AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARSE!!!!

Discussion in 'Networks' started by zebulebu, Dec 31, 2008.

  1. zebulebu

    zebulebu Terabyte Poster

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    Never - ever - EVER delegate something dangerous to someone with the intelligence and attention to detail of a toadstool.

    Just had a call from an extremely irate private customer of mine (who I've had for nearly four years) saying that, basically, nothing works. And I mean nothing. Its only a small firm - 30 people or so, two DCs, single Exchange server, ISA and the like. The secondary DC went down over xmas and they've received a brand spanking new server they want me to install and DCPromo up to replace it. First job obviously is the metadata cleanup of all the gumph left behind when a DC ****s the bed spectacularly. That bit I contracted out to a friend because I couldn't get down to their offices today to do it myself. The sage amongst you can probably guess what's coming...

    The conversation goes something like this:
    ME "What did you do - are you sure you selected the correct domain, site and server in ntdsutil?"
    STUPID PLEB WHO I WILL NEVER TALK TO AGAIN "Yes - I selected one after the other then deleted them"
    ME "Sorry - run that by me again...?"
    S.P.W.I.W.N.T.T.A. "I deleted them one after another - the first marked 'DC2' then the second marked 'DC1'"
    ME "I. Am. Going. To Kill. You."

    So guess where I'LL be spending New Year's Bloody Day...
     
    Certifications: A few
    WIP: None - f*** 'em
  2. Mr.Cheeks

    Mr.Cheeks 1st ever Gold Member! Gold Member

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    and i hope you have many more to come!
    Happy New Year Zeb!
     
  3. tripwire45
    Honorary Member

    tripwire45 Zettabyte Poster

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    I'm sorry. I know you're upset. But when I saw the title of your thread, the first thing that popped into my head was a "vision" of what you must look and sound like in real life actually screaming that out.

    Even with what little I know, as I read your rendition of the offending events, I could sense the horror that was coming..."You deleted...what?" :eek:
     
    Certifications: A+ and Network+
  4. Bluerinse
    Honorary Member

    Bluerinse Exabyte Poster

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    Eeeeek :ohmy

    Nice end to your year mate :/

    Hope you find a more trustworthy helper next year Zeb!

    Thanks for sharing your real world grief, it highlights why we are so careful about pointing out that experience and certifications even together, don't necessarily make a good tech, you also need a modicum of common sense and logic :wink:
     
    Certifications: C&G Electronics - MCSA (W2K) MCSE (W2K)
  5. BosonMichael
    Honorary Member Highly Decorated Member Award 500 Likes Award

    BosonMichael Yottabyte Poster

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    Well... the metadata is now clean... :biggrin

    Still, you were asking for trouble, what with ISA installed, and all. :twisted: kidding!
     
    Certifications: CISSP, MCSE+I, MCSE: Security, MCSE: Messaging, MCDST, MCDBA, MCTS, OCP, CCNP, CCDP, CCNA Security, CCNA Voice, CNE, SCSA, Security+, Linux+, Server+, Network+, A+
    WIP: Just about everything!
  6. Arroryn

    Arroryn we're all dooooooomed Moderator

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    Shhhhh you said you wouldn't tell anyone

    Nah, in all seriousness, sorry this has buggered up your new year - at the very least, you're not a new year man, you're a techy - so this should be more enjoyable than getting dragged along somewhere expensive with people you're mildly apathetic about to have a drink?

    Okay, okay. *runs*
     
    Certifications: A+, N+, MCDST, 70-410, 70-411
    WIP: Modern Languages BA
  7. kevicho

    kevicho Gigabyte Poster

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    Ouch.

    Im sure you are now looking into some sort of remote control software and setting up some written idiot guide style instructions for the client to unblock the relevant ports while you are using it.

    Cant trust anyone nowadays.
     
    Certifications: A+, Net+, MCSA Server 2003, 2008, Windows XP & 7 , ITIL V3 Foundation
    WIP: CCNA Renewal
  8. onoski

    onoski Terabyte Poster

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    Welcome to the wonderful world of IT support and consulting:)
     
    Certifications: MCSE: 2003, MCSA: 2003 Messaging, MCP, HNC BIT, ITIL Fdn V3, SDI Fdn, VCP 4 & VCP 5
    WIP: MCTS:70-236, PowerShell
  9. zebulebu

    zebulebu Terabyte Poster

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    Aaah - Would that it were that simple! The nature of this company - and the material it deals with - dictates that security restrictions are too tight to allow remote access - they don't even have VPN access for staff!
     
    Certifications: A few
    WIP: None - f*** 'em
  10. hippy

    hippy Kilobyte Poster

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    I pray young one you have an ASR backup or system state :) Never down a system state restore and then change the dc to authoritive in ntsudtil.
     
  11. Sparky
    Highly Decorated Member Award 500 Likes Award

    Sparky Zettabyte Poster Moderator

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    System state restore and get the hell outta there? Please tell me they changed the backup tape! :ohmy
     
    Certifications: MSc MCSE MCSA:M MCSA:S MCITP:EA MCTS(x5) MS-900 AZ-900 Security+ Network+ A+
    WIP: Microsoft Certs
  12. JonnyMX

    JonnyMX Petabyte Poster

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    The 'A' key on my keyboard gets stuck sometimes too...

    :blink
     
    Certifications: MCT, MCTS, i-Net+, CIW CI, Prince2, MSP, MCSD
  13. nugget
    Honorary Member

    nugget Junior toady

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    That's gotta hurt. With friends like that.....you're better off without them.
     
    Certifications: A+ | Network+ | Security+ | MCP (270,271,272,290,620) | MCDST | MCTS:Vista
    WIP: MCSA, 70-622,680,685
  14. BosonMichael
    Honorary Member Highly Decorated Member Award 500 Likes Award

    BosonMichael Yottabyte Poster

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    Make SPWIWNTTA tag along, doing nothing but staying out of the way and watching you clean up the bed they crapped - unpaid, of course. :thumbleft
     
    Certifications: CISSP, MCSE+I, MCSE: Security, MCSE: Messaging, MCDST, MCDBA, MCTS, OCP, CCNP, CCDP, CCNA Security, CCNA Voice, CNE, SCSA, Security+, Linux+, Server+, Network+, A+
    WIP: Just about everything!
  15. Arroryn

    Arroryn we're all dooooooomed Moderator

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    They could at least carry his stuff for him, whilst he puts the shoddy job straight :blink
     
    Certifications: A+, N+, MCDST, 70-410, 70-411
    WIP: Modern Languages BA
  16. BosonMichael
    Honorary Member Highly Decorated Member Award 500 Likes Award

    BosonMichael Yottabyte Poster

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    ...and have him fetch you coffee, tea, or your favorite carbonated beverage while you work.
     
    Certifications: CISSP, MCSE+I, MCSE: Security, MCSE: Messaging, MCDST, MCDBA, MCTS, OCP, CCNP, CCDP, CCNA Security, CCNA Voice, CNE, SCSA, Security+, Linux+, Server+, Network+, A+
    WIP: Just about everything!
  17. Spice_Weasel

    Spice_Weasel Kilobyte Poster

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    Sounds like he just needs some practical education - a cattle prod can be a useful teaching aid in cases like this (tip of hat to the BOFH)...

    Spice_Weasel
     
    Certifications: CCNA, CCNP, CCIP, JNCIA-ER, JNCIS-ER,MCP
    WIP: CCIE
  18. Mr.Cheeks

    Mr.Cheeks 1st ever Gold Member! Gold Member

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    Its a learning curve... ...the dude has made a big f**k up big time! as long as he knows where he has went wrong and what you have to do to rectify this, just hope the fella dont make the same mistake. Its the only way we learn...

    Dont be too hard... and put that away aswell!
    [​IMG]
     
  19. zebulebu

    zebulebu Terabyte Poster

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    Phew!

    Turns out it wasn't that bad and I was in and out within half an hour!

    He HADN'T removed the last DC - he just got confused with the messages when running NTDSUTIL, remembered the message that warns about removing the last DC in a domain and assumed he HAD because no-one could log on. He had, in fact, followed my instructions to the letter! When he said he had removed the DCs 'one by one' what he meant to say was that he had removed the DNS records for them as I suggested he do. The reason everything had gone bandy was that no-one had bothered checking the state of the first DC - the netlogon service was down and DNS was hosed because the second DC (demoted as requested, with DNS removed) was being used by 90% of the company as their ONLY DNS server (apparently, after talking to the client, it was because they had a problem with DC1 months ago and called someone else whose 'fix' was to not bother looking at the problem but change every client's settings to resolve using ONLY DC2 by removing DC1's address from the resolvers on each client - twats).

    Happily that took about ten minutes to diagnose and fix and - even more happily - I've got remote access to the site (currently via LogMeIn but now with authority to put in a VPN for the client - yay me!)

    Regarding the suggestions from people earlier to take the guy in with me and watch me fix his mess - Good suggestions, but I think I may have burned my bridges with him by calling him a number of extremely rude names a couple of days ago... NY resolution #1: I WILL try harder not to bollock people without seeing what they've done with my own eyes first...

    :biggrin
     
    Certifications: A few
    WIP: None - f*** 'em
  20. Bluerinse
    Honorary Member

    Bluerinse Exabyte Poster

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    You know sometimes, lifes too short to burn bridges :wink:

    Glad it's all under control again mate!
     
    Certifications: C&G Electronics - MCSA (W2K) MCSE (W2K)

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