Domain Controller Upgrade

We finally started upgrading the domain controllers (DCs) here at Translink, which are currently running Windows Server 2003, to Windows Server 2008 R2. Yay! As I told you in a previous post, this is necessary for the Exchange 2010 migration to start.

On Thursday after lunch Rory, a server technician working for Northgate, came to our office to support us with the migration.

First we set up a temporary (virtual) DC, moved the services and copied the FSMO roles to it.

Now we could start upgrading the DCs. As Windows Server 2008 R2 doesn’t allow an in-place upgrade from Windows Server 2003, we had to do a complete new installation. So we demoted the first DC to a normal member server and then removed it from the domain. Now we could install the new operating system, get a cup of tea, do some basic configurations, join the freshly installed server to the domain and run dcpromo to make it a DC again. Of course we repeated this procedure for all DCs, one at a time.

Finally we moved the FSMO roles back to the DCs they were initially running on, moved the services … and Bob’s your uncle! 😉

In the end we left the office at approximately 19:30.

A goal for Germany

It was a exciting game between Portugal and Germany. Germany played very well but they really had to be careful. C. Ronaldo always wanted to make his shot. Once it was very very close when the ball kissed the line of german goal. A few yellow cards but also some fair acts by our enemies made the game pretty nice. When Gomez made a goal for Germany in the 72nd minute I was some kind of happy.

Just to notice that I normally don’t like football. Irish Rugby is much cooler as I noticed a few weeks ago. That are real men with muscles. They really have no fear and aren’t such actors as football players.

Skillen@Enniskillen

On Thursday and Friday I spend my working hours at Enniskillen with Matt. We had to set up some diagnostic workstations in a new hospital, which is not opened yet, the South West Acute Hospital. There is an old hospital in Enniskillen but this is really obsolete. We had to get some of the workstations which were used in the old hospital to bring them to the new hospital. We couldn’t take all of the workstations we planned to take with us because some doctors said that they would still use them so we had to take some more on Friday.

The new hospital is really huge and looks more like a hotel than a hospital. There was a security guy at the entrance who said that we aren’t allowed to enter the building without a access permission. Of course, Matt did not have a access permission and our contact person did not answer his phone, so we had to wait approximately 15 min, although we lost lots of time in the old hospital. After passing the security guy we could bring the PCs and screens upstairs and start wirering and configuring.

On Friday we had to return to the SWAH to install some more PCs and screens and to fininsh configuring.

A relaxed long weekend…

Hey guys,
this long weekend is not so much happened what I can tell about it, but maybe about next weekend I could tell something, because we want to go to the Lisburn Leisure Park with Irlands biggest leisure water park and with a nice cinema for looking the new film MiB3. For all that, at my work I have developed some new webparts and new toolparts for our Sharepoint Server, in addition to them I have installed and configured a new virtualized developing server with all important tools which extend our developing infrastructure with more mobility and independency for our developing team. Well, I look forward to next days until we fly back to Germany and I enjoy my last complete weekend at Northern Irland.

Olympic Torch

This year the olympic games takes place in London. Before this event there is a torch relay around United Kingdom. Fortunately the torch is also in Belfast and we can see the event at first hand. Therefore I went, after the work, directly to the City Council, where should be a big show. This place was spacious separated and you need a wristband to come in. Unfortunately Benny and myself had no wristband, that we could get before the event for free. So we went to a point where we should see the torch and indeed we have seen the torch and the whole convoy. I was so facinated that I ran parallel to the torch. The mood along this way was amazing: the cars honked,  the crowd called and the torch runners were so happy. Destination was at the City Council where was a huge crowd to see the olympic flame.  At the end they stuck the flame into a small container. If you want to see the very close recordings, have a look at the following videos and pictures.

Olympic Torch Relay 2012 at Belfast – Number 1

Olympic Torch Relay 2012 at Belfast – Number 2

Olympic Torch Relay 2012 at Belfast – Number 3

The queen was celebrated

Hi guys,

the days of the celebration of the queen, are ended.
I and the other guys from our apartment have not really celebrated it.

I was on Monday with Martin in the city hall, where was many entertainment about the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. We have seen dancer from the eighties years and many other things from the former and actual live of the queen.

On Monday was also, beside the City Hall, a international market, with German, France, Mexican and other people from different countries.
Of course with many food. There was for everybody something there. 🙂
It was very interesting to see, what Irishman’s as typical German interpret, for example the Polish „Krakauer“ is according the Irishman a German sausage. Hmm, no comment. 😀

Best regards from Belfast
Benjamin

The second last Week

The second last week started today. Due to two bank holidays, this week started on Wednesday. At the weekend we spend some time on watching Star Trek on TV, watching Avangers Ensembel in cinema and on eating. So this weekend wasn’t exciting at all. We were kind of tired so we decided to relax and save some energy for the rest of the week. Moreover it’s raining all day long, so we had no attraction to leave the apartment.

I hoped, that SCCM would have finished installing some updates on my servers, but it hasn’t. Matt is not in the office, so I had some time so write my report about my working experience here in Belfast. I’m really looking forward to get back home next week..

Queen’s Diamond Jubilee

These days are the celebration of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. Granted, the main festivities are in London, but also a lot of cities of Great Britain had celebrations – Even in Belfast. At the City Council was a market with a lot of stalls called the „Continental Market“. People from all over the world sold theirs traditional things like something to eat, to wear or anything else. Even Germany was here and sold the „German Krakauer“ at the „Schwenkgrill“. And I thought this is a Polish speciality^^. The price for a saussage was typical Irish: 4,50 £. I tried the Spannish Paella which tasted very delicious. The British people sold they sweet cookies and muffins that I’ve never seen before. A huge choclate muffin with marshmallow on top. I think the sugar and calories are enough for a whole week.
After this culinary highlight, Benny and me went to a pub, where we’ve seen the big concert at Buckingham Palace for the Queen at the TV. I heard something about the „Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Beacons“ here in Belfast. 4000 beacons would be lit aorund the Commonwealth at almost the same time. The parade here in Belfast was certainly not the big deal.

Dublin visit

Hi guys,

on Saturday, we have visited the capital city of Ireland: Dublin.
The day started 7 o’Clock with muesli (like everyday). The bus started 8 o’Clock from the Europa Bus Centre in Belfast.
After the arriving in Dublin we have as the first visited the GPO (General Post Office). Of course have we also seen the amazing „spire“ beside the GPO.

After a small lunch we are gone in the „Phoenix Park“, a very big park in the middle of the city.

Then, we have done a small excursion in a famous prison of Dublin. It is named „Kilmainham Gaol“. It was very interesting to see, how the people previously captured were.

At the end of the day we have drunk a farewell beer in a traditional pub in the „Tempel Bar“-quarter.

Best regards from Belfast
Benjamin

Bank holiday in Dublin

Today Josephine and myself went to the Grafton Street but sadly we didn’t know that there was a women marathon today. The street was totally full of people. When we saw a wall of people we stopped and searched for a way around the crowd. By the way there was a shop which sold ice cream. After a while we found a gift shop. Josephine bought some postcards. I don’t wanted to buy something there because I wanted to go to Carroll’s. The biggest souvenier shop in Dublin. All in all I noticed that not every shop is closed on a bank holiday.