Case-sensitive background images

Not every problem is a nail-biting, headache-inducing, going-to-loose-sleep-over-it mammoth. Some problem are just minor head scratchers...

Within ITM, you can create Graphical Views which will display the information in a visual fashion. I.e, you could have a floor map or draw a line of business or whatever, and add icons representing the various monitored objects. You could consider it BSM-lite or TBSM on the cheap.

One problem I just encountered was adding a background image. I did the various right-clicking necessary to bring up the list of images, but for some reason the one I wanted simply didn't show up!

Eventually, a bit of trial and error showed that the files was not showing up because it was called background.JPG instead of background.jpg. Can you see the difference?

Oh, Why can't computers overcome the minor errors and just do what we want?

-- Robert

A problem with the DBVER table in the TEPS database in ITM

I've encountered a few cases in which the TEPS service would not start. The error I found in the log was something like this:

KFW1005E The version of the product 'v620_kcj7310a.tms620' does not match the data in the KFWDBVER table.

Opening up the TEPS database and looking at the KFWDBVER table shows that it's just a list of upgrades from version to version of ITM.

Part of the TEPS startup routine is evidently checking that the latest version marked in the database matches the current version. 
I have no idea why or how an miss-match might creep in, but each time I've encountered an error like this was after a newbie was let loose on a test server and told to "play with it & try out upgrading"...

So, how do we solve this problem? I've solved it in three different ways, but take into account that these were all test servers, so I had nothing to loose.

1. Editing the DBVER table with my DB tool of choice so that the latest version written matches what the log says ITM is looking for - This should return everything to normal.



2. Opening the ITM manager, right click TEPS, right click Utilities, click Build TEPS database - This will reset the TEPS database and start you off will a fresh environment.
   
   
   Since the TEPS will immediately synchronize with the TEMS, all you'll loose are your personal configurations.



3. Reinstalling TEPS - As I said, this is a bug I've only seen in test environments, so no harm in just reinstalling.

In short, this is an annoying problem with a short(though surgical) solution which brings you back to normal or a "hammer" solution. You've just got to choose which you prefer.

-- Robert

Why Study the Greeks : A Video

My latest Internet find is Academic Earth; an aggregation of video courses and lectures from various top universities and scholars.

Let's look at this lecture for example...

Donald Kagan, Introduction to Ancient Greek History (Yale University: Open Yale Courses), http://oyc.yale.edu (Accessed April 2, 2009). License: Open Yale Courses Terms of Use

Professor Donald Kagan explains why people should study the ancient Greeks. He argues that the Greeks are worthy of our study not only because of their vast achievements and contributions to Western civilization (such as in the fields of science, law, and politics) but also because they offer a unique perspective on humanity. To the Greeks, man was both simultaneously capable of the greatest achievements and the worst crimes; he was both great and important, but also mortal and fallible. He was a tragic figure, powerful but limited. Therefore, by studying the Greeks, one gains insight into a tension that has gripped and shaped the West and the rest of the world through its influence. In short, to study the Greeks is to study the nature of human experience.

But not only does this site have the video - let's face it, anyone can just video a lecture and pop it onto the net these days - it also has some very nice options, which tell me that some thought was put into this:

1. You can watch the streaming video OR download the full movie.
2. You can download just the audio - so you can listen while you jog, ride or drive.
3. You also get whatever handouts were available for the lecture.
4. You can get (this is what impressed me most) the transcript of the lecture.
5. There are links to networks (facebook, del.icio.us, etc)
6. For the academics among us - there's even an official way to cite the lecture!

I read much faster than I can listen or watch and I'd love to have transcripts of much of what I watch.

The various lectures are on a wide variety of topics, covering what any thinking person could want and more is being added all the time, of course.

In short, this site is very well done and a lot of thought has been put into how people can extract information from it. This is what the "Internet" is all about - easy access to high quality information.

Enjoy!

-- Robert