Checksum Arcanius

After attempted to run the open-source Math software Sage on Frankenputen and being harshly greeted by an error message claiming that libc was out of date, Bobby and I decided that it was time to upgrade the Dapper Drake edition of Ubuntu Linux that was running the server to the modern Gutsy Gibbon edition.

The first attempt was an abject failure. Used to Debian’s nearly perfect reliability, I thought I could get away with upgrading direct from Dapper to Gutsy by simply changing my sources.list file, the running apt-get update followed by apt-get dist-upgrade. Well, this series of actions ended quite poorly — what was left over was a pretty broken, not very-installed hybrid of Dapper and Gutsy. So, after some tinkering and with some help from Bobby, we managed to revert — eventually — to Dapper. Bobby then set about doing a more incremental upgrade, stepping from Dapper to Edgy to Feisty and then to Gutsy (notice the progression of letters). This apparently worked, almost.

Well, it did work, but at the same time something else broke. Namely, the kernel version shipped with Gutsy — 2.6.22 — and a package called evms do not coexist peacefully. The result was a system that would being the boot procedure and then get stuck in an infinite loop of error messages. The key services — such as SSH — that we would normally use to try to fix the problem never came up, so all hope was lost, right? Well, not quite.

Back when Dan purchased all the smograsbord (sp?) of technology that now comprises Frankenputen, the computer currently responsible for serving much of silverfir.net’s content, he had the foresight to purchase an nice little piece of technology called a RILOE card. RILOE stands for Remote Insight: Lights Out Edition. Basically, its a video card with a network port on the back. It runs a web server, which allows administrators to access a variety of functions on the server as if the administrator where at the computer physically. Even more spectacularly, it has a virtual local console — basically a virtual screen that shows exactly what would be on the real screen. So when the server was dead to the rest of the world, after a little tinkering, I was able to log in and watch the system boot from the ground up — even the BIOS messages are visible! Its really like being at the computer in pretty much every pertinent way expect physical proximity.

Watching the system come up gave some error messages which Google turned into problem-solving tips. Then, by booting an older kernel, uninstalling evms, and rebooting, the machine was back to working as good as old. But with a bunch of upgrades of course!

Beautiful, sunny, cool, clear, crisp… two days ago
(Perfect day for a bike ride with Bobby)

Rainstorm followed by snowstorm, icy roads, wrecked cars… yesterday
(Interesting day to celebrate Courtney’s 24th 21st Birthday)

Beautiful, cool, sunny, with patches of snow… today
(Love it or hate it, it is amazing.)

What if her sister really is more attractive?

:-) (!)

I have been thinking about New Years Resolutions for a couple of days now. Here is a start:

Be more honest with myself and with others. While I rarely lie outright, too often I purposefully mislead people with innuendo and subtlety. I would like to do this less, and generally be more straightforward with people.

Graduate Cum Laude. If present trends hold, this means I’ll have to achieve at least a 3.71, a notch above my current 3.70.

Be accepted into UW CSE‘s new 5th-year Masters program. Whether I accept is to be determined.

Fully heal my right knee by consistently following physical therapy suggestions and regular workouts.

Participate in a triathlon.

Get a six-pack. I have a $250 wager going with Maneesh on this one.

What do you get when you take three competitors, a board, and the game of world domination? A three-hour stalemate!

First of all, Happy New Year! Its hard to believe that we are getting pretty close to the end of the first decade in the 2000s. For me, last year was full of tremendous blessings and exciting times, and I look forward to another good year.

I have been very busy since Christmas, hosting several parties and attending several more, visiting with friends and family, and generally avoiding real responsibility for a while. Among my activities:

• Christmas Day with my parents, sister, and nephew. I was tremendously blessed this year.
• Hosting the TRC Alumni Potluck — I brought together a few people from the olden days of the TRC at my place for good food and good company.
• The arrival of Ben and Kaylee, my brother and sister-in-law
• Attending the McElroy Family Christmas Party — With the traditional visit to a theatrical venue — this time it was Seattle Children Theater’s “Neverending Story.”
• Hosting a spectacular “Friends and Family” dinner where I acted as sous-chef and the food came out incredibly perfect. Perhaps the best ever overall dinner I’ve had at my parent’s place.
• Two new year’s eve parties — the first at the Marsh’s and the second home at my place. The former involved a Wii, and the latter involved fireworks, the Great Dalmuti, and a few too many drunk people for optimal enjoyment.

All in all, I had a great time, and I was especially grateful to see Scott and Maneesh again, as well as catching up with Amy, Kat, and a few other people from the International School days.

And I still have Christmas gifts to deliver, but I’ve always been a bit slow that way.