Getting Promoted in IT

One of the perks of serving at an Harvard alumni club (I am currently the Secretary of the Harvard-Radcliffe Club of Worcester), was attending a 2-day Alumni Leadership Conference in Cambridge, MA. It was a nice break from work. I met alumni leaders from all over the world, talked to accomplished people (I met the writer of one of my daughter’s favorite movies – Kung Fu Panda), learned what’s new in the Harvard world, and learned leadership skills from great speakers.

One of those speakers is David Ager, a faculty member at the Harvard Business School. He totally engaged the audience while delivering his opening address – “Leadership of High Performing Talent: A Case Study.” We discussed a case study about Rob Parson, a superstar performer in the financial industry. In a nutshell, Rob Parson delivered significant revenue to the company but his abrasive character and non-teamwork attitude didn’t fit well into the culture of the company. He was due for performance review and the question was – Should Rob be promoted?

The setting of the case study was in the financial industry, but the lesson holds true as well in the Information Techology (IT) industry. There are a lot of Rob Parson in IT – software developers, architects, analysts, programmers – who are high performers, but they rub other people the wrong way. They are intelligent, smart, and they develop very sophisticated software — the bread and butter of IT companies. Some of these IT superstars aspire for promotion for managerial role. Should they be promoted? Too often we hear stories about a great software architect who went to manage people, but faltered as a result.

IT professionals who would really like to manage people should be carefully evaluated for their potential. They should learn people and business skills in order to succeed. Before giving them any managerial position, they should undergo a development program and they should be under a guidance of a mentor (or a coach) for at least a year. Most IT professionals should not take on the managerial role. They should remain on their technical role to be productive, but they should be given other incentives that motivate and make them happy – such as complete authority of their work, flex time, an environment that foster creativity and so on.

Hot Adding NetApp Shelf

One of the great features of NetApp FAS 3200 series is the ability to add shelves without any downtime. As our need for storage space exponentially increases, we need the ability for our storage system to be expanded without any interruption to our business users. I recently added a DS4243 shelf into an existing stack, and followed the steps below:

1. Change the disk shelf ID. Make sure the shelf ID is unique among the stack. On the DS4243 shelf, the ID can be changed by pressing the U-shaped button located near the shelf LEDs. The shelf needs to be power cycled for the new ID to take effect.

2. Cable the SAS connection. It is very important to unplug/connect the cable one at time.

a. Unplug the cable from the I/O module A (IOM A)circle port from the last shelf in the stack.

b. Connect the cable from the new shelf IOM A square port to the IOM A circle port that was disconnected in step a.

c. Reconnect the cable that was disconnected in step a to the IOM A circle port of the new shelf.

d. Repeat the same procedure for IOM B.

3. Check connectivity by running the following commands on the console:

sasadmin expander_map
sasadmin shelf
storage show disk -p

4. Assign disk to the filer. If auto assign is turned on, the disks will be auto assigned to the filer. I disabled autoassign disk, since in a cluster, I want to control where the disks go. I usually go to the console of the filer where I want the disk assigned, check to see all unassigned disk drive using the command disk show -n, and finally issue the command disk assign all to assign the disks.

For a complete step by step instructions, consult your NetApp manuals.

Palawan: Philippines Last Frontier

I recently visited Singapore and the Philippines, with my wife and daughter, for vacation. We celebrated the holidays with family, relatives and friends. We also got the chance to visit Coron, Palawan to see what they say is the Philippines Last Frontier.

I was surprised by the sheer beauty of the place. I’ve never seen anything like it. The blue-green water looks so clean. The mountains and rock formations are breathtaking. The islands (more than 60 of them) and its beaches are in pristine condition.

We snorkeled around a couple of islands and shipwrecks, and we saw the most beautiful coral reefs garden. We got the chance to feed and see the colorful fishes. We were even lucky to see a sea turtle.

We swam through the cleanest lake in Asia, the Kayangan Lake and the Twin Lagoon, and dipped through a 100% salt water hot springs.

The town is very friendly to tourists. There are several nice hotels, resorts, and restaurants. The town still needs some development, such as roads and reliable electricity. But who cares. You only stay in town to sleep. You mostly explore the place by going to the different islands.

The place is simply paradise.

Upgrading Netbackup from Version 6.5 to 7.1

I recently upgraded a Netbackup infrastructure from version 6.5 to version 7.1. Here are some of my observations and advice:

1. Preparation took longer than the actual upgrade of the server. Pre-installation tasks included understanding the architecture of the backup infrastructure including the master and media server, disk-based backup, and ndmp; checking the hardware (processor, memory, disk space) and operating system version were compatible and up to snuff; checking the general health of the running Netbackup software including the devices and policies; backing up the catalog database; obtaining updated Netbackup licenses from Symantec; downloading the base Netbackup software and the patches; joining, unzipping, and untarring software and patches; and other related tasks. Planning and preparation are really the key for a successful upgrade. These activities will save a lot of trouble during the upgrade process.

2. The upgrade process was seamless. On Solaris server, I ran the “install” command to start the upgrade. The process asked for several questions. Some packages were already integrated in the base package such as ndmp, so the program asked for the existing Netbackup ndmp package to be uninstalled. The part that took longer was the catalog database upgrade.

3. Upgrade of client agents was also easy. Upgrading UNIX and Linux clients was completed using the push tool “update_clients.” Windows clients were upgraded using the Netbackup Windows installation program. One good thing though was that no reboot was necessary. Also, I found out that Windows 2000 and Solaris 8 clients were not supported on 7.1, although it will still backup using the old 6.5 agent.

4. For bmr (bare metal restore), there was no need for a separate boot server. All client install included the boot server assistant software.

5. The GUI administration interface is almost the same, except for some new features such as vmware support.

6. The java administration console is so much better, in terms of responsiveness.

Creating LUN in NetApp Using CLI

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If you want to create a LUN (Logical Unit Number) on a vfiler in NetApp, you will be forced to use CLI commands.  There is no wizard GUI tool for vfilers at least for now.

To carve up a storage space in NetApp to be presented to a SPARC Solaris machine using iSCSI HBA, I used the following steps:

1. Configure iSCSI HBA on Solaris (i.e., configure IP address, netmask, gateway, vlan tagging [it if its on a separate vlan], etc)

2. Login through NetApp console or remote session.

3. Go to the vfiler

nas3240> vfiler context vfiler-iscsi

4. Determine which volume to create the LUN. Make sure it has enough space.

nas3240@vfiler-iscsi> vol status

nas3240@vfiler-iscsi> df -h

5. Create qtree. I usually create the LUN on qtree level instead of volume. This makes my structure cleaner.

nas3240@vfiler-iscsi> qtree create /vol/iscsi_apps/solaris

6. Create the LUN using this syntax: lun create -s size -t ostype lun_path

nas3240@vfiler-iscsi> lun create -s 200g -t solaris /vol/iscsi_apps/solaris/lun0

Successful execution of this command wil create LUN “/vol/iscsi_apps/solaris/lun0” with a size of 200GB, and space-reserved.  For LUN, the best practice is to thick provision (space-reserved), so you won’t have problems when the storage runs out of space.

7. Create initiator group or igroup which contain the IQN for the solaris host. Initiate a iscsi login command from solaris host, and NetApp will see the IQN number.  This IQN number will appear on the console and you can cut and paste that number. Use this syntax to create igroup: igroup create -i -t ostype initiator_group iqn_from_host

nas3240@vfiler-iscsi> igroup create -i -t solaris solaris_group iqn.2000-04.com.qlogic.gs2342345.2

8. Map the LUN to the host using igroup you created. Use this syntax: lun map lun_path initiator_group [lun_id] where: lun_path is the path name of the LUN you created, initiator_group is the name of the igroup you created, and lun_id is the identification number that the initiator uses when the LUN is mapped to it. If you do not enter a number, Data ONTAP generates the next available LUN ID number.

nas3240@vfiler-iscsi> lun map /vol/iscsi_apps/solaris/lun0 solaris_group

9. Verify LUN list and their mapping.

nas3240@vfiler-iscsi> lun show -m

LUN path                                    Mapped to              LUN ID    Protocol
——————————————————————————————
vol/iscsi_apps/solaris/lun0      solaris_group        2                   iSCSI

10.  Go to solaris box, and do iSCSI refresh.  Check that it can see the LUN disk that has been provisioned.

CISSP

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A couple of days ago, I got the official renewal of my CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional) certification from ISC2.  My certification is valid again for another three years, until October 2015.

CISSP certification is one of the certifications I make sure to maintain because of its usefulness. No question every IT professional should be aware of security implications in any system he/she develops, build, or maintain.  Security breaches are becoming the norm and IT professionals should be prepared to face these challenges.  CISSP certification greatly help IT professionals like me in creating and enforcing security policies and procedures, and in designing and maintaining secure systems.

When I first obtained the certification six years ago, in Oct 2006, I remembered it was one of the toughest exam I ever took.  And passing the exam is just one of the requirements.  One should have at least five years information security experience, and should be endorsed by another CISSP professional.  In addition, one should abide by the ISC2 code of ethics.

To maintain certification, one should obtain Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credits of 120 points within three years, and pay the annual maintenance fee.   The requirement to obtain CPE credits keeps my security skills current.  There are many ways to obtain CPE credits.  My favorites are the security seminars and conferences such as Secure Boston, Source Boston, and IANS.  One can also get points by reviewing security books, reading and writing security articles, and speaking about security in seminars and conferences, among others.

To learn more about CISSP and how to get certified, go to the ISC2 website.

Top Ten Important Tasks for Toastmasters Club President

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I am almost halfway through my term as president of the Toastmasters Club at Abbott Bioresearch, and I am glad to say that I am enjoying the challenge. As president, I set the tone and general direction of the club, and of course I want our club to be successful.

Here are the top ten important tasks of the president, I think, to make the club successful:

1. Together with the board, plan and set goals for the year as soon as your term starts. Aim to be a president’s distinguished club. Plan and schedule events such as regular meetings, membership drive, open houses, speech contests, and officers training.

2. Be a cheerleader at every meeting. Congratulate members on their accomplishments.

3. Open and close meeting with enthusiasm, and announce at every meeting the progress of the club goals.

4. Work closely with the VP of Education in filling out roles and making sure that the educational goals of the members are being met.

5. Work closely with VP of Membership and VP of Public Relations in holding open houses and recruiting new members.

6. Mentor new members. Make sure to guide them at least during their first three speeches.

7. Motivate members to finish their Competent Communicator award as soon as possible. Also, motivate members who do not regularly come to the meeting to participate more. Ask them to sign up for roles so that they will be obligated to attend the meeting.

8. Introduce yourself to guests and greet them enthusiastically.

9. Work closely with the treasurer to make sure dues are paid on time.

10. Be prepared to give speech anytime. Speakers make last minute cancellations and be ready to step up to fill in the speaking role.

BYOD

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Recently, I attended a security seminar on the newest buzzword in the IT industry – BYOD, or Bring Your Own Device – to complete my CISSP CPE (Continuing Professional Education) requirement for the year. The seminar was sponsored by ISC2 and the speaker, Brandon Dunlap, is a seasoned, insightful, and very entertaining speaker.  I highly recommend the seminar.

BYOD came about because of the popularity of mobile devices – iPhone, iPad, Android, Blackberry, etc.- , the consumerization of IT, and employees getting more flexible schedules.    Companies are starting to allow their employees to use their own devices – to improve productivity, mobility, and supposedly save the company money.  The millennials, in particular, are more apt to use their own devices.  Owning these devices for them signifies status symbol or a fashion statement.

However,  does it make sense to allow these devices into the company’s network?  What are the security implications of the BYOD phenomenon?

From a technology standpoint, there are a lot of innovations to secure both the mobile devices and the company’s applications and data, for instance, using containers, to separate personal apps and company’s apps.  Security companies are creating products and services that will improve the security of BYOD.  But from a policy and legal standpoint, very little is being done.  Companies who jumped into this BYOD buzz are getting stung by BYOD pitfalls as exemplified by one of the greatest IT companies in the world – IBM.   In addition, recent studies showed that BYOD does not really save company money.

Companies need to thoroughly understand BYOD before adopting it.  It is a totally new way of working.

The seminar highlighted the many problems of BYOD, and the immense work that needs to be done to make it successful.  No wonder the organizer entitled it “Bring Your Own Disaster” instead of “Bring Your Own Device.”

 

Cloning Linux on VMware

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When you clone or ‘deploy from template’ a linux virtual machine on Vmware, specifically Red Hat based linux such as CentOS, you need additional steps on the cloned machine to make it work. The obvious settings you need to change are the IP address and hostname. But changing those settings is not enough. You also need to change other parameters.

When you clone a linux machine, the hardware address (or MAC address) of the NIC changes, which is correct — the cloned machine should never have the same MAC address as the source. However, the new MAC address is assigned to eth1, not eth0. The eth0 is still assigned the MAC address of the source, although it is commented out in udev’s network persistent file, so it’s not active.

When you cloned a linux machine and noticed that the network does not work, it is probably because you assigned the new IP address to eth0 (which is not active). You can use eth1 and assign the new IP address on that interface. However, I usually want to use eth0 to make it clean and simple. You can easily switch back to eth0 by editing the file /etc/udev/rules.d/70-persistent-net.rules. Edit the string that starts with SUBSYSTEM, remove or comment out the line for eth1, uncomment the line for eth0, and replace the ATTR(address) for eth0 to get the MAC address from eth1. Here’s a sample edited file:

# This file was automatically generated by the /lib/udev/write_net_rules
# program, run by the persistent-net-generator.rules rules file.
#
# You can modify it, as long as you keep each rule on a single
# line, and change only the value of the NAME= key.

# PCI device 0x8086:0x100f (e1000)
SUBSYSTEM=="net", ACTION=="add", DRIVERS=="?*", ATTR{address}=="00:60:66:88:00:02",
ATTR{type}=="1", KERNEL=="eth*", NAME="eth0"

# PCI device 0x8086:0x100f (e1000)
#SUBSYSTEM=="net", ACTION=="add", DRIVERS=="?*", ATTR{address}=="00:60:66:88:00:02",
ATTR{type}=="1", KERNEL=="eth*", NAME="eth1"

Now edit the /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-eth0 file to make sure that the DEVICE is eth0, the BOOTPROTO is static, and the HWADDR matches the ATTR{address} for eth0 in the 70-persistent-net.rules file.

Restart the network by issuing the command “service network restart” or you can reboot the system.

NetApp Fpolicy Tool to Block W32/XDocCrypt.a Malware

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There is a virus going around called W32/XDocCrypt.a that is causing havoc to Excel and Word files located on the network.  This virus renames files to .scr.

 

If you do not have the latest cure and your files are stored on NetApp filers, you can prevent the virus from infecting your files by using the fpolicy tool on NetApp.  The McAfee vscan for NetApp storage does not work very well.

 

On the NetApp filers,verify that fpolicy is enabled by issuing this command:

 

options fpolicy

 

If it’s not enabled, enable it:

 

options fpolicy.enable on

 

Then run the following commands:

 

fpolicy create scrblocker screen
fpolicy ext inc set scrblocker scr
fpolicy monitor set scrblocker -p cifs create,rename
fpolicy options scrblocker rquired on
fpolicy enable scrblocker -f

 

If you are using vfiler, create the above commands on the vfiler.  Also, do not specify any volume, because it does not work.

 

The fpolicy tool can also be a great tool in blocking unwanted files on your filers such as mp3. For more information on fpolicy, go to this website.