[MacCheetah3]

Hi

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I think the worst part is having to deal with the end user -- they always seem to think you can fix it in 2 seconds, and don't understand why you don't just know the problem when they explain what happened and what is going on in that wierd end-user tongue, not to mention bugging you every ten seconds reaffirming how important their job is and that they can't work b/c their machine is down.. ARGHHH!!!

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Agreed. Of course, that happens on any platform or with almost any electronic doo-dad that people have troubles with and they think you are some godly expert.
Thank God it always got too late in the semester to do some severe crash/recovery projects. Well, that is mainly because we had so many problems just doing the normal stuff straight the book. And both times I had a worthless partner. this being Novell and Windows Server. However, I will admit even though I got the gist of it, the Cisco courses become mind boggling. I understand greatly why it really helps to know most of that stuff, however some I don't know about, but all I have to say is....WOW! Even after reading some paragraphs over and over I simply said...sure...and continued on completely confused but simply trying to just remember the phrase itself. Anywho. Enough talk about this... :: covers his ears and curls up in a ball on the floor :: I DON'T WANT TO REMEMBER!
MacCheetah3
"Me lose brain?..Uh, oh!..Ha ha ha!..Why I laugh?"

[Nobody]

Don't worry about the confusion it is normal.. heck i can't remember most of the stuff i was taught about Cisco.. just keep a good desktop reference handy.. there is too much to memorize.. after doing it a bit "in the field" you will memorize the basics and learn the short cuts and be able to quickly diagnose most problems.. i think the experience in the world is the best way to learn Cisco.. it is just far too mind boggling to try to do it in class.. don't feel too bad.. even the CCIE guys that i know still heavily rely on the references.. just make sure you know enough to pass the Cert exams.. then you are set.. (Cisco is painfully confusing - thus the reason why most Cisco certified people get paid very well for that cert). Oh and it also pays to keep a good Nix command hand book with you -- I use the Linux System Commands (Ultimate shop manual) by Patrick Volkerding and Kevin Reichard published by M&T books... this manual is excellent and has aided me throughout my professional life... There is also a simial Cisco programming command book and troubleshooting book out there that is a definite must have.. get those and you will do well.. trust me!!

[Noela]

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If only all networks were Mac -- we wouldn't have half of these problems - at least then when an error occurs it isn't a fluke or inexplicable...

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Heeej this is exactly what I am willing to hear from network admin. Our guy is PC guy all over, and he says macs cannot do half of the things on the network what PCs do (he's probably just confused as he still havent figured the way to make me and very very few mac people left in the house switch back to pcs (I guess there's no such a way), although he claims that all friends of his switched from macs to pcs because of osX, which is hard to work with (I wonder...)). So basically there's no real support available for macs. I wish we would have network admin someone saying what you said!
/Noela

[Nobody]

i truly wish i could say that a Mac can do all of the things a PC can.. but it isn't so... some softwares used on networks can not be run on mac (though these are getting fewer by the day) and those that can't be, well there are similiar apps available for mac, that do virtually the same thing. Tell you what... tell him that i said, "Not only can i build a network of Macs that will do everything that your PC network will, but mine will run far more efficiently and with far fewer problems".
As far as OS X is concerned.. it is a lot easier to work with than the earlier OSs. Truly i think this IT guy of yours needs to sit down one on one with a mac for a while and perhaps he will see the light.. he also should do some heavy research on it, and it will show that he has a few facts wrong.. Granted i can't run the exact same software as him in all occasions but for those that i can't, as i said before, there are equivalents.

[Nobody]

oh just to clear things up.. a Mac can't do everything that a PC can.. but the same is true in reverse.. the PC can't do everything that a Mac can.

[SueG]

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he also should do some heavy research on it, and it will show that he has a few facts wrong..

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Aye, there's the rub.
Why should he go to all that work only to end up with egg on his face? You're assuming that he sincerely wants to know, and be of service. Sometimes it seems a dominance thing (he is the pro, so doesn't have to listen or learn), or a laziness thing (he knows the stuff listed in the job description, so don't expand his job). In any case, we sympathise with you Noela.

[CrecenS]

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oh just to clear things up.. a Mac can't do everything that a PC can.. but the same is true in reverse.. the PC can't do everything that a Mac can.

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TOO TRUE! Macs make for horrible door stops, and PCs make for horrible computers.
A Mac running OSX with VPC and X11 can run every app under the sun (more or less).

[Nobody]

very true.. not to mention the fact that you can client out the VPC to all macs on the network.. so they pull OS pack and content from a server.. almost as you would do Citrix Metaframe on Sun Ray client systems

[Noela]

My personal opinion that it is more of dominance thing ("I am not self-promoted professional, I actually studied the thing"). Some guys think they are gods..
And complete control - in our case, all pc users have accounts on the server, all mac users have local accounts, and if I put on my FW and turn off file sharing, it's hard (impossible) to get in. And then - does it really takes 5 hours to track the location of a mac with wrong name on the network of many pcs and 10-15 macs?
However, I must admit that our mixed network is functioning properly and we get problems with servers very rarely.
/Noela
It's a bit off topic /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

[Nobody]

I hope you weren't referring to me there... ha ha.
There seems to be a common complex amongst network admins - the god complex --- we do tend to get it, i mean with the network under our control we can literally control the business, so sometimes they get big heads. Network admins are generally very proud and all... so they don't take it to well when people tell them they are wrong or need to do something differently... at least that is in my experience...
As for tracing your mac... Well, i guess that really depends on how they go about doing it. I don't think it should take 5 hours, matter of fact, i don't think it should take anywhere near that long. but the timing is dependant upon the way the network is setup.. since i don't know your network i couldn't tell you. Also you have to take into consideration how much of the network you come in contact with.. But really.. all they need is your computers name (with that you can get the IP, users name.. etc...), and should be able to find you.
I must admit though i am somewhat at a loss.. i have never really had the experience on a mixed network like that.. i mean sure mixed OSs (win, linux, unix, free bsd, etc...) but never really PC and Mac (other than my home network - but that isn't exactly the kind of network we are talking about here), so i can't say too much for certain... though the concept is simple.. it might be a bit different in use ya know?? All the networks i have worked were either all PC or all Mac... no real exceptions... I think it would be interesting to work on a mixed network though.. i will have to try it sometime.