Schlagwort: Translink

New Tasks, New Toys

After having heard that every new switch is configured manually and that there is no default configuration template, I suggested to use Cisco Smart Install to install and configure switches automatically. Bad idea! Now the shit hit the fan. My new task is to set up a testing environment for Cisco Smart Install. To do this I got a Cisco Catalyst 3750G L3 switch as well as a Cisco Catalyst 2960:

my new toys
my new toys

After searching for the documentation and CLI commands I plugged in the 3750G’s power supply and was totally euphoric … and then bitterly disappointed. There is no iOS image on the switch. 🙁 So I have to transfer an image via console cable which takes about 4 hours. It is not easy to stay calm when you want to start your work and recognize that you have to wait for the XMODEM console transfer at approximately 873 bytes per second. 😛 As I am writing this post I am still waiting for the XMODEM transfer to finish, so I think I won’t start configuring Cisco Smart Install today. 🙁

TGIF

I’m really looking forward to enjoying the weekend, so I think this picture best illustrates what I feel like. 😉

T.G.I. Friday's
Thank God it's Friday!

Yesterday I was given the task to document the MAC addresses of the devices that are connected to ten of Translink’s Cisco Catalyst 2950 access layer switches at Milewater Road. It took me about an hour with some e-mailing and surfing in between. Not a very interesting task, but at least some work on consoles of Cisco devices. 🙂

Now I’m keeping myself busy with documenting Mateusz’s business intelligence application again and waiting for the end of the work day at 2 o’clock …

Cisco Heaven

Yesterday my work day started with a visit at Translink’s „data center“ at Belfast Central Station.

They have servers …

server rack
Servers at Belfast Central Station

… networking equipment …

switches and cables
Some network equipment at Belfast Central Station

… and when it comes to structured cabling Translink strives for perfection! 😉

cabling
Structured cabling at Belfast Central Station

As you can see it’s rather a storeroom with a rack, some switches and an air conditioning system put in than a real data center.

I went there with my colleagues John and John, who both do most of the networking stuff at Translink. Why did we go there? The IS department just got a new redundant SAN system and plans are to move one part to Central Station to improve redundancy. To prepare this we met a network technician from Northgate (an IT service provider supporting Translink’s networking staff). He was introduced to Translink’s core network infrastructure with multiple sites connected via fibres and copper wires. After that he rushed through the core switch consoles, reviewed the configurations and presented some things that need to be changed in order to make the SAN replication work. We will get a full report soon.

The whole Translink data network is built on Cisco technology (as far as I know) so I hope there will be several opportunities to utilize my networking skills earned in the CCNA course in this (and coming) project(s).

Challenging IT project documentation

After finishing all the usual IT job startup tasks I had a first look at one of my projects: documenting a business intelligence application developed by my german colleague Mateusz Gwara, who spent his work experience at Translink last year. After Mateusz left Translink the application has been refined continuously, but nobody really cared about documentation … we’ll see what I will make out of it!

And because of the fact that I don’t want to bore you with another picture of my desk I’ve put a shot of Belfast city with some beautiful landscape in the background. (This photo can also be seen on the corresponding article on the afib website.)

Belfast city
Belfast city

The usual IT job startup tasks

[caption id="attachment_186" align="alignnone" width="480" caption="Translink staff bus"]Translink staff bus[/caption]

Tue, 24th Apr 2012

After taking the Translink staff bus from Europa Buscentre at 8:45 (which I’ll probably do every morning I go to work for the next two months) I arrived at Translink’s office at Milewater Road in the northeast of Belfast near the shipyard the famous Titanic was built at.

Translink staff bus
Translink staff bus

Tue, 24th Apr 2012

After taking the Translink staff bus from Europa Buscentre at 8:45 (which I’ll probably do every morning I go to work for the next two months) I arrived at Translink’s office at Milewater Road in the northeast of Belfast near the shipyard the famous Titanic was built at.

Paul McGrattan, my supervisor here at Translink, gave me some information about the department I will work for: Information Services (IS). Probably this is the only IT department which does not have IT in its name. 😛 I learned about the department’s structure and general tasks, the core network infrastructure and some other general IT stuff. After being introduced to the colleagues (whose names I can’t remember, except for maybe three or four people) I was shown my desk:

My desk
My desk

Before getting a user account I had to read the User Acceptability Policy (UAP), which consists of rules and guidelines on how to use the IT infrastructure.

I also had several nice talks with my new colleagues. One thing that really fascinates me is that people in Northern Ireland are so friendly. Even when just asking someone for the way he notices you are not from here and shows interest in where you are from and what are you doing in Belfast (as René already posted). I can’t imagine experiencing something like this in Berlin.

The first 24 hours

Ryanair Boeing 737-800
Ryanair Boeing 737-800

After a smooth flight from Berlin Schönefeld to Dublin and a … hm … let’s call it „dynamic“ bus ride we arrived at the Europa Bus Centre in Belfast at approximately 23:15 (UTC). María Gonzales, one of our contact persons here in Belfast, picked us up there and organized some taxis to bring us to our new homes for the next two months. Oliver, René, Tobias and I live in the Somerset Mews Townhouses in the centre of Belfast.

Today we had an induction meeting at RSM Tenon (the company which planned our work experience and supports us here in Belfast) with Kevin Shine, another of our contact persons and our supervisor here, where we got some general information about Belfast and Nothern Ireland as well as more specific information on our work placements.

After the induction Kevin and me took a cab to go to my job interview at Translink, the public transport provider in Northern Ireland, where I was told about general facts of the work at Translink, the current projects and my possible tasks. I will start tomorrow at 9 o’clock.

In my next post I will tell you something about my first day(s) at Translink …