| Author | Message | ||
| Eli (Eli)
New member Username: Eli Post Number: 1467 Registered: 11-2003 |
Time for another stupidity one, while I'm waiting for my unsolved puzzle to be moved back. I would have liked to see that job description! | ||
| Balin (Balin)
New member Username: Balin Post Number: 6962 Registered: 4-2010 |
Is this a computer stupidity? Chinglish relevant? | ||
| Eli (Eli)
New member Username: Eli Post Number: 1470 Registered: 11-2003 |
Is this a computer stupidity? Yes Chinglish relevant? Nope | ||
| Balin (Balin)
New member Username: Balin Post Number: 6979 Registered: 4-2010 |
Were you giving a customer tech support? Was the customer completing a resume? Customer: HAM? HAF? Did the customer claim to have lots of computer experience and expertise? | ||
| Eli (Eli)
New member Username: Eli Post Number: 1474 Registered: 11-2003 |
Were you giving a customer tech support? Yes Was the customer completing a resume? No Customer: HAM? HAF? This Did the customer claim to have lots of computer experience and expertise? Not to me, she didn't. But... | ||
| Gregoryuconn (Gregoryuconn)
New member Username: Gregoryuconn Post Number: 151 Registered: 9-2010 |
Can we call her Ezmerelda? Did she work for a computer company? Someone else in the industry (like tech support?) Had she worked for one previously? Did she claim she had experience and expertise in computers to someone else? Your boss? Someone on her end? Her boss? Was she calling from work? Is her job relevant? Is she a professional hacker? And called you to ask the password for your system so she could hack into it and steal data? | ||
| Eli (Eli)
New member Username: Eli Post Number: 1478 Registered: 11-2003 |
Can we call her Ezmerelda? Sure, why not? Did she work for a computer company? No Someone else in the industry (like tech support?) She was not working in a hardware or software company. But tech support is not too far off the mark. Had she worked for one previously? Irr Did she claim she had experience and expertise in computers to someone else? Obviously Your boss? But not her Someone on her end? Yes Her boss? Most likely Was she calling from work? Yes Is her job relevant? Yes Is she a professional hacker? Nope And called you to ask the password for your system so she could hack into it and steal data? and no | ||
| Balin (Balin)
New member Username: Balin Post Number: 7005 Registered: 4-2010 |
Did she work at an electronics store? A well-known one? | ||
| Eli (Eli)
New member Username: Eli Post Number: 1482 Registered: 11-2003 |
Did she work at an electronics store? A well-known one? No to both | ||
| Balin (Balin)
New member Username: Balin Post Number: 7010 Registered: 4-2010 |
Was she working at a call center? | ||
| Eli (Eli)
New member Username: Eli Post Number: 1486 Registered: 11-2003 |
Was she working at a call center? No, she wasn't. | ||
| Balin (Balin)
New member Username: Balin Post Number: 7017 Registered: 4-2010 |
Did her work involve computers? Was she a web page designer? | ||
| Eli (Eli)
New member Username: Eli Post Number: 1488 Registered: 11-2003 |
Did her work involve computers? Yes, it sure did Was she a web page designer? No | ||
| Balin (Balin)
New member Username: Balin Post Number: 7022 Registered: 4-2010 |
Did she manufacture computers? But had no idea how to actually use them? | ||
| Eli (Eli)
New member Username: Eli Post Number: 1491 Registered: 11-2003 |
Did she manufacture computers? But had no idea how to actually use them? No to both. She was actually somewhat experienced in use of a computer, but.... | ||
| Galfisk (Galfisk)
New member Username: Galfisk Post Number: 3525 Registered: 9-2009 |
Is she having problems with computer: hardware? A specific part? Software? A peripheral? | ||
| Rbruma (Rbruma)
New member Username: Rbruma Post Number: 728 Registered: 9-2009 |
Did she prove to be ignorant in handling some common (for some of us) acronyms, like NIC, MAC or OSPF? Did she have problems with computers or with some other IT or networking / telco devices (servers, SANs, routers, switches, radio relays, media-converters and such)? Was it her stupidity 'normal' for a layman, but not so in her position? (In the sense that it is perfectly normal for the average person to not know the difference, say, between IPv4 and IPv6, or between eBGP and iBGP but that would appear plainly stupid for a professional). | ||
| Eli (Eli)
New member Username: Eli Post Number: 1492 Registered: 11-2003 |
Galfisk Is she having problems with computer: hardware? A specific part? Software? A peripheral? Not a peripheral, but at the moment she called me, the cause for the problem was not certain. Could be hardware, software or some settings. Rbruma (Rbruma) Did she prove to be ignorant in handling some common (for some of us) acronyms, like NIC, MAC or OSPF? No acronyms relevant Did she have problems with computers or with some other IT or networking / telco devices (servers, SANs, routers, switches, radio relays, media-converters and such)? Could be either a spesific computer or networking Was it her stupidity 'normal' for a layman, but not so in her position? YES! There was something she said at the end of the call that made my jaw drop (In the sense that it is perfectly normal for the average person to not know the difference, say, between IPv4 and IPv6, or between eBGP and iBGP but that would appear plainly stupid for a professional). But none of these | ||
| Balin (Balin)
New member Username: Balin Post Number: 7101 Registered: 4-2010 |
Her stupidity: did it consist of not knowing something obvious? "Knowing" something obvious that was not true? (For her position, that is.) Would the average normal person know this? | ||
| Eli (Eli)
New member Username: Eli Post Number: 1495 Registered: 11-2003 |
Her stupidity: did it consist of not knowing something obvious? "Knowing" something obvious that was not true? (For her position, that is.) It should have been basic knowledge for someone in her position. Would the average normal person know this? No, not unless you're fairly interested in computers | ||
| Rbruma (Rbruma)
New member Username: Rbruma Post Number: 760 Registered: 9-2009 |
Trying to assess the 'level' of stupidity here. Would you parallel her remark to which of the following (please note if in between) - I didn't know that computers use electricity! - I didn't know that most computers need RAM to work! - I didn't know that 10/8 is a private range! - I didn't know what complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor is! Was her 'stupidity' related to networking at all? | ||
| Eli (Eli)
New member Username: Eli Post Number: 1497 Registered: 11-2003 |
Trying to assess the 'level' of stupidity here. Would you parallel her remark to which of the following (please note if in between) - I didn't know that computers use electricity! - I didn't know that most computers need RAM to work! - I didn't know that 10/8 is a private range! Not this, but... - I didn't know what complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor is! Was her 'stupidity' related to networking at all? Very much so. | ||
| Balin (Balin)
New member Username: Balin Post Number: 7148 Registered: 4-2010 |
Drat...I haven't a clue what networking is. Did she think the computers had to be touching to network? | ||
| Eli (Eli)
New member Username: Eli Post Number: 1499 Registered: 11-2003 |
Did she think the computers had to be touching to network? Nope | ||
| Balin (Balin)
New member Username: Balin Post Number: 7151 Registered: 4-2010 |
Would it be helpful for solving to know what networking actually is? Did she try networking using only one computer? | ||
| Rbruma (Rbruma)
New member Username: Rbruma Post Number: 765 Registered: 9-2009 |
Let's throw some of my own experiences here: Was her confusion related to layer 1? 2? 3? 4? 7? Did she try to access a different subnet without a router? Did she try to telnet on port 22 or ssh on port 23? DNS involved? Did she try to use DHCP lacking a server? Did she try to dial-up using the phone line she was talking into? Something along these lines? File sharing relevant? Remote desktop / VNC? Fiber optic? | ||
| Eli (Eli)
New member Username: Eli Post Number: 1502 Registered: 11-2003 |
Balin (Balin) Would it be helpful for solving to know what networking actually is? Basic knowledge about network theory should be sufficient, but if you know the old Windows NT technology it would be a huge advantage. Did she try networking using only one computer? No, but one computer is the start of this, see below Rbruma (Rbruma) Let's throw some of my own experiences here: Was her confusion related to layer 1? 2? 3? 4? 7? I'd say her confusion, would be layer 7. See below. Did she try to access a different subnet without a router? Did she try to telnet on port 22 or ssh on port 23? DNS involved? Did she try to use DHCP lacking a server? Did she try to dial-up using the phone line she was talking into? Something along these lines? File sharing relevant? Remote desktop / VNC? Fiber optic? No to rest. It was just soooo stupid, I think she blushed at the other end of the phone when we finished. In order to get this off in the right direction, and not let you keep guessing for the next two weeks, lol, I'll give the first part away. She calls in to me (at that time I was doing commercial desktop support, so no home computers), because she has problems connecting a new computer to the company network. | ||
| Rbruma (Rbruma)
New member Username: Rbruma Post Number: 767 Registered: 9-2009 |
Did she know that the computer was supposed to have a working NIC? That that was supposed to be connected with a straight cable to a hub or switch? That a suitable IP address and a mask be configured manually or automatically? Was she in trouble differentiating between workgroups and domains? | ||
| Eli (Eli)
New member Username: Eli Post Number: 1503 Registered: 11-2003 |
Did she know that the computer was supposed to have a working NIC? Yes That that was supposed to be connected with a straight cable to a hub or switch? Yes That a suitable IP address and a mask be configured manually or automatically? Yope Was she in trouble differentiating between workgroups and domains?No | ||
| Galfisk (Galfisk)
New member Username: Galfisk Post Number: 3598 Registered: 9-2009 |
Was the computer successfully connected to the network? Did she think something was wrong which wasn't? Relevant how she checked if she had connection? Did she forget to get (or set) an IP? | ||
| Eli (Eli)
New member Username: Eli Post Number: 1505 Registered: 11-2003 |
Was the computer successfully connected to the network? No, it not connect successfully, but all the physical components were there. She didn't forget to connect the cable for instance. Did she think something was wrong which wasn't? Not really, she wasn't sure what was wrong Relevant how she checked if she had connection? Not really Did she forget to get (or set) an IP? Not forget, she was just not allocated one, that was the reason why she called us. | ||
| Rbruma (Rbruma)
New member Username: Rbruma Post Number: 834 Registered: 9-2009 |
Was this a wireless network? Did she connect to another network? | ||
| Eli (Eli)
New member Username: Eli Post Number: 1508 Registered: 11-2003 |
Was this a wireless network? Did she connect to another network? No to both | ||
| Balin (Balin)
New member Username: Balin Post Number: 7615 Registered: 4-2010 |
The reason she was not allocated an IP - was it directly related to her stupidity? Was this on a dial-up line? Was her computer not hooked up to the phone jack? | ||
| Eli (Eli)
New member Username: Eli Post Number: 1510 Registered: 11-2003 |
The reason she was not allocated an IP - was it directly related to her stupidity? No, good question. She didn't really do anything stupid until later. Or better - she said something stupid. Was this on a dial-up line? No Was her computer not hooked up to the phone jack? and this is not correct either | ||
| Eli (Eli)
New member Username: Eli Post Number: 1511 Registered: 11-2003 |
A quick recap/hint This woman is calling in to our business support line because a new desktop is not connecting to the network and so not allocated an IP address. I asked her to go in to network properties, just to check that all network components, like protocols, actually were installed. They were. So what would the next thing be to ask her to do? | ||
| Rbruma (Rbruma)
New member Username: Rbruma Post Number: 852 Registered: 9-2009 |
See if you have a link on the interface? Do a ipconfig /all on a cmd prompt? Reset the TCP/IP stack (though I don't know how to do this on a windows system)? Reboot? Try to put a static IP/Mask/GW? | ||
| Eli (Eli)
New member Username: Eli Post Number: 1514 Registered: 11-2003 |
See if you have a link on the interface? Do a ipconfig /all on a cmd prompt? Reset the TCP/IP stack (though I don't know how to do this on a windows system)? Reboot? Try to put a static IP/Mask/GW? The last one is the final suggestion so I give the bits in-between. I asked her to ping. First 127.0.0.1 and that responded. So I told her that it seemed to be configured properly, but that it could of course be a faulty network card. So I asked her to ping the card. Then followed the first "stupid" reply - 'but I cannot connect to the DHCP server so there is of course no IP-address'. She didn't say Stupid, but the tone of her voice very much indicated so, lol. I told her that I meant that she found an unused IP address in the pool, reserved it and set that as a static IP address on the card. Now what happened? | ||
| Balin (Balin)
New member Username: Balin Post Number: 7666 Registered: 4-2010 |
Did she ask when the pool was open so she could go swimming? | ||
| Eli (Eli)
New member Username: Eli Post Number: 1515 Registered: 11-2003 |
Did she ask when the pool was open so she could go swimming? No, not quiet THAT stupid, lol. | ||
| Rbruma (Rbruma)
New member Username: Rbruma Post Number: 855 Registered: 9-2009 |
Did she put a conflicting IP address? Not trying to verify that it was unused? Did she manage to identify the pool of IP addresses that the DHCP server was using? | ||
| Eli (Eli)
New member Username: Eli Post Number: 1520 Registered: 11-2003 |
Did she put a conflicting IP address? Not trying to verify that it was unused? Did she manage to identify the pool of IP addresses that the DHCP server was using? No to all. The stupidity was related to something she said. | ||
| Rbruma (Rbruma)
New member Username: Rbruma Post Number: 859 Registered: 9-2009 |
Did she ask how to set a static IP address? What is a static IP address? Did she reply that for some reason a static IP address cannot be set? Not by her? Not on that machine? Random thought: did he ask you to connect remotely and do this for her (I suppose not, since that would be really stupid for a single-homed machine)? | ||
| Eli (Eli)
New member Username: Eli Post Number: 1522 Registered: 11-2003 |
Did she ask how to set a static IP address? Yes, partly this. She actually asked about the whole process, both reserving an address and setting it What is a static IP address? Did she reply that for some reason a static IP address cannot be set? Not by her? Not on that machine? No to rest Random thought: did he ask you to connect remotely and do this for her (I suppose not, since that would be really stupid for a single-homed machine)? Nope So what's left to find out, is my reply to her inquiry and her response to that again | ||
| Rbruma (Rbruma)
New member Username: Rbruma Post Number: 887 Registered: 9-2009 |
Did you ask her to go to another working machine and try to ping repeatedly addresses from her class, until one was not responding, and put that one on? Or to ping the broadcast address? To check the ARP table? To log on to the DHCP server and see the allocation table? Might be some windows-specific procedure here but I'm illiterate in windows machines, dealing for years mainly with unix... | ||
| Eli (Eli)
New member Username: Eli Post Number: 1524 Registered: 11-2003 |
Did you ask her to go to another working machine and try to ping repeatedly addresses from her class, until one was not responding, and put that one on? Or to ping the broadcast address? To check the ARP table? To log on to the DHCP server and see the allocation table? No to all Might be some windows-specific procedure here but I'm illiterate in windows machines, dealing for years mainly with unix... You don't need any spesific knowledge from now on. I simply jumped to conclusion hearing her question. It is also important to know that when she presented herself, she simply said her name and company, nothing else. | ||
| Rbruma (Rbruma)
New member Username: Rbruma Post Number: 890 Registered: 9-2009 |
Did you ask her to find out the specific address she will be using? Or did you have the possibility to monitor the allocation table and just indicated to her what IP address she has to enter? | ||
| Eli (Eli)
New member Username: Eli Post Number: 1525 Registered: 11-2003 |
Did you ask her to find out the specific address she will be using? Or did you have the possibility to monitor the allocation table and just indicated to her what IP address she has to enter? No to all. In fact, I was doing hardware tech support, not sw. So I wasn't allowed to "teach" customers Windows, for instance. She calls in, introduces herself (by name only) and the company she's working for, saying that they have a new desktop/workstation that has problems connecting to the network, as it is not allocated an IP-address from the DHCP server. Which of course indicates no communication between the two units. So I ask her the above questions, like checking network settings to see if all components were installed and pinging 127.0.0.1. When I then tell her to ping the card, she responds in a patronising voice that 'ping what??? I don't get an IP-address from the server'. So I tell her that she has to reserve an address in the pool and use that to set a static IP address on the card. Her response was 'and how do I do that?' What follows is not technical at all. Just me jumping to conclusion, because of her response. | ||
| Noel (Noel)
New member Username: Noel Post Number: 1983 Registered: 7-2009 |
I would expect that your response was something like : "go get your company's IT professional to set it for you"? And her response was "I am the IT professional"? | ||
| Eli (Eli)
New member Username: Eli Post Number: 1526 Registered: 11-2003 |
I would expect that your response was something like : "go get your company's IT professional to set it for you"? And her response was "I am the IT professional"? Yes! and that is the SPOILER. When she asked how to do it, I assumed that she was confident around computers, but not the IT admin. So I told her to contact her IT admin, who would know what to do. To which she replied 'Well, that is me'. If you can get a job as IT admin, with the pay that comes with it, without knowing essential things like that, I would have liked to have seen that job description when the job was advertised. Might have wanted to apply for it myself, lol | ||
| Rbruma (Rbruma)
New member Username: Rbruma Post Number: 899 Registered: 9-2009 |
Nice one Eli, the last thing I would have thought is that she indeed was the IT admin. |
