, it’s a premium rate service!). All that’ll do is waste your own time.
Finally, register every number and address you have with the Telephone and Mail preference services.
It’s not often I’m impressed enough with a shop to actually write about them, however Orkney PC came to my attention recently and I’m pleased to say that they were friendly and efficient…
The story was that I’d been asked to set-up a new broadband connection for a relative who lives in Orkney - that’s a group of islands off the north Scottish coast from those who don’t know. I’m based in Devon which is down in the South West of England. We’re about 1000 miles apart.
The connection was duly provided by Entanet, who I resell - not without hassle as BT hadn’t updated their post-code database, and there was a pending cancellation from Orange on the line, however the last thing required was a router… Normally, I’d buy one locally and take/post it to my customers, however something a bit quicker was required here…
Enter google and a quick search of PC shops in the Orkneys, and Orkney PC in Kirkwall came to the top of the list. Their website is just a single page right now, but it had 2 important details on one - one was their phone number, and the other other a statement saying that they program routers for their customers. So a phone call and an email later and there’s now a Netgear Wi-Fi router, with the right information in it and a WPA key set on the Wi-Fi and it’s all ready to plug in and go!
Now that’s what I call a good local computer shop.
… to Gordon’s Notes from the Watertower.
And in-case you’re wondering - The Watertower is the place where Wakko, Yakko and Dot live…
Still confused? Well have a look here: Animaniacs Intro (Will open a new window)
–Gordon
