Reboot Hell
I'm slowly going out of my mindrunning updates again, and again, and again on a server so I can demonstrate something to a client tomorrow afternoon. To even build the demowhich I haven't started yetI am having to update an old virtual machine that has been dormant for some time. Updating it has meant running various service packs. Running the service packs has meant running all manner of incremental upgradesall because the client runs an old version of the software I need to demonstrate.
I've lost two entire days watching progress bars and reboots. It's not fun any more.
I guess in many ways this is a problem caused by Windows servers in particularbecause the natural habit is to build an “all up” systemwith the domain name server, database server, application server, and user interface (browser) all running on the same box, so it becomes portable and is easy to either fire up or shut down as needs require. In the Linux world you would never do such a thingyou would only ever run the server applications, and connect externally via open protocols to the applicationsvia SSH, or HTTP.
While typing this the machine has rebooted for the second time in the last hour. As soon as it lurches into life (if it lurches into life) I will run Windows Update yet again, and go put the kettle on. Again. Of course the client that sees the demo tomorrow will have no clue how much effort went into the hour or so we'll spend on the phone, and screen sharing.
I guess after it finishes eating itself, I'll run a defrag on the disk image, and see what I can do to blow the cobwebs away to hopefully end up with a faster machine that the bloated mess I started with.
Fingers crossed.