The story so far…

Frack! this is hard! I have bags under my eyes and don’t’ know what day it is unless I check my mobile. I knew it would be tough, but all I’ve done since arriving is study and drink coffee. Wake, study, go to class, study all day, come ‘home’ to my hotel room and you guessed it study some more.

The days and weeks all melt into one big endless slog here. I honestly couldnt tell yo what day it is most of the time. And since we study weekends they don't really matter much either.

Results:

28th May, 70-270 Installing, Configuring, and Administering Microsoft Windows XP Professional, Pass 89%
6th June, 70-290 Managing and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Environment, Pass 87%

15th June, 70-291 Implementing, Managing, and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Network Infrastructure, Pass 82%

22nd June, 70-293 Planning and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Network Infrastructure, Fail 56%

.. don’t know WHAT happened there, completely lost it somehow.
The test had a lot of questions in areas I wasn’t really expecting, there just isn’t time in the class to cover every topic in detail, so when you’re asked..

… you administer a three-node network load balancing cluster. Each cluster node runs server 2003 and has a single NIC. The cluster has converged successfully. The nodes in the cluster run at almost full capacity, you want to add a fourth node, you enable network load balancing on the fourth node.

The cluster does not converge in a four-node cluster. In the log on the existing three nodes, you find the same error. "The system detected an IP conflict at address 10.10.10.1 with the system of network ID 01:AB:0C:22:88:42."

In the System log on the new fourth node, you find a similar event with the same error except for the network ID. You confirm that IP address 10.50.8.70 is configured as the cluster IP address on all four nodes.
What should you do?

A. Configure the fourth node to use multicast mode.

B. Remove 10.10.10.1 from the NIC properties of the fourth node.

C. On the fourth node, run the nlb.exe resume command.

D. On the fourth node, run the wlbs.exe reload command.

E. Pack up and go home.

Then you will just have to pick E. I know I did. (And for those of you shouting ‘hey bozo it’s A! .. A you frickin’ idiot. Thanks.)

27th June, 70-294 Planning, Implementing, and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Active Directory Infrastructure, PASS 73%

What a stinker! Scraped through by the skin of my teeth. Yes!

And today I took this one and did well. 29th June, 70-298 Designing Security for a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Network, PASS 92%

And now I have 2 more exams to take, 70-350 ISA Server and the 70-293 retake. But the pain should end next Friday when I’ve completed all 7 tests and claim my MSCE 2003 qualification. I'll be like rocky running up those steps and cheering ... c,mon!! Show me the cheeeeseeee!! or something like that.

Right, I'm off to study for the next puppy, cheers for all the emails y'all ... nice to hear from you.

Its ya birthday !!

So last week it was my birthday - YAY!! - older, fatter and very much more drunkerererrrr haha.

My new mates on the training course did me proud.. cheers to Neil, Mark and Jim for a 'reyt good do'.

On the photo with the cake thats Jim on the left, me and then Neil (mark is the photografererer wearing a red t-shirt). What a handsome lot we are lol.

Apologies this is gonna be short 'n' sweet .. I have arrived in Shimla for my 2 months IT training ... and am straight in at the deep-end. The work's started hard and fast and I'm wedging in some sleep here and there.


Took a few snaps which I've shoved on flickr

Shimla seems a nice place, loads cooler than anywhere in India so far.. its very busy with tourists escaping Delhi and other hot spots. Not had time to explore too much yet but will report sometime soon.

:) d

Hello Indian Blog Fans!!

.. erm just in case the lovely 'Times of India' Intelligent Pune readers have sailed their way here .. a big hello from me and welcome! I love being in India, and Pune is a smashing place.

A short while ago I received a mail asking if my earlier blog entry 'its a crappy business' could be featured in their 'aint bloggin brilliant' (or some such name), of course I agreed but was more than a little stunned to have proof that anyone was actually reading this nonsense, apart from my dad (and John at work.. hi John!)

So, fame at last.

mind the gap!

My friend Samson mailed me these pictures taken in Mumbai, of a rail passenger who had a lucky escape..

In India there are no doors on trains.

It is usual for passengers to start boarding or exiting well before the train has stopped. It really has to be seen to be believed but the fight for a place really can be an aggressive free-for-all.














This chap slipped and fell in the gap between the train and the platform at Kandivli station; and eight bogies went over him.

The man obviously has a guardian angel and supportive bystanders who told him exactly what he shouldn't do — move.

And so, the man lay absolutely still as eight bogies of the train passed over him — centimetres from his head.













Within seconds the 12-coach train passed and the man clambered out, unaided, unhurt, but too shocked to speak to us after his near-death experience.

Paragliding in India so far

As I write this a batch of pre-monsoon storms and showers have put paid to our flying. Strong winds have broken trees and the rain is the first I have seen since arriving six weeks ago, the temperature has dropped and the dust in the air has settled for a while. Tho' the rain is a nice reminder of home (never thought I'd be saying that!!!) I’d rather be paragliding.

The past few weeks have been excellent for flying and I’m a very happy chap. The consistent West wind which blows in from the sea, this time of year, March-May, has meant good flying in the late part of the day. Earlier can be too weak and middle part of the day is too strong, but patience on the hill is rewarded with very nice conditions for the last couple of hours after 4pm with the sun setting at around 7pm.

The winter (Nov-Jan) can be better for flying and has a more agreeable temperature, but as I chose to come here in the summer and am still managing to fly almost every day, I cannot complain. The conditions suit my experience very well and there is no way I’d be getting this much airtime in the UK. With more experience it is possible to fly cross-country during the middle of the day but the wind and thermals can be very strong, so this would be for the very experienced pilot only. As it is I have been launching in strong winds at 4pm with the windsock in a steady vertical position, and use of speedbar has been essential. Later the winds tend to be less strong.

Staying at Japalouppe has been incredibly handy as Temple Pilots allow me to tag along with the students and Club Pilots every day. Mixing with these guys is great fun as they learn the ropes, and it all takes me back to the many weekends I spent with Northern Paragliding high in the Yorkshire Dales last year. My training was very good but took a long, long time, a mixture of bad weather and my own availability meant that the whole thing was a very long process. I don’t think the students here appreciate how lucky they are being able to qualify in no time at all.

Just reading through my log-book confirms that my flights have gone from 20 to 56 and my hours are now 24 from the original 4 hours I had on arrival. Many flights have been short as I practice take-off and top-landing, and both have improved loads, flying with Avi, Anita, TJ and Dhawal has been an inspiration as they are all excellent pilots and I have learned a lot. My confidence has soared also as I work on my ground handling skills and other techniques which I had only used in a basic way before, and I am a much happier pilot because of this.

Being in full control of the canopy at all times is such an important skill, and probably the most difficult to master in Paragliding. Experienced pilots will dance with the wing at takeoff, choosing the launch time they want and not the one the canopy might dictate. Control in strong winds was my weakest skill, and it is one which is difficult to work on, a mistake can mean you may be dragged along the ground struggling to kill the life in the wing with the risers. Practicing here has meant that I am much better at this, though it is something which needs to be constantly worked-on. I’m certainly much better than I was before coming here which means less aborted take-offs and more airtime.

The speed that the great weather here allows the students to learn is impressive. A young couple Jamie and Mary from the UK were here for just 10 days recently, after 2 years of travelling around the world, they completed their P1 and P2 in just 8 days. They then spent the last 2 days flying under the instructions of the school and both had 1 hour plus soaring flights in the evening achieving heights of up to 1000ft above take off. I think they were fairly happy with their achievement! In the UK they will just need to take one or two tasks more (such as top-landings) to convert to the UK Club Pilot system.

It makes a change for me being the more experienced pilot in a group and somewhat of a visiting celebrity because of this. I am now the wise old experienced pilot the students come to when they need to clear up some point and the instructors are not around. I remember well trying to soar with my limited skills during training, and somewhat inevitably gliding down to land in the bottom landing field. I would stare enviously at the experienced pilots still in the air. Now the roles are reversed as I watch the new students short flights from the air.

You can read more about the sites I’m flying, in particular Shillar and Pavana Lake here at the Temple Pilots web site.

Thanks to Jamie and Mary two smashing people I met taking Paragliding training with Temple Pilots in India, I can now see myself launching/flying for the first time! Woohoo.
(the video is about 40mb so you will need a broadband connection or a lot of patience to view it).

If you are reading this guys then good luck with your flying careers and keep in touch!

The site is Shillar near Kamshet, India.