Re: Got to love undocumented fixes
'...and the implicit subtext of "touching it will break something, but nobody's sure how or why"'
And I'm the unmitigated prick who will do precisely that, on a scheduled downtime interval, to ascertain if it's still necessary and if so, precisely why, include it into a manual and log, then test the next damnable taped over switch or remove the tape after testing and change management review.
I worked in a change management lacking environment once. One day, I was happily tooling along with some patches to be manually applied via dos prompt and suddenly, my prompt promptly disappeared.
I turned to the shop supervisor and asked, "I just lost my dos prompt and can't raise it again, what did you do?".
It turned out that there was a change order and we were exempted via that order, so he helpfully tested it upon us, the BOFH mk2's.
"Stop it!" at rather high volume was projected by a voice heard by approximately 1000 men without amplification.
He subsequently rose to management, but retained access rights by chicanery and telephone calls to his office frequently revolved around "Stop it!", raising a rueful laugh in the building.
By that point, I had become in charge of information security, he kept trying to do admin things without warning, creating hell, or havoc, your choice.
Laughably, due to manpower shortages, which were infamous, I retained my network god access and worked some issues alongside the tier 2 and 3 types.
I happened to be working at one point on a modest change in a specific network and noticed that my computer logon script wasn't what I saved and worse, as I slapped a tail program on it, changes were incremental and eventually, a loop was introduced. I reached for my telephone and speed dialed one of the few entries on my speed dial.
"Carl, I'm working on the ZZZZZZZ network logon script and noticed some odd changes."
"Woo-hoo, I was working on that computer logon script, as it's part of a change order and it needs to be done. I accidentally created a loop and I'll fix it once I reboot and log on with my network cable disconnected."
"Carl, you're no longer a tech or administrator, you're a manager. STOP IT AND MANAGE", generating open laughter in the office.
I then advised him that I had the ticket, fixed his foul up and the order is marked compliant, so Stop It!.
Generating sidesplitting hilarity in the office.
Full background, that was a US military installation that is part of a command abroad, in a war theater.
I also was asked, by the installation commander how I was to enforce a SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) mandated and frequently ignored, with problematic results, a weekly mandatory reboot.
Knowing that tasking order, I had a script ready to go, which implemented active directory changes to our OU, a secondary SCCM job to push a script that did the same and a more retro approach, where the DNS and WINS server were queried and what was common and not responded to by SCCM or AD got poked the script, which performed the changes at system level.
I simply said, the network command refuses to enforce the order, so, as computers are your responsibility, what do you want to do?
He said, reboot at seven days.
Went to my office, did so. One push on the enter key was all that was needed, once logged in.
About a month later, he was briefing his General and his computer rebooted in the middle of his presentation and he related his orders.
Which he did, which much open laughter, relate to me.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
