I recommend that you remove the words physical an virtual from your user
interaction vocabulary, they don't care, know, or need to know in almost all
cases.
Tell them that the TurboCool server which runs WizzBangApp is having problems
with xyz and don't worry about physical/virtual/whatever. In cases where it's
actually a host issue, then modify it has TurboCool and HostGeek are part of
the underlying infrastructure running your WizzBangApp.
Since you already know they only understand the app side of the equation, go
ahead and reference both the app and the server in all your communications with
them so that
a) they have some clue what you're talking about
b) they begin to correlate the pieces together in the event that you slip up
and forget or someone else references the server side without the app side name.
You can even extend the method to include the name / software name / server
name / host platform name if you really want and as appropriate. They might be
running 10 different web based applications with acronyms for names which are
totally meaningless to people outside they're group, but they all run on
Apache, or IIS, or whatever, and while they probably don't care about any of
that, giving them the information if you can do so without too much extra
effort, either on your part to generate it or their part to listen, can only
improve their understanding of how things work.
Yes, it probably makes your communications a little more wordy than you'd like.
No, they probably won't really care what things are called as long as you fix
it.
--
There are 10 kinds of people in the world...
those who understand binary and those who don't.
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On
Behalf Of geoff
Sent: Monday, July 14, 2014 1:50 PM
To: ntsysadm
Subject: [NTSysADM] Stupid terminology question
OK sanity check please.
When referring to the system your windows O/S tied to whether it is physical or
virtual what term do you use? Essentially I need a good term that covers both
physical and virtual in a single term.
The best I have come up with is host but even that is confusing in some circles.
Rant below if you want to read it
<steps up on soapbox>
I have numerous clients that refer to their server by their application name.
OK, I get that. They see their environment as important, and don't care about
the underlying O/S. But when I report some problem to them that involves the
hostname they are like the proverbial deer in the headlights. "But that's not
what it is called!" they retort. In the old days I would bite my tongue and
patiently explain that my hostname is the physical system supporting their
environment and with faces sufficiently saved we would move on. Now I get "But
there isn't this a virtual server?"
Hence my question.
Don't even think about the discussion that ensues when it is getting underlying
ESXi server that has an issue.
<soap box stowed beneath desk till next needed>
gt
I'm just Playbookin' around
