System & Stress: Big WHY for Maintenance

Today, the printer server in my office "gone" for almost half day. It quite a chaos as finance staff in their peak season working on their audit. In the chaotic situation, comes so called scapegoat, the IT maintenance guy. He come to the office to meet with my superior but ended up solving issue on printer server. I swear to GOD that most people that time surely will curse him along the way for all the unnecessary stress contribute by the "death" of printer server. It wasn't his fault really but the tense is piling up.

For any system be it computer system or manual system, maintenance is really vital in ensuring unnecessary stress building up amongst users of the system. As we in technological advanced era, everything had been computerized from bookkeeping to customer behaviour. Even the most advanced technology in computing enable decision making assistance tool to run complex analysis within seconds. More advanced a system, more resources will be use thus interdependencies between system component crucial.

Concept like distributed computing, distributed database, mirror server, security patches and SQL queries optimization are among methods to improve percentage of system availability. As the rule of thumb goes, no matter how good any method being used, a regular scheduled maintenance needed to ensure the method in place work as expected.

System unavailability clearly contribute to unnecessary stress to users. Often, works that should be completed on time delayed due to system. Pressure from management to deliver results drive most people insane to meet dateline. System unavailability as always happen in company in frequent case involved email server which resulting in delay of information thus push the work that could be solved on the same day to the day after. The stress from error message popping up for every now and then together with time taken for users to realize that system unavailable by far contribute most to irritate users. Lack of immediate communication by maintenance party frustrated users most of the time since users will keep trying for not knowing that the system unavailable.

In time of peak season, system unavailability is in the top list together with electricity unavailability and "missing" air conditioning. In recent observation that had been done, user motivation drop rapidly when system unavailable. All planned activities need to be revised hence force unnecessary interruption to workload in user responsibility.

Unnecessary stress contribute by system unavailability also derived from top management which required milestone to be achieved by staff. In very competitive industry, man hours spent in finishing projects distinguish between a successful project and a fail project. Extra man hours equal to extra liability and cost to management. In some project especially in construction field, longer time to wrap up a project foresee the company need to pay their client compensation for late wrap up. Top management as always won't be happy for any unnecessary additional cost which could be avoided. Accumulating total man hours, we will be shocking on how much cost that company need to bear for every incident of system unavailability occurred. Scenario-based analysis for man hours calculation effect to cost as per example below:

Example:
Situation: Email exchange server unavailable for 1 and half hour.

Variables:
1) Staff affected = 100 staff
2) Time waste = 90 minutes
3) Pay for an executive per month = RM 2,000
4) Total working days per month = 24 days
5) Working hours per day = 8 hours

Calculation:

100 staff x 90 minutes = 9,000 minutes

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9,000 minutes/60 minutes = 150 hours

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150 hours/8 hours = 18.75 days

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18.75 days/24 days x RM 2,000 = RM 1,562.50

Conclusion: Company wasted 18.75 working days which totaled up to RM 1,562.50 monetary lost for 1 and half hour system unavailability.

From example, we could easily see the accumulated man hours could directly incurred lost to company. In intangible view, late submission of contract document or delayed respond in replying customer inquiries affect company image which in long run affect product or service market share offered by company. Through grapevine and user recommendation in internet may derive on how a company dealing with customer and certainly system unavailability issue should never be brought up to customer as an excuse for any delay. It might be the best excuse given but when it had been used too much, customers trust over brand will deteriorate.

Re-active & Pro-active Approach
Reactive approach as the term define as approach once the incident occurred. Reactive approach will be use by any means since computerized system will have unpredictable problem. Reactive approach required fast and temporary fix which enable the system before further investigation could be done. Experience system technicians and engineers are required in hot seat to cater the problem on site. Immediate communication between system administration is required to lesser the irritation in users' mind. Example of re-active approaches are on-site troubleshoot, customer log problem, quarantine and many more.

Pro-active method as the name suggest include proper planning, scheduled maintenance, scheduled downtime and regular check up. Pro-active approach suggest action on preventing system downtime to occur more than targeted percentage. Since it's involved prevention, the method carefully studied on how the system could be improve in the long run for expansion taking into consideration system availability percentage. It's almost an exhaustive exercise as when the business change, the requirement for system would be affected thus a good pro-active approach would consider on any business change within certain period of time. Example of pro-active approaches are SQL query optimization, data mirror, backup power supply, distributed database and many more.

As conclusion, it's not an easy job to be the maintenance guy but someone need to do it anyway. Get us out from constant agonies.

A Picture Worth Thousand Words

Tell me what do you think?







I can't stop laughing while posting this picture. HOMOSEXUALITY ACT IN NATIONAL NEWSPAPER is what i think. If you could see Ahmad Said really look passionate to kiss Idris Jusoh while Idris trying his best to remain calm but to no avail. Gosh, they could have captured better shot than this.

For good read on Sufiah's issue (with cynical opinion), refer to Effi's Blog.

Yeah, Malaysia Boleh!

Shojo Manga Freak!

Shit, i read about Fruits Basket (anime & manga) in Wikipedia and i realize Fruits Basket is a shojo manga. Definition of shojo:

term for manga whose main target group is girls. (In West this categorisation seems to be even more blurred than in Japan.) Compare with shônen.
From: www.tonakaistudio.com/anime/dictionary.html

I realize that i'm more keen towards Shojo manga than Shonen manga. Shonen manga is manga targeted for boys and male teens. I couldn't help to love Fruits Basket as i first watch the anime in UTP.

Synopsis:
Fruits Basket follows the life of high-school student Tohru Honda, who was recently orphaned when her mother, Kyoko Honda, died in a car accident. After that, Tohru lived with her grandfather, but when his house needs remodeling, Tohru resorts to living in a tent in a forest and holds down a job to support herself. Despite suffering many hardships, Tohru remains optimistic.

One day, Tohru comes upon a house in the forest that is the home of her classmate Yuki Sohma and his older cousin Shigure Sohma. When the Sohmas discover that Tohru is living in a tent, they are quite surprised by her inner strength. The entire area is Sohma property, and Tohru asks to be allowed to stay in her tent (affectionately dubbed "her castle"). Feeling sorry for her and desperate to end their bachelor days of filthy living conditions, the Sohmas offer her their spare room in exchange for cooking and housework. After a landslide buries her tent, including her mother's picture and school clothes, she has no option but to accept. Soon after she moves in, Kyo Sohma comes to challenge Yuki.

Tohru soon discovers the Sohma family's secret, and the reason why Yuki is so private and secretive at school: thirteen members of the family are possessed by the 12 animal spirits of the Chinese Zodiac (jyūnishi in Japanese) plus the spirit of the cat who was, according to legend, left out of the Zodiac. They transform into animals when hugged by the opposite sex or when put under a great deal of emotional or physical stress (such as being sick). When she promises to keep their secret, the Sohmas allow Tohru to keep her memories rather than hypnotically erasing them, a fate that had previously befallen anyone not "Inside" the Sohma family who had discovered the secret.

I'm totally in love with Honda Tohru and the Sohma family. The anime so powerful, it could make you cry and laugh within minutes. Not to mention, the OST help to get you in the mood. The mellow starting song with powerful lyrics will make your heart melt. The anime rather much better than the manga as the anime lowered down most of the dark element in most of the characters. The anime last for 26 episodes and eventhough lot of fans requesting for another season, the producer seems will never produce the second season. The manga much interesting as the synopsis that i read this morning. The manga drill deep into all characters with more characters in present. The ending also conclude the whole story in manga version while in anime version, the ending just until Tohru meet Akito in Sohma main family house.

Anyhow, the most adorable character in Fruits Basket is Momiji and Kisa. They just adorable kids and you couldn't help to say, "Kawaii desu" eventhough Momiji could get to your nerves with his high pitch voice. All in nutshell, it's damn funny and revealing anime. Now, i'm downloading the manga and will finish it as soon as possible. hahahaha.

Manga Download Link - Fruits Basket

Second Shojo Manga (not yet produce into anime) is Beauty Pop.

Synopsis:
The manga is about the life of a naturally talented hairstylist named Kiri Koshiba and her problems with the Scissors Project (S.P.), a group of boys determined to become the best makeover team in Japan.

This manga had been introduced to me by Narulle and since then i'm hooked up to this manga. Really, it's funny to watch this manga.

Manga Download Link - Beauty Pop

And i still wondering why oh why i love shojo manga.

Hope & Change

While BA picking up at each other, BN currently laughing their ass out and must be said "these people would never be united. They claims that we're intoxicated by powers but they themselves are much intoxicated. Macam kera dapat bunga. hahaha."

Without any doubt, all BN supporters definitely laughing together and keep cursing BA supporters as traitor to nation. Well, i must said, have some faith people. Who said it's going to be easy? Who said it's going to be smooth transition? No one.

Indeed, it reminds me the way Malaya wrapping up our first election. Just by small faith that Perikatan worked it out despite every party to themselves and care about their own race, the same situation couldn't be any close image of that first election image. It's not going to be easy but with communication, BA will manage to work it out. To all BA supporters and all one-the-fence supporters who currently disgusted by current situation, just put our faith to them. Anyway, it's a brand new alliances and to work it out, BA will need time.

Truth is, i don't care much about their manifesto. If you claiming much about manifesto, even BN never delivered their manifesto till now. Aman, Makmur dan Selamat? Fuck that. Where the "Aman" part when people let their children play outside the house without feel worried. "Makmur"? If constant price hiking, inflation and total corruption are new urban euphemism for "makmur", spot on, we have that "makmur". "Selamat"? Even a grown up not safe anymore outside their house, let alone children.

The things that i care are about more transparency. A country build on corruption will never be prospered. That because you get perhaps only 10% of 100 parts of total (it might even less) and if that is what we got now, wonder what we could get if we got 100% of 100 parts. I guess the math for this equation pretty simple. The one at throne are the biggest thief in this country. Even the BN supporters know this. People aren't blind but the fear that government instill in us make us refuse to change. Well, why change when now is good is what they will say. Well, i will say change for better.

Second, i want to see a Malaysia for Malaysian (which include indons, banglas, pakis, and other immigrant too). BN already rules for half century and racial issue still not in phase of manageable. What they do only sweep the problem under the rug and pray that people will forget. Malaysian never forget for the wound the government had give them and they never would. Ever wonder when Persidangan UMNO (every in PWTC), they talk about Malay supremacy while indirectly (sometimes directly) insulting Chinese and Indians on national TV. Don't they ever wonder if Chinese and Indians offended by their statement? We don't even care how we feels thus how we expect they will care about us?

I myself is racist. I have to admit that. But if we keep our suspicion high while mixing around with each other, we're no more than mere hypocrite. It's not going to be easy, it will be bumpy ride which required sweat, blood, tears, arms and legs to make it happened. Again, i won't be preaching out my faith to you for you to swallow, you can discard it at your will. You can stick with whatever you want to believe and i don't give a fuck about it.

But for those who have the same faith as mine, just keep the faith a bit longer. Be a realist and you will see the alliance need time to work it out and it will totally brand new experience to all of them. again, it won't be easy ride but let us pray it will work it out.

How sure are you that this BA alliance will work it out the change as they preach?
Heck, i don't know. I truly don't. I just hope. Hope is a good thing and good thing never dies. As long as i hope this change will happen, i hope it will happen. Hope is the aspiration when this country built and hope make it a realization. why don't we hope for the change and pray that for once again, it will happen.

Kini dan Sekarang.

Keep posting those prayers UP THERE.

p/s: this will be my last politics entry on post-12th GE. I have enough.