Kevin McDonalds Blog

• Operational:
  • 152 Magic Tickets for Applications Hosting
  • Performed periodic database maintenance for Corporate Time
  • Applied all Sun recommended patches and security patches to approximately ½ of the Sun environment. The other ½ is scheduled for August.
• Security Enhancements:
  • Service Console Migration – to a private non-routed LAN.
• Messaging:
  • Changed various domain’s MX records in order to load balance across mail exchangers.  Has had immediate impact on load distribution across mail exchangers. 
  • Successfully tested VUMailguard Digest Authenticaiton via LDAPs with AD and our LDAP servers.
  • Created script to detect message loops on list server.  Has already detected two instances which were resolved immediately.
• Storage / Backup:
  • Implemented second SAN Director (Cisco 9509)
  • Finished evaluation of the EMC EDL. We are returning it.
  • Started evaluation of Legato Backup to Disk solution.
  • Started an evaluation of various de-duplication technologies including microsofts DPM and Data Domains hardware device.
• ESM / Metrics
  • Minor progress of monitoring improvements.
• Projects:
  • Web Architecture Migration:
    • Complete! We are now in the process of load balancing the entire web service.
  • Teamspeak Server
    
    • In production
  • Helix Streaming Media Server
    
    • Underway
  • VUNETID Batch, Web, and Database separation
    
    • Underway
  • Boinc Distributed Computing
    • Fully deployed
  • Magic 9.0 Upgrade:
    
    • Scheduled for August 3^rd.
  • Flash Streaming Media Server
    
    • Deployed
  • Load Balancing the Mailgate SMTP environment
    
    • In Analysis phase
  • SharePoint Implementation
    • Beta environment is 95% ready. Will be released in August.
  • CSM Implementation:
    • The following web services have been load balanced:
      • fevs01.its.vanderbilt.edu (its)
      • fevs02.its.vanderbilt.edu (vanity domains)
      • fevs03.its.vanderbilt.edu (blogs)
      • fevs04.its.vanderbilt.edu (studentorgs)
      • fesv06.its.vanderbilt.edu (www4)
  • OSIS
    
    • In production!
  • DNS/DHCP:
    • DiamondIP research continues
  • SCOM:
    • Project on hold pending a Nagios upgrade
  • VUSpace3
    
    • Kicked off project, evaluating various alternatives for replacement.
• Virtual Infrastructure
  • Added Blair School of Music
  • Added Vanderbilt Institute Research Group (VIRG)
  • Created a reliable ESX Test Environment
  • HA and DRS fully operational in the test environment.
  • Automated ESX HBA pathing / failover.
• Administrative
  • 5 staff attended ITIL foundation training (all are now certified)

6 staff attended Sharepoint System Administration training