Glass in the Garden

So here I am sitting watching the sunset with a glass of Pinot Noir and Glass, Philip on the ‘pod (Music in Twelve Parts, thanks for asking) wondering how it had come to this. The answer, is a combination of Microsoft, Exchange and upgrades.

Today I finally got around to upgrading the company to Microsoft Exchange 2003 Service Pack 2. OK, so I am not an “early adopter” of Microsoft products, especially their service packs, but hey, when was it ever a good idea to load up something from mickey, hot off the presses? (Oh by the way watch out for IE7, they are going to force it down your throats as a “critical” hot fix). So I have read the documentation, run the Best Practices Analyser, tuned and fettled the registry and have the servers running like a Bugatti around Goodwood. The backup last night completed sucessfully, so I have my get out of jail for free cards in my pocket. I uninistall the “intelligent” mail filter (as per recommendations), install SP2 and reboot. Didn’t ask for a reboot, but since when has it not been a good idea to reboot a windows server after a service pack?

So up comes the server and I log on, start Exchange System manager and go off to configure IMFv2. Frell! the things not there. Quick bit of google, hit mickeys site, the screenshots show IMF where it was in the old version. Belgium! OK, DONT PANIC. Try re-installing SP2. Done. Reboot. Same, Not there. Belgium! Belgium! Belgium! Belgium! Belgium!

Back to google, OK look for the bloggers. Ah Ha! I need to have this guy’s babies. Looks like that even after nearly a year in the wild, mickey and some of the main techie sites are still running old documentation. Phooey! I say a curse on your house.

So panic is now old news, quick check that everything else is working after the reboots (You do don’t you? of course it [windows] always starts properly! Yeah, right), apply post service pack patches and fixes and it is retail therapy time. Stop off at a garden centre to stock up on spring bulbs (well I need something to look forward too), Oh and an offie (liquor store) for the Pinot Noir, and it’s home, James, and don’t spare the horses, but mind the gatsos. And a happy afternoon of pottering in the garden slips seamlessly into evening and the PN (Ropiteau, Vin de Pays D’ Oc) opens (well mickeysoft upgrades give me these funny pains in the chest and red wine is now officially good for the heart) so I sit there in a deck chair looking at the sunset thinking about life and pondering on the balance (or lack thereof) in mine. Now to find that song by Lou Reed on the ‘pod.

Sláinte!