Was he/she black? Dont break any mirrors while your at it :) On Mon, Dec 7, 2009 at 5:23 PM, MDK <rea...@muddyfrogwater.us> wrote:
> So, I get to the workshop this afternoon, and walk in. There's a cat on > my chair. I have NO idea how he got in, other than he must have dashed > through the door as I walked in or out. I specifically made sure he > wasn't > in the next to last time I walked in or out. > > And, of course, as soon as I kicked the heat on and it warmed up, the > pungent aroma.... he'd messed under my rollaround desk chair... > > And I had rolled the chair through it to sit at my workstation. > > ( pounds head slowly against monitor. slowly, of course, I have a > splitting headache from lack of sleep....) > > > > -------------------------------------------------- > From: "RickG" <rgunder...@gmail.com> > Sent: Monday, December 07, 2009 12:02 PM > To: "WISPA General List" <wireless@wispa.org> > Subject: Re: [WISPA] One long @#$%& day! > > > I've had a great experince over the past few years with StarOS/WRAP > > combos. > > They just work. With that said, I am slowly migrating to > > Mikrotik/Routerboards because I like the control they offer. So far, they > > just work as well. -RickG > > > > On Mon, Dec 7, 2009 at 12:39 PM, jree...@18-30chat.net < > > jree...@18-30chat.net> wrote: > > > >> SShhh, don't tell him that, hes a StarOS guy =) > >> > >> Along the same, my primary site went down last night, cycling every > >> 30~45seconds. -15F reported at the site this morning. RB433 is spec'd > >> for -4F W T F > >> > >> Time to replace it with a few NS's and a RB450/750 in better temp > >> controlled > >> case. To bad they do not make a RB790 with POE =) > >> > >> > >> jp wrote: > >> > I don't think an rb14 can handle the power need of multiple XR cards. > >> > > >> > I'd suggest unless you have a good reason besides saving $100, either > >> > use routerboards or stick to manufactured radio systems from a > >> > reputable > >> > and reliable manufacturer. > >> > > >> > You pay more money or give up a little flexibility, but it gives YOU > >> > more time to gain customers, sleep, etc... I love tinkering as much as > >> > the next guy, and I have a a variety of MT links, but I stick to > >> > familiar and trusted components despite the alluring variety of parts > >> > out there. Far Far outnumbering MT radios on my network are brand name > >> > radios from folks like Alvarion, Trango, and others. If I built all my > >> > radios and APs, I'd be out of business in a hurry as I'd be working > >> > full > >> > time tinkering instead of running an ISP, or hiring staff to build > >> > radio equipment instead of installing and taking care of customers. > >> > > >> > > >> > On Mon, Dec 07, 2009 at 03:49:59AM -0800, MDK wrote: > >> >> It's 2:30 AM... > >> >> > >> >> I just drove up to the house, and walked VERY fast inside. After > >> >> all, > >> >> weather.com says that it's 12 degrees and an 8 MPH wind. In their > >> head, > >> >> maybe. Outside of the little valley I live in, the wind's more > like > >> 25 > >> >> mph. There's no snow on the ground. > >> >> > >> >> I don't make a habit of staying up late, but last night, I was doing > >> one of > >> >> those "let's just have some fun" looking around sessions on EBAY. > >> >> Next > >> >> thing I knew, it was nearly 3AM. Without shutting anything down, I > >> just > >> >> crawled into bed. At 8:45 my cell phone rang... I didn't answer > it, > >> but I > >> >> did get up. Looked at my computer and Peer Monitor says... nothing > is > >> >> connected. Now, I have had some issues with one of the dist points > >> >> a > >> few > >> >> miles outside of town. It had randomly locked up 3 times last > week. > >> >> Each time, I thought I had found the problem and not worried about > it. > >> >> > >> >> The first time for instance, it was extremely dense fog, and I found > >> >> the > >> >> ventilation fan running in the box. Thinking I had sucked in too > >> >> much > >> >> damp, I just shut it off and rebooted. The locked up system is a > >> mini-itx > >> >> board and RB 14 adapter card W/4 radios... > >> >> > >> >> Obviously, I was wrong. Something was wrong. It had run since > >> Friday, > >> >> but now it's Sun AM and PM says I've been off for 3 hours. It's > died > >> >> 2 > >> >> other times since the fog incident, so... Houston, we have a > >> >> problem... > >> >> > >> >> I quick yanked on some clothes and drove up the mountain to the site, > >> used > >> >> the step ladder to get to the box lid and looked in. Restarted and > >> >> everything went off just fine. But, it's now done this several > >> times. > >> >> And that's not good or right. I look in the van. Spare mini-ITX > >> board, > >> >> licensed. Spare RB14, 2 spare radios, including an XR5, just like > >> what's > >> >> up there. Anyway, morning zips by, and I have an appointment in > the > >> >> afternoon to switch a family friend's computer out for her. So, I > go > >> to do > >> >> that and she's not home. That's odd. I could have sworn she said > >> she'd be > >> >> there at 2... I wanted to be home, nice and warm and setting up the > >> new > >> >> board so I could change in in daylight tomorrow. > >> >> > >> >> So, I go to the workshop and do some stuff I've been putting off and > >> >> ... > >> >> fall asleep, waiting for an OS install to finish. When I wake up, > >> >> it's > >> >> after 5. Must have slept at least 15 min... Sheesh. So, I get up, > >> drive > >> >> over to house, start the project. 30 min later, my phone beeps. > >> >> Text > >> >> message... Site's down. ARRRGGH. > >> >> > >> >> 25 minute drive to the site and I reboot it. Go home, pull out the > >> parts > >> >> and start to assemble the whole thing. It goes down again . Drive > >> back > >> >> up, restart. This time, nothing will coax it into running. > >> >> Finally, > >> I > >> >> pull everything out, and take it home. Now the phone's going nuts. > >> >> I > >> just > >> >> put 60 customers down. I take it home, cause it's COLD out there on > >> the > >> >> hillside... and everything runs flawlessly. Just to be judicious, I > >> grab a > >> >> config backup off of it, 'cause it's changed lately and my last > backup > >> is a > >> >> few weeks old. > >> >> > >> >> I haul it up the mountain, put it back in place... No run. > >> >> So, I go home, grab the spare mini-itx, use the backup config and > haul > >> it up > >> >> the mountain. > >> >> > >> >> Won't boot. Doesn't even beep. Power comes on, but no beep. > >> >> > >> >> Haul it down the mountain, back home (this is .7 miles of rocky > >> >> pasture > >> I > >> >> drive through at idle in 1st gear, then 5 miles of paved road. Takes > >> >> 20 > >> min > >> >> round trip) with all the parts. Runs flawlessly. Haul it back > up > >> the > >> >> mountain, plug it in, boots, but locks 5 to 60 seconds after booting. > >> >> > >> >> Inspect EVERYTHING (it's dark, so had to do it all by flashlight) > >> >> again. > >> I > >> >> see nothing. So, I grab the spare RB14, switch the radios over and > >> plug it > >> >> in. Boots. Lights flash. Fire up the laptop and no. It's not > >> working. > >> >> log in through ethernet port... NO RADIOS DETECTED. > >> >> > >> >> Put old RB14 back in, change one radio. Boots up. Logs in. all > >> radios > >> >> detect, data flowing to customers. > >> >> > >> >> Drive home. Try to thaw out. The wind up there is 25 mph and it > >> >> cuts > >> >> like a knife through you. Log in from home and watch everything, > >> suddenly > >> >> noticed one of the ap radios has no clients. Odd. Look at config, > >> looks > >> >> ok, reset radio, clients begin to associate. As they slowly hop on, > >> I'm > >> >> sitting there wondering why this... and just then, PM suddenly > starts > >> >> popping up red. Sure enough. System locked. > >> >> > >> >> Drive up the mountain, put in second spare radio in place of XR5 and > >> boot. > >> >> (Spare XR5, was used for 2 weeks in temp site). System boots and > >> >> runs > >> and > >> >> ... No link to the XR5. Try new pigtail. Dead. How > strange. > >> It > >> >> worked fine just 9 days ago, and it's been stored in the ALIX board > it > >> was > >> >> installed and working in all this time. > >> >> > >> >> As I'm sitting and watching while sitting in the van, trying to stop > >> >> shivering with the heat on full blast, It locks up again. I reboot. > >> >> Everything comes up, I had put the old XR5 in, and everything starts > >> >> working - apparently it wasn't the pigtail, just the replacement XR5 > >> that > >> >> had no output. Waited 15 min, still running. Go home. Look at > >> >> Peer > >> >> Monitor. All Green. Suddenly, a bunch of stuff goes red, and > >> >> it's > >> all > >> >> far away. Call partner. He's a whole state away, forgot he wasn't > >> coming > >> >> back from his relatives until Mon night... But the red stuff's near > >> him. > >> >> As is the workshop. > >> >> > >> >> It's now almost 11 pm. The van has almost no gas left, the nearest > >> open > >> >> gas station is 23 miles away. So, I drive to the workshop, to find > >> out > >> >> why on earth the shop and some other stuff was red, and everything's > >> fine > >> >> when I get there. Finally decided that I must have removed a > >> >> routing > >> >> statement earlier that I needed instead of the right one. Started > >> going up > >> >> the chain, looking at all the routing. No routing errors located, > >> >> but > >> the > >> >> very last device before the backhaul to the site that feeds my > >> >> town.... > >> >> shows no link. I call home, son verifies... Site's down again. > >> >> > >> >> Said a few angry outbursts... Looked around found another new > RB14, > >> put > >> >> ALL new radios in it. Determine the new RB14 doesn't look anything > >> >> like > >> the > >> >> old one. Determined which slots are numbered which, so I can know > >> which > >> >> pigtails go where... Go to gas station, get gas. Stop at Walmart > >> >> on > >> the > >> >> way back, get REALLY WARM HAT for the head, and drive back to the > >> mountain. > >> >> Somewhere in there I stopped and got junk food to eat too. Hadn't > >> >> had > >> food > >> >> since 1:30 PM. Was feeling faint. That took over an hour. > >> >> > >> >> Drive back up the mountain, remove old RB14 and old radios, put in > >> >> new. > >> >> System wont' start now. > >> >> > >> >> Pull board and everyting, look at it in the light. See no problem. > >> Put > >> >> it back in, plug everything in, then I found I had bumped the "off" > >> switch > >> >> on the #$%&^ power strip. Flip switch, plug in PS, lights come > on. > >> >> > >> >> Since no XR9 is in use now, a pigtail is wrong, so I get a new piggy > >> >> and > >> >> replace the old one with a UFL/NFBulkhead... Piggy is cold and it > >> >> takes > >> >> about 30 tries to get the UFL connector on, even tried "warming" it > >> >> with > >> my > >> >> hands. Err, my hand shaped chunks of ice. It takes 3 sessions to > >> get > >> >> the pigtail in place on the bulkhead end. It took several to get the > >> >> UFL > >> end > >> >> on. I was able to stand outside just long enough to push the > >> >> threaded > >> end > >> >> through the hole. Go sit in van. Get out, get nut properly > >> >> threaded. > >> >> Get back in van. Tighten nut with fingers. Can't find tools I > >> >> had > >> >> earlier. Get in van. Finally, get out of van with gloves on, and > >> hand > >> >> tighten the n connector. Get back in van. Can't feel my hand > touch > >> my > >> >> face. My hand can't feel the difference betwene inside the glove, > in > >> front > >> >> of the incredibly hot air coming out of the heater, or touching the > >> >> cold > >> >> glass window beside me. I could not even get 2 minutes outside > before > >> pain > >> >> so intense from the cold wind drove me back inside. Drive home. > >> >> > >> >> EVERYTHING IS UP. Oh, wait. Several sites are going > >> >> yellow/red/yellow/green/yellow/red repeat adnauseum... > >> >> > >> >> So, I start looking. Finally, discover that the 3.65 backhaul has > >> >> 120 > >> to > >> >> 400 ms ping times across it. Even though it's passing just 40 to > >> >> 100KB > >> of > >> >> data. Restart both ends. No help. Then, I noticed that > quality > >> on > >> >> end is zilch, but the other end is running 18 to 36 speed, instead of > >> 54. > >> >> Lock back faster end to 36 and pings drop to 2-8 ms. Great. > >> >> Another > >> bad > >> >> XR3... This one's up on a pole, about 18 feet off the ground, on > top > >> of a > >> >> hill at a wind powered site. I think it'll wait until tomorrow. > >> >> > >> >> Oh, wait... I ##$%%^ forgot to close the danged gate, so I drove back > >> >> up > >> the > >> >> mountain. Closed gate. Wind is 5 mph stronger AT LEAST and 2-4 > >> degrees > >> >> COLDER than it was last time I was up there. The moon is pretty. > >> Stars > >> >> are awesome. I can't stand outside to admire them. > >> >> > >> >> Ok, the system's been up for long enough. I'm going to bed. Now > >> >> it's > >> >> 3:30 and I can't keep my eyes open. I hope I'm forgiven if I turn > >> >> off > >> the > >> >> cell phone and hope to sleep in.... And I still DON"T KNOW WHICH > >> PARTS > >> >> ARE GOOD OR BAD!!!!!!! > >> >> > >> >> I'm going to have nightmares. > >> >> > >> >> > >> >> > >> >> > >> > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > >> >> WISPA Wants You! 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