It's consumed my life for the last six to nine months... upgrading to Exchange 2003 and Windows 2003 Server (from Exchange 5.5 and NT4). The shit I'm running is so old that Microsoft won't support it anymore. If the shit breaks, I'm on my own.
On any given day, I'm very busy... no time to research, no time for continuing education... only time to react to the problem of the day.
In any given month, getting money for infrastructure upgrades is like pulling teeth. It's more important for company's sales staff to attend teambuilding exercises, and for senior management to sponsor huge corporate golf outings than it is for me to maintain and upgrade my company's core infrastructure.
Despite this, I've managed to design and implement a Windows 2003 forest and Exchange 2003 server. Integrating five disparate Exchange Systems and seven Windows NT and 2000 domains into a single divisional system has consumed my life. When I'm motivated to do it, they won't give me the money. When management pushes the issue, I don't have the time...
Finally, today, I hit a minor yet significant milestone. I've integrated calendars between the two existing Exchange 2003 servers. It's minor because it's easy. It's significant because it's something that my golf-crazed senior managers have been pushing for. Next weekend I will be implementing the same thing, except between the aforementioned (and unsupported) Exchange 5.5 servers. If -- nay, when -- I pull this off, I'll be a hero (and will be sure to give credit to the rest of the staff). It should give me enough leverage to say, "Hey, you see this? It's nothing compared to the benefits of getting everyone off of NT and on to 2003.
A little gratification, and a little excitement. Please, let me bask in it for a moment or two before throwing corporate reality into the mix, by reminding me that once senior management is satisfied, they won't care about the rest and I'll be back where I started.
On any given day, I'm very busy... no time to research, no time for continuing education... only time to react to the problem of the day.
In any given month, getting money for infrastructure upgrades is like pulling teeth. It's more important for company's sales staff to attend teambuilding exercises, and for senior management to sponsor huge corporate golf outings than it is for me to maintain and upgrade my company's core infrastructure.
Despite this, I've managed to design and implement a Windows 2003 forest and Exchange 2003 server. Integrating five disparate Exchange Systems and seven Windows NT and 2000 domains into a single divisional system has consumed my life. When I'm motivated to do it, they won't give me the money. When management pushes the issue, I don't have the time...
Finally, today, I hit a minor yet significant milestone. I've integrated calendars between the two existing Exchange 2003 servers. It's minor because it's easy. It's significant because it's something that my golf-crazed senior managers have been pushing for. Next weekend I will be implementing the same thing, except between the aforementioned (and unsupported) Exchange 5.5 servers. If -- nay, when -- I pull this off, I'll be a hero (and will be sure to give credit to the rest of the staff). It should give me enough leverage to say, "Hey, you see this? It's nothing compared to the benefits of getting everyone off of NT and on to 2003.
A little gratification, and a little excitement. Please, let me bask in it for a moment or two before throwing corporate reality into the mix, by reminding me that once senior management is satisfied, they won't care about the rest and I'll be back where I started.
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