Following Directions

This morning at work I helped perform an upgrade of some software I have helped create. It is made up of a bunch of small programs that have evolved over time. Each program is quite simple and very easy to understand. Together they form a complex system that runs on over a dozen different servers and process large amounts of data.

The upgrade seemed to be running smoothly and I was able to do my portion of the deployment without any issues. When we went to start several of the programs, we saw some errors. That led to everyone gathering around a collection of screens, trying to troubleshoot the problem as we were under a tight deadline to get the system back up and running.

As all of my stuff was working correctly, I acted as a messenger to one of our operations engineers who was at our data center in another part of the country. It would have been nice to talk to him on the phone but was impossible because of all the noise where he was. We had to resort to texting. The whole team worked together and we quickly diagnosed the problem. It turns out that the engineer doing most of the upgrade missed a critical step. Once we figured that out, everything came up nicely.

How did this critical step get missed? We had a list of instructions with every individual process outlined for the upgrade. The engineer was meticulously checking off each task as it was completed. After two pages of instructions, he got a little careless and checked twice after only completing one step. It was an easy mistake to make but shows the importance of carefully following directions. Not doing so in a car can get you lost. Not doing so with a bunch of computer servers can really screw things up.

Getting a New Computer

It is always fun to get a new computer. However it can also be a daunting task. What is the best way to move information from one to the other? How can you be sure you got all the information you are going to need? Is there an automated process that makes this easier? Why do we drive on parkways and park in driveways? OK, you can disregard that last question but let's discuss the others.

I generally get a new computer once a year. I have two computers that I use on a frequent basis: my desktop and my laptop. There are several more computers in my home office but they are generally database servers that I use for work and so let's not worry about them.

My laptop is an inexpensive MacBook and my desktop is a PC that dual boots to either Windows Vista or Linux. Last summer I got my MacBook and this summer I got my desktop. I will then hand my laptop to my son next summer as he goes off to college and get a new one. So you can see that I have to go through the computer upgrade process once a year.

When moving from one computer to another, it is important to make sure you get all the right data. It also serves as a good time to throw away all the stuff you will never use again. Perhaps you downloaded a PDF of the instruction manual for that old vacuum cleaner that you sold at the last garage sale. No need to keep that around. I use the following process when upgrading to a new computer:

1. Clean up the old computer
2. Export my e-mail and address book
3. Back up all my files
4. Move all important files to the new computer
5. Install application software like Microsoft Office
   
6. Import my e-mail and address book to the new computer
7. Keep the old computer running for a week or two

If you use a server-hosted email service such as gmail or some Outlook installations, then you can forget steps 2 and 6. I don't and so they are very important steps for me. Most e-mail programs have an export function that takes all of your e-mail folders and spits them out into a file. Then all you need to do is move that file to the new machine and import it back into your e-mail program.

Step 3 is important if you don't have the option of step 7. The previous time I updated my desktop computer was because my old computer died. I elected to get a new one instead of spending money to fix the old one. Luckily I had done a recent backup and was able to restore all my files. I backup my computer files to DVDs and keep the DVDs in a safe place. You could also use a flash drive but be sure to mark it as your backup so it doesn't get used for something else.

There is probably a software program out there that will help upgrade your computer. Especially if you are going from Windows to Windows or Mac to Mac. However I have three different computing environments and so I end up having to do my upgrades manually.

A new computer can be like having a fun new toy. The only problem is that you can plan on spending a day pulling stuff off your old one and moving it to the new one.