There' s no place like /home

Day Thirteen

Bend was our *very* last stop before heading home.  We decided against a stop at Lake Shasta and drive the 520 miles from Bend.  It was hot in Bend with afternoon temperatures reaching 95 degrees.  We tried hiking but but the ground was just too hot for the dogs' paws.  We finally found a creekside hike in Shevlin Park.  The dogs were so hot, we had stop every 5 minutes to take a dip in the creek.  By the time, we got back to the van, the dogs were covered in mud.  Thank God for rental cars.  John and I speculated that by the time Road Trip 2008 rolls around, the rental car companies will have put us on the 'do not rent' list.  We did run the van through the car wash so we didn't look like the hillbillies we had become.

Bend is a cute not-so-little town.  My first memories of Bend are of my hippy uncle who spent summers living in a tepee and squating on land no one really cared about.  It gets cold in the winter and by late fall, he was living back at my grandmother's house in Aromas with our latest "auntie". That was in the seventies, nowadays Bend is a trendy mountain town (ala Boulder) and a bit rigid with their rules and regulations.  I guess they have to contend with too many Californians.

Posted at 09:14AM Jul 13, 2007 by Cynthia McGuire in Road Trip  |  Comments[0]

Day Twelve

The last time I was in Astoria was with my friend, Matt.  We took a road trip through Oregon with a strategic stop over in Astoria.  Astoria was the location used in the film, Kindergarten Cop: Matt was a big fan of the movie.   That was 6 years ago and the town had fallen onto hard times when the fishing industry collapsed.  A number of businesses had closed in the downtown area and the ones that remained were mostly thrift and second-hand stores.

I'm happy to report that Astoria is experiencing a small renaissance.  Since my last visit, a number of upper-scale restaurants and hotels have opened.  Most appear to be doing well and we could barely walk through the Sunday Market because of the crowds.  It's a lovely town and I wish them all the best.

Posted at 09:18AM Jul 11, 2007 by Cynthia McGuire in Road Trip  |  Comments[0]

Day Nine

We missed our ferry to Vancouver Island and then got lost driving through Vancouver.  The plan was to ferry to the island and connect to a US-bound ferry in Victoria.  So much for Plan A.  We hastily constructed a Plan B to drive from Vancouver to Edmonds (just North of Seattle) and cross by ferry to the Olympic Pennisula.  The ferry ride was short and sweet.  The crew permitted us to bring the doggers on the sundeck.  Penny thought is was great to have the fresh sea air flowing through her floppy ears: she gave our fellow passengers her best Flying Nun imitation.  Nicky, on the other hand, cowered under the bench seats and didn't come out until we docked.

Another hour of driving and we were at our destination of Port Angeles. Our hosts were Lyndee and Allan.  They have created a Northwest version of the Winchester Mystery House out of their beach house and rent out any combinations of rooms.  We stayed in the converted barn.  The accomodations were quite comfortable once we got past the explosion of bunnies, angels and gossamer that donned every available inch of wall space.   You kind of get used it and I'm thinking of using bunnies as an interior design medium when I get back home.

Day 2 on the peninsula we drove back into the forest to go hiking.  The weather was perfect and the hike was best one so far. Day 3 didn't go as well.  We tried to find a hiking trail closer to the coast, but were thwarted by the dog-unfriendly national park rules and greedy private beach owners.  Malibu aside, I much prefer the California coastal system of beach access and ownership.

On our final day on the Olympic Peninsula, we drove to the Hoh Rain Forest and into the national park and took the coast route to Astoria. We saw two deer, a herd of elk and a river otter (my first).

Posted at 08:51PM Jul 10, 2007 by Cynthia McGuire in Road Trip  |  Comments[0]

Day Seven

We happened upon the seedy underbelly of Vancouver on the way into town after taking a wrong turn. There are blocks and blocks of boarded up buildings and drug-fueled homelessness. Unlike in other cities, the street inhabitants of Vancouver are remarkably young. We found our way to English Bay and the Sands Hotel. Once we parked the car, it stayed put. Vancouver is a very walkable city and we made our way around English Bay, the Granville Island Public Market and Stanley Park.

The dogs took their very first ferry bus ride across the river as we made our way back from the public market. Stanley Park is quite beautiful and Penny snapped some shots of John and I biking our way around the perimeter. Vancouver was the first stop since Big Mountain that we had cell phone coverage and internet access.

I know there are a bunch of unanswered voice mails and once I get back into cell phone range, I'll try to return the calls.

To Kathleen: I know Mojo likes to 'sing' at 2am and 4am. It's just what she does and you need to get over it. Think of it as penance for leaving Fred at home while you went off to college.

To Matt: No, we were not eaten by polar bears and I'm sorry you had to retire your sandals. It's not clear to me how an unworn pair of shoes wore out but I suppose it's possible. Nevertheless, the nice people at Nordstrom will happily help your sandal-less feet. And remember: no socks with sandals unless you are over 50.

Cindi 

Posted at 12:03PM Jul 09, 2007 by Cynthia McGuire in Road Trip  |  Comments[0]

Day Five

We arrived in Banff National Park on Oh Canada D'eh, our equivalent of the Fourth of July.  The crazy canucks donned their red with the white maple leaves and sucked down the Molson.  Sadly, the local fireworks display was canceled when organizers discovered that an electrical cord needed to stage the event was missing.  Due to the holiday, all of the hardware stores were closed and a replacement cord could not be located.  Oops.

We spent the morning at Lake Louise.  Nicky entertained our fellow hikers at the Lake Agnes teahouse with his Field Spaniel lake-jumping talents. In the afternoon, we headed to Banff and did a little street shopping and beer driniking at the local Irish pub. On the way back to our Johnston Canyon cabin, we came upon an Elk  dining on some tender grass.

The trip from Banff to Vancouver is the longest leg at 516 miles.  We woke up at 5:30 and hit the road by 7.  On the way out of the park, we saw a suicidal bear (sorry, no picture) cross the highway.  He made it across.  That bumps up the wildlife count by one bear and one elk.  I'm disappointed in our moose sightings: only one so far and the likelyhood of a moose in Vancouver is slim.


Cindi
 

Posted at 11:49AM Jul 03, 2007 by Cynthia McGuire in Road Trip  |  Comments[0]

Day Four

Yesterday was a decompression day.  After 11 hours on the road, we were quite
content to hang out in Whitefish on Big Mountain.  We took a couple of walks
and hiked on the Danny On Memorial Trail.

Today, it's off to Banff.  As luck would have it, The Going To The Sun Road
through Glacier National Park opens tomorrow. We had to skirt along the park
and come up the east side of the park and through Calgary.

Cindi

Posted at 11:25AM Jul 03, 2007 by Cynthia McGuire in Road Trip  |  Comments[0]

Day Three

We got a late start on the road to Glacier.  We entered the park one last time and crossed to the North Entrance.  More bison, more bison. We stopped for a swim at Yellowstone Lake where John lost our keys. A few expletives later, they were found stuck in the pebbles along the shore. Aside from bison, the park is not exactly teaming with wildlife. We saw:

• 500 bison
• 1 deer
• 0 moose
• 0 prong horned deer
• 0 grizzly bears
• 0 big horn sheep
• 2 elk
• 4 landlocked pelicans
• 1 marmot (that almost got squished on the road)

We crossed the Wyoming/Montana border at 3:30pm.  Montana is unbelievably beautiful and teaming with wildlife.  On the drive in, we saw:

• 50 bison (fenced and ready for market)
• 6 deer (plus bambi)
• 5 prong horned deer
• 5 swans
• a flock of canadian geese
• 2 elk
• a cattle break-out
  

I can only conclude that wildlife prefer areas less inhabited by tourists.

 Cindi

Posted at 11:49PM Jul 02, 2007 by Cynthia McGuire in Road Trip  |  Comments[0]

Day One

Well, the 500 miles of driving just wasn't enough for us yesterday. Instead of taking the direct route to Yellowstone, we opted for the scenic bypass through the Grand Tetons. It was worth it. The mountains are spectacular and we traveled through Jackson, Wy. Along the way, we crossed the Snake River 15 times and saw a moose. We crossed the park to the East entrance and found our way to the Shoshone Lodge, our home for the next two days.

The Shoshone Lodge was built by the first Sheriff of Park County, Wy in 1929.  The lodge is run by a friendly staff.  The nice lady at the
counter said she was from Georgia.  She left Georgia to follow her son on the rodeo circuit before arriving at the Shoshone.  I asked the nice lady at the counter if there was WiFi access and she told me if I waved my computer in front of her computer and walked slowly back to my cabin, the internet would work. I smiled and asked what time dinner was served.

On our first full day at the Shoshone Lodge, we took the dogs on a 5 mile hike. We were quite happy to have survived given the numerous signs warning visitors of the Grizzly Bears that frequent the forest.  There were no sightings of bears, but John is convinced that he spotted bear markings on a felled tree.  I'm pretty sure that it was just a dead tree but I didn't  want to burst his bubble.

We went back to Yellowstone at 3:30.  It turns out, that going late in the  day is the best time to tour the park.  The crowds have abated and the heat of the day has given way to a cool evening breeze.  We saw our first bison shortly after enter the park.  We snapped at least 10 pictures of the beasts not realizing that bison Yellowstone are as plentiful as cows on a West Texas cattle ranch. We made our way along the Grand Loop stopping at geo-thermal "paint pots", fumeroles and geyers.

Our tour ended at Old Faithful exactly at sunset.  Las Vegas should take a queue from Mother Nature: the geyser was right on time and shot boiling hot water 100 feet into the air.  We dined at the Old Faithful Inn and caught the nighttime show on the way back to the van.  We got back to the Shoshone Lodge at 1am.  Time to get some shut-eye, we have another long
drive in the morning.

Cindi

Posted at 11:20PM Jul 02, 2007 by Cynthia McGuire in Road Trip  |  Comments[0]

Day Zero

The trip from San Jose to Elko was uneventful and long. Our first stop was Emigrant Gap where (ironically) we picnicked under the monument to the lost members of the Donner Party. The landscape from Reno to Elko is hot, arid and unremarkable. We yearned for the slightest change in scenery: a tree, an abandoned homestead or the occasional strip mine are welcome sights.

In Elko, we stayed at the Gold Country Inn *and* Casino. It's really just a motel with a bunch of slot machines and cheap eats. For dinner, we ate at the Red Star Hotel. The restaurant was family-style Basque and decorated with an eclectic mix of Lance Armstrong posters and pictures of newly deceased deer held up by proud hunters. The Red Star makes a great steak and serve way too much food for any one person to eat. John and I could have eaten for an entire week off the two servings they gave us.

The highlight of our stay was finding an abandoned stack of papers belonging to a James Hearns: white male, 5'11" and 250lbs. The stack consisted of a Notice to Appear and release papers from the Elko County Superior Court and a collection of letters all sealed with a kiss and soaked in cheap perfume. It seems that James got himself into some trouble back in Salt Lake City leaving his poor girlfriend, Juicy, alone and lovesick. Juicy writes that in exchange for a ring on her finger, she promises to defy her family and not testify against him when he returns. James had other plans and upon release from the county lock-up on 6/22, skipped town. Juicy if you're reading this, leave him. James will only lead to a houseful of kids, more black eyes and an episode on the Maury Povich show.

Cindi

Posted at 10:53PM Jul 02, 2007 by Cynthia McGuire in Road Trip  |  Comments[0]

Day Minus One

We're packed and ready to go: two people, two dogs, a rented mini-van and the  barest of supplies. We will trek the Great Northwest over the next two and half weeks surviving by our wits, brawn and visa card privileges. Our journey begins in San Jose at 5am on Monday, 6/25.  Unlike last year, we are committed to leaving early to arrive at our first destination in Elko Nevada by nightfall.  Yes, you read correctly, Elko Nevada. Elko happens to be a convenient stopping place after seven and half hours of driving en route to the Shoshone National Forest just outside of Yellowstone. Elko is also in Nevada and if we play our cards right, we could pay for the entire trip our first night.  Alternately, we could blow our entire budget our first night out and be back home by Tuesday.  The latter is more in-line with past experiences at the Blackjack tables.

Last year's road trip found us in search of my mid-morning lattes. The ubiquitous Bay Area Starbucks is not to be found in the nether-regions of the rest of country.  John seems to think that he has solved that problem by purchasing a camp stove, camp coffee pot for boiling water, a french press, a gallon of milk and coffee.  We looked for the backpacker-sized espresso and steamed milk machine at REI but it has apparently not been invented yet.  I'm not convinced he can duplicate the Starbucks' latte but it will be the most expensive cup of coffee I've ever enjoyed. 

Alright it's now 9:53pm on Sunday and time to get to bed.   Follow along with us on Road Trip 2007.

Cindi 

Posted at 10:08PM Jun 24, 2007 by Cynthia McGuire in Road Trip  |  Comments[0]

Sensor-Tivity

Telemetry data is logged according to collection parameters established for a collector . Sensor telemetry is passed from collectors to the analyzer layer for the purpose of online analysis. For example, we may want to collect telemetry for our network sub-system based upon GLD-aware NIC driver kstats, protocol-specific errors and memory usage as seen in netstat(1M) to help predict unhealthy hardware or software or to ensure QOS guarantees.

We can use many of the concepts and the infrastructure developed for the Solaris Fault Manager. For example, telemetry data can be passed as FMA standard events and logged using the Extended Accounting format developed for the errlog and fltlog. We can also leverage the fmd(1M) tool set to observe telemetry logs and analysis results.

Hope to have more details soon...

Cindi

Posted at 03:38PM Jun 08, 2007 by Cynthia McGuire in Sun  |  Comments[0]

Solaris Fault Management: A Look Back and Looking Forward

The Solaris Fault Management Architecture has come a long way since Mike Shapiro and I started talking about it way back in 2001. We started out with a bang as the industry leader in fault management technology:

The members of our original development team have changed along the way, but our commitment to improving the architecture and adding new content remains steadfast. Since the introduction of FMA in Solaris 10, additional content has been added to support new platforms and extend FMA concepts into other subsystems. Just look at what we've delivered since S10 was released a short 2 years ago:

• New for SPARC: US-IV+, US-T1, Niagara & Niagara-2, Fire PCI-E I/O

• New for x64: CPU/Memory error handling and diagnosis for AMD Opteron and Athlon 64

Enables all detector banks and sets all documented MCi_CTL bits

Full machine-check and error-poller handling for all error types documented in the BKDG

Diagnosis engine rules for all error types

Response agent: core offline, page retire

• New for x64: PCI-Express

Diagnostic correlation based on transmit/receiver error information

Connections to platform machine-check error handling

Connections to FMA-aware leaf drivers for increased availability and diagnosability

Diagnosis engine rules for all error described in PCI-E Base Specification

• New for Sun Fire X4500: SMART-based disk diagnosis

• New for Solaris: Initial ZFS integration with out-of-the-box FMA support

• New for Admins: FMA SNMP trap and MIB support

Generates SNMP traps (notifications) for FMA diagnosis

FM MIB permits additional details by UUID

• New for Developers: FMA Event Registry

Web browsable interface to view

3730 FMA Events

338 FMA Knowledge Articles

CLIs to extract event payload and message content

• New for Developers: Public interfaces for IO FMA

Updated WDD chapter for writing FMA-aware drivers

• Deployment: FMA Demo Package

Infrastructure to inject errors in a simulation environment

What's best is that Solaris FMA is getting noticed and showing real benefits. The Sun Service organization estimates that platforms shipping without FMA support can cost $252 per-unit per-year. Let's do the math...if Sun sells 100,000 units per year that means after 3 years, Solaris with FMA is saving Sun $75,600,000.

100000 units per year x $252 per unit x 3 years = $75,600,000

I don't know about you, but I wouldn't mind saving $75,000,000.00 a year. A paper presented by Mike Shapiro and Dong Tang at the Dependable Systems Network 2006 demonstrated a decrease in annual system downtime by 37-54% using quantitative analysis of the FMA memory retirement capabilities. InfoWorld gave Solaris FMA a nod by awarding our team members its 2005 Innovation of the Year Award.

So, what are we working on now? Well, we are continuing to deliver on the promise of Predictive Self-Healing. Work is on-going to support out-the-door fault management capabilities for new processors, platforms and I/O subsystems. With the announced support for Intel on Solaris (or is it Solaris on Intel?), we are busily working on a FMA implementation for Intel processors. Solaris will be the first OS to take full advantage of industry-leading x86 processor error handling features. In the I/O space, we are beefing up leaf drivers, adding FMA error handling and diagnosis for SCSI problems and using SMART disk data to actively predict impending disk failures for all platforms. The Xen project gives us an opportunity to deploy a FMA in a virtualized environment. We'll take some of the infrastructure we delivered for LDOMs and use it to connect hypervisor error handling to a DOM0 diagnosis environment. But that's not all...we are looking at ways to use sensor telemetry to offer better fault prediction, manage resource guarantees and power budgeting. On the software front, we are modifying the techniques we've used to diagnose hardware problems to be useful for software diagnosis. This is a huge under-explored area that will keep Solaris in the fore-front with leading-edge availability and serviceability.

Stay tuned, we're not done with FMA just yet.

Cindi

Posted at 10:47AM May 04, 2007 by Cynthia McGuire in Sun  |  Comments[0]