Blog Posts

Since there's quite a few systems management related papers included, I thought it worth pointing out that this years papers from the Ottawa Linux Symposium have been posted. Among others, here's a few that caught my eye:

• Kris Buytaert's Systems Monitoring Shootout

• Fernando Laudares Camargos' Virtualization of Linux servers: a comparative study

• Gerrit Huizenga's Cloud Computing: Coming out of the fog

• David Lutterkort's Augeas---a Linux configuration API

• Edwin Zhai's Live Migration with VT-d for Linux VM

Of course, there are plenty more that look worth reading, not just relating to systems management. I think it's time to spend a few minutes digging into the archives of years past, too.

We've recently added a systems management jobs feed to the employment section of the site. This feed updates as new jobs are posted on the various employment boards. We'll be fine tuning this over the next few weeks, but it's up and running now and should provide you with a one stop shop for all available employment opportunities in the space.

There were a few bugs that had crept into the site over the past few iterations. For example, some of you reported seeing a scrollbar at the bottom of your browser that didn't actually go away; ever. Well, today I spent a few moments going through all of the reported bugs and squashing them. So far I'm fairly certain that everything reported has been fixed. That doesn't men there isn't more work to be done. So, if you're using the website, and you're experiencing issues please report them in a comment to this post. I will keep a close eye on it over the next few weeks and will fix any issues as quickly as possible.

I'll also be adding a few new features. As these become available I'll make sure to announce them so that everyone can check them out (and help test them out). In the meantime, if there's something you'd like to see on the site that would make it more useful please comment and let me know so that tlockney and I can see what we can do to improve the features for you.

I have a new vision that I have become very passionate about. Its one that I am sure many of you have already opened your eyes to. Working in the OSS community and finding ways to interconnect, leverage, mash up, synergize, pair, link in, and generally build integrations between great tools available today.

I currently run a shop that uses Zenoss Enterprise, Splunk, Variphy Insight, Zimbra, nTop, syslog-ng to provide management for Cisco networks and Cisco Unified Communications systems. The Technology Manager at CTI (ctiusa.com) are constantly coming to me asking me to build new offerings for Storage, Virtualization, Ironport, Cisco Mobility, Security and more.

I also have the knack of getting in good with the developer staff of the companies we work wtih. Shout out to Chet@Zenoss, Layne@Variphy, all the UC business units at Cisco, Cisco ROS counterparts, Kartick@Ziptie, and the boys at Netcordia.

I am really going to try and track my progress as I attempt to inspire these projects and companies to link thier systems together, openly, for the greater good of OSS management.

My next post should be regarding my decision making process as I choose a new ITIL based, Web 2.0, Rich Internet Applation, Portal providing Service Management application.

Those in the running:

Service-now

HP Service Manager

BMC Magic

Numara Footprints

Looking forward to feedback!

I have to admit that I feel uneasy about "consortiums" or web groups ( I mean, surely the primal web group is a load of flies stuck and unable to move) however I am allowing my belief in what is happening here to overcome my scepticism of the process. Apologies if this statement has trodden on any sensitive toes but I always try to write honestly and besides a doubt overcome is far preferrable to a doubt always hidden. My purpose in joining Open Managements consortium is bedded in a recognition of similar values and the need to move my own project, Human Rights TV, onto a much stronger and more viable management structure.

Structure is something I have been studying for quite a few years now, not just any type of structure but the structure of mythic form. I admit it, I was and still am inspired by Joseph Campbell and have based my analysis of most things on his observations about the four prospects of myth. When his views really bit me was with the first book I read in 1991, it was titled Primitive Mythology and on opening it I thought he was more than ambitious with chapters such as 'The Mythology of the Paeleolithic'. But the last paragraph of this book changed the way I looked at almost everything and the measure of that impact is that today, 17 years later, I can still quote most of those words. I wont bore you with that but will give you the first four words, "Mythology; and therefore civilisation...". That blew me away and over the following three years I read all of his books, and I do mean read and I do mean all, because I wanted to know how anyone could claim that mythology and civilisation were analogous. perhaps the most tangible consequence of that search is the existence of Human Rights TV.

In the evolution of this project i began to work on what I thought were ground breaking principles of management based on a sound mythic structure. You see for me the work at Human Rights TV is about more than creating an archive or building a service, it is about creating something people can believe in and want to share in (obviously with all possible cautions regarding any form of cult developing). So toiling away in my front room in London I have been piecing the elements of not just management but a whole structural approach to a sound mythic structure which has the possibility of durability long after I am gone. And, as I have said, I thought I was being ground breaking when dealing with the constituent of management and business elements in the sociological and global prospects of the mythic form. Unfortunately I found you guys and realised that actually not only was I not alone in this area but I certainly was turning up late in the day.

I say unfortunately but that is not true, I am sure you all know what it is like to work in isolation and whilst it is a path that requires focus, dedication and self belief, the discovery that you are not alone brings immense satisfaction. My intention from here on in is to try and express the whole of the structure I have been building and share some of the insights my research has given over the last 17 years. I am hoping that this will be of interest to the community and I am certainly looking forward to learning more about Open Mangement and how it fits in and compliments my own ideas.

So here I leave you and feel that I have to wonder, have I flown into a web or cut myself free from one of my own making. Best Wishes, Jack.

About a month ago, I had posted about our open source plans. It took longer than anticipated but I'm happy to announce that we've launched the development site and released RapidCMDB as an open source project.

More details on my announcement post.