By Chad Voller on 1/26/2008 9:43 PM

Now I have 2 exams under my belt, well on my way to my MCSE.  Years and years ago I began studying for my first exam, which I failed.  This was back in the days of the first NT certs, when the "get your feet wet" test was called Networking Essentials.  Well, after years of experience with Windows and with Server, I decided to start again on the road to certification to complement my experience.  Now that Microsoft is offering Second Shot, I don't need to sweat so many bullets if I don't pass an exam the first time.  Since I began several weeks ago on the work to get my MCSE, I have taken 2 exams and passed each of them the first time.  That's pretty cool for me, since several years ago I opened with a fail and never tried again until last month.  There you have it!

Exam taking advice:

You don't need anything except for the following:
1. A beat-up old machine on which to practice.
2. Microsoft Press's materials to help you pass the exam.

#1 might be more important than #2, actually.  With a live test-server to play around with, you see and learn more than simply by studying the books.  You can complete lab exercises and play around with stuff without the fear that you'll end up breaking someone else's network.  So, go buy some cheap stuff and put a PC together, by the kit of all Microsoft core exams, and get to studying.  Hey, if I can do it, you can, too!

By Chad Voller on 1/26/2008 7:42 AM

We're headed down to C-bus, as they call it in Ohio.  That would be Columbus for the non-literate out there.  Heading down to take 70-290.  Will report back after the exam later today.  :-)  I have been studying for this one with a friend, and we will see if that pays off.  Mostly we simply use the Microsoft Press books and the included practice exams and just review, review, review.  We have to drive all the way to Columbus from Cleveland because it was the only test center that was remotely close that had the exam today.  So, here we go!  Wish me luck.

TO

By Chad Voller on 1/23/2008 9:41 PM

By Chad Voller on 1/18/2008 9:39 PM

People have criticized him over the years, but you can't say he isn't.....rich

By Chad Voller on 12/28/2007 9:37 PM

Ever try to upgrade a website, a product, or something only to find that the upgrade broke your installation?  Well, it's a common problem, and I think a lot of that is because we do not always keep a working test environment in place. 

Ideas for keeping test environments in place:

1) Find someway to get your own LOCAL development server for your home or office.  I know, servers aren't cheap, but you can get inventive.  Put together pieces and parts from an old machine.  Ask a tech buddy if he has an old hard drive laying around.  You don't need to have the latest and greatest software available for your local test environment, just enough to get by.

2) Rent some space on a different web server for your dev sites.  You might not always be able to test certain things when it comes to web space, but most of the time you can.  I maintain a completely "offline-online" test website called vollerhaus at http://www.vollerhaus.net.  I can break it and reinstall it with no problems at all.  It doesn't matter if it fails, so I do whatever I want to it.  That way, if I'm testing a skin I can do it on my own dev site before I try it out on a customer stie.

3) If you can't afford / don't have space / don't have the resources for a development environment, consider using something like Microsoft's Virtual PC, or VM Ware on your own machine.  At least then you'll have a type of test environment available to you.

4) Backup, backup, backup.  If your database, site files and everything else aren't backed up before you begin your upgrade, you have only yourself to blame when it fails.  This adds time to the upgrade testing process, but you will thank yourself later when, after upgrading, you still have all your data even though your install failed.

Thanks, and have a safe and happy new year...

Chad

By Chad Voller on 11/8/2007 9:37 PM

Someone taught me to remember this phrase: "there is a person on the end of every transaction."  It was said in the vein of keeping kindness in the forefront of one's life.  People have bad days, and even though you're the customer, you don't need to fly off the handle.  Business demands can be required without being a jerk.  This is particularly true in help desk support situations, the type of work I've been doing for the past year.

"I'm so sorry to bother you," someone will say when they call.  I tell them it's no bother and that's why I'm here, to help.  Sure, peopel can be mean.  Websites I visit can promise a lot, and then really not come close to delivering.  Write a scathing review?  Nah, I think not.  Time can better be spent on other things.  We so often expend energy on stuff that doesn't matter.  Even today I had a difficult time converting a standard HTML skin into a DNN skin.  I'm not finished yet, but the end product will look great.  I got the CSS file, but it's all chopped up and not looking very good, plus has almost no comments.  Fly off the handle?  I think not.  Patience and character come into play even when doing web design.

So don't forget the next time someone calls you a bit upset on the phone, or the next time the clerk at the store is having a bad day, or the next time someone doesn't do what you expect them to do...there is always  a person on the end of that transaction...

By Chad Voller on 10/23/2007 9:33 PM

Frank Wang from AliCommerce just released his new store module, AliCommerce this week.  I had the pleasure of designing some themes for the product, and truly enjoyed getting them done for Frank's product.  This is one of the first commercial items I have been a contributor for, and I certainly hope it won't be the last!
Many thanks to the team at AliCommerce for a terrific module that simplifies the shopping cart process for any DNN developer.  Way to go, AliCommerce!

Here are the links to the new themes I developed for AliCommerce:

Aqua

GlassyGreen

SimpleBlack

SimpleBlue

Wood

BigGreen (glassy green larger)

By Chad Voller on 10/22/2007 9:36 PM

One thing is certain: you don't get if you don't ask.  When I started in I.T. I went into it fully expecting to find a community of people willing to give.  I was right.  By and large I find those in the I.T. community to be ready to share.  I do run across those who are more from the OLD camp of keeping information to themselves.  Ran into one them today, actually, and I wanted to rip his arms off (but I didn't).  He was the type who acts like he knows everything, even if he doesn't.  Then, when you have a contribution to make, he makes you feel like it isn't valuable and you don't know what you're talking about.  But I digress.  
Most of the people I meet in I.T. are eager to help and so it encourages me to return the favor.  The DotNetNuke community is particularly helpful in this regard.  So I have learned to ask experts for help when I need it.  And, surprise, they are almost always willing to share and teach.  So, don't be afraid to ask for help, even from someone you might think wouldn't be interested in giving you assistance.  Because if you don't ask, you don't get.