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The manager of a typical project would consider the task well done if the project inished on time, according to its speciied performance and within its budgeted cost. These three objectives (time, performance and cost) are the traditional parameters for measuring project success or failure (and they will be discussed later in this chapter). However, although important, these three objectives relate mainly to the execution or fulilment stage of a project, which is the period of most direct interest to the project manager and the principal contractor. Other people (not least the customer) might have quite different views about the ultimate success or failure of a project. A customer who finds that the project fails to live up to its initial promise and fails to deliver its expected return on investment will see the result as a failure. Other stakeholders might have their own, quite different, parameters for measuring success. So a project can only be considered completely successful if it satisies all the stakeholders. This argument will be developed in the remainder of this chapter.
The upper portion of Figure 2.1 repeats the Gantt chart view of a project life history first seen in Figure 1.4. However, the project life is now compared not with rates of expenditure, but with some of the factors that determine actual or perceived success or failure as the project life history unfolds.
Success or Failure Factors in Relation to the Initial Project Definition
Initial project definition leads to the business case on which the decision to authorize or disallow the project start will principally depend. This initial deinition takes place during Phases 1 to 6 in the Gantt chart of Figure 2.1. This is clearly too early for anyone to measure the success or failure of the project but it is the time in the project's life history when the foundations for success or failure are laid. Any of the following shortcomings during this early period can condemn a project to almost certain failure:
the project scope (the extent of work required) is not clearly stated and understood;
the technical requirements are vague;
estimates of cost, timescale or benefits are too optimistic;
risk assessment is incomplete or flawed;
the intended project strategy is inappropriate;
insuficient regard is paid to cash lows and the provision of funds;
the interests and concerns of stakeholders are not taken into account;
undue regard is paid to the motivation and behaviour of the people who will execute the project;
particularly in management change projects, insuficient thought is given to how all the managers and workpeople affected by the project will adapt to the changes expected of them;
approval to proceed with the project is given for political, personal or intuitive reasons without due consideration of the business plan.
These are some of the things that can condemn a project to failure before any work begins. These early tasks, analyses and decisions are clearly important, and the following ive chapters all deal in some way with project deinition.
Factors for Success or Failure during the Project Fulfilment (Execution) Period
When authorization has been given for the project to start, it is the contractor (or the main contractor, if there are several subcontractors) and the project manager who take over most of the responsibility for success or failure. Remember that the term 'contractor' is used here to mean not only a company that manages or undertakes a project for an external customer, but it can also apply to an internal manager or team responsible for a management change, IT or similar in-house project. Similarly, the term 'customer' can mean not only an external client or customer, but also the executive management of a company carrying out its own internal project.
The success of the contractor and the project manager will usually be judged according to how well they achieve the three primary objectives of cost, performance and time. Many things need to be in place and many actions taken during the project execution period to help ensure success. Among other things, these include:
good project deinition and a sound business case;
appropriate choice of project strategy;
strong support for the project and its manager from higher management;
availability of suficient funds and other resources;
irm control of changes to the authorized project;
technical competence;
a strong quality culture throughout the organization;
a suitable organization structure;
appropriate regard for the health and safety of everyone connected with the project;
good project communications;
well-motivated staff;
quick and fair resolution of conflict.
These issues are all important for good project management.
The primary objectives of cost, performance and time are clear benchmarks against which to judge success or failure when (or soon after) a project is finished and handed over to the customer. The project manager needs to understand what each of these objectives implies and how the three can interrelate with each other.
The Cost Objective
Every project should be controlled against detailed cost budgets to ensure that the expenditure authorized in its contract or charter is not exceeded. Failure to complete work within the authorized budget will reduce proits and the return on the capital invested, with risk of a more serious (even terminal) financial outcome in extreme cases.
Most projects are undertaken with the expectation of benefits, either on completion or later in their life history. However, there are many projects where there is no initial profit motive. Here are some examples:
pure scientific research programmes;
ieldwork and other projects carried out by charitable organizations (with the exception of fundraising projects);
local or national government projects that are paid for from public funds;
other work carried out by organizations in the not-for-proit sector.
However, even when there is no proit motive, strict attention to cost budgets and financial management is usually vital. A project might have to be abandoned altogether if funds run out before completion, in which case the money and effort already invested become forfeit and must be written off. In extreme circumstances over-expenditure could even cause the end of the organization responsible.
The Performance (Or Quality) Objective
Quality has often been used as an alternative (but less satisfactory) name for the performance project objective. General understanding of project or product quality conjures up several things in our imagination. Perceived quality characteristics will depend on the nature of the project or product, but here are a few general examples:
performance at least equal to the speciication;
reliability and freedom from malfunction;
long useful and economic life;
safe: posing no unintentional threat of harm to living creatures (the adjective 'unintentional' is used here to accommodate, for example, projects carried out by arms manufacturers, pesticide companies and mouse trap manufacturers);
low operating and maintenance costs;
comfort and a pleasant impact on the human senses (sight, smell, taste, touch, hearing);
environmentally friendly.
A refinery that was intended and designed to process 200,000 tonnes of cathode copper per annum must be able to do so, and it must produce that copper at the speciied level of purity. The plant must function reliably, efficiently and safely. There will be trouble for all concerned if the plant causes environmental pollution.
Development projects for consumer goods must produce articles that satisfy the market requirements and conform to relevant legislation. The design concept and manufacture have to result in a product that is safe, reliable and appealing to the customer.
If a project is undertaken to reorganize a company, relocate its headquarters and install new IT systems, the IT must perform as expected, and the accommodation and all other conditions must be conducive to staff satisfaction and productivity.
At one time quality in manufacturing and other industrial projects was seen primarily as the responsibility of a quality control department. Great reliance was placed on inspection and testing to discover faults (called non-conformances in quality management jargon), and then arranging for these faults to be rectiied. In more recent years organizations in all market sectors have embraced the concept of total quality management (TQM). In TQM a 'quality culture' is created throughout the organization, with quality built in to all design and work processes, and with responsibility for quality shared by all the staff and workforce from top management downwards.
Quality considerations extend well beyond industrial projects and are regarded as equally important in the service industries and other businesses. The ISO 9000 series of standards is widely accepted as the base from which to design, implement and operate an effective quality management system, with the ultimate objective of creating a quality culture throughout the organization. The International Organization for Standards (ISO) publishes the ISO 9000 series and a full range of other international standards (www.iso.org).
The Time Objective
Actual progress has to match or beat planned progress. All signiicant stages of the project must finish no later than their scheduled dates. Late completion of a project will not please the project purchaser or sponsor, to say the least. Consistently failing to keep delivery promises cannot enhance the contractor's market reputation. Further, any project that continues to use resources beyond its planned finish date can have a knock-on effect and disrupt other projects that are either in progress or waiting to follow.
A common risk to projects is failure to start work on time. Very long delays can be caused by procrastination, legal or planning dificulties, shortage of information, lack of funds or other resources and a host of other reasons. All of these factors can place a project manager in a dificult or impossible position.
A project not started on time can hardly be expected to finish on time.
The Triangle of Objectives and Trade-offs Between Cost, Performance and Time
Of course, the aim of a project manager must be to achieve success in all aspects of the project. But it is occasionally necessary to identify one of the three primary objectives as being of special importance. This emphasis can affect the priority given to the allocation of scarce resources and the way in which management attention is concentrated. It can also influence the choice of project organization structure (which is discussed in Chapters 9 and 10).
In the mid 1980s Dr Martin Barnes introduced the first version of his triangle of objectives (shown in the top left-hand quadrant of Figure 2.2). The purpose of this triangle was to illustrate that the three primary objectives of cost, time and quality are interrelated. A management decision to place greater emphasis on achieving one or two of these objectives must sometimes be made at the expense of the remaining objectives. Thus project sponsors or managers sometimes have to decide on giving priority to one or more of the three objectives in a trade-off decision.
Shortly after his triangle's first appearance Dr Barnes changed 'quality' to 'performance' because, in his own words:
'Quality' implied little more than compliance with spec. but 'performance' I intended to mean 'theproject, on completion, does what it is supposed to do'
(quoted from private correspondence).
Thus the triangle, shown in the top right-hand quadrant of Figure 2.2, is the more widely known version of the Barnes triangle.
Whenever someone has a good, clearly stated original idea, be certain that others will come along later to complicate the concept needlessly. There are many such examples in the techniques and practice of project management. Thus the Barnes triangle has even been converted to a complex three-dimensional vector diagram in one book. However, two derivatives of the Barnes triangle are worthy of mention, not least because one of them is my own.
The good management, organization and motivation of all who contribute to a project cannot be taken for granted and this must be acknowledged from the start. With this in mind, Kliem and Ludin (1992) set out a modified triangle of objectives with people shown at its centre. The Kliem and Ludin triangle is shown in the bottom left-hand quadrant of Figure 2.2.
Like Dr Barnes, I was not content with the word 'quality' and searched for an alternative. For reasons explained in the following section, I prefer to use 'level of speciication' instead of 'quality'. The triangle in the bottom right-hand quadrant of Figure 2.2 combines my preference with those of Barnes, Kliem and Ludin.
The outcome of a trade-off decision can be indicated by placing a spot or blob within the triangle boundaries. For example, if cost is the greatest consideration, the blob will be placed in the cost corner. If all the objectives are regarded as equal (balanced), the blob will be put in the middle of the triangle.
A project for a charitable organization with very limited funds would have to be controlled very much with budgets in mind, so that costs must be the project manager's chief concern. Industries such as aerospace and nuclear power generation have to place high emphasis on safety and reliability, so performance becomes their most important objective. A project to set up and stock a stand at a trade exhibition, for which the date has already been announced and the venue booked, is so dependent on meeting the time objective that it might be necessary to accept overspent budgets if that is the only way to avoid missing the date.
The Quality/Cost Relationship
It is a mistake to believe that there can be a simple and acceptable trade-off between quality and cost. Those who promote TQM argue, quite rightly, that quality can be achieved without extra cost (see, for example, Crosby, 1979). However, there is an even more fundamental reason why quality is not an objective that can be downgraded or compromised. This becomes clear if we accept Juran's definition of quality as a service or product that is 'fit for the purpose for which it was intended' (Juran and Godfrey, 1999). No contractor or project manager should contemplate a result that is not 'fit for purpose'. Therefore 'quality' is not negotiable. Downgrading quality is not an option. That is why 'performance' or 'level of speciication' are more appropriate names for this objective because, in many cases, they are negotiable.
Suppose that the initial estimates for a new building are too high and that construction costs must be reduced. One option might be to build on relatively simple foundations instead of using deep sunk piles, which could save thousands of pounds. But if the ground conditions demand piling for the building to be safe, that cost-saving option is ruled out on the grounds of reliability and safety. It would compromise quality and is not a true option. The building would not be it for its intended purpose.
Now suppose that the same developer reviews the speciication for interior inishes and inds that marble-inished loors could be replaced with carpeted loors at a substantial cost saving. The floors would still be serviceable, safe, reliable and fit for purpose. Carpeting would, therefore, be an option that would not compromise quality. Quality has not been changed, but the level of speciication has.
The developer might also review the performance speciications for services such as lighting and air conditioning. It is possible that the performance parameters could be downgraded slightly for a signiicant saving in capital and operating costs. Again, this should not affect the safety and reliability of the building and, provided that lighting and ventilation remain adequate and within legislative requirements, would not render the building unit for its intended purpose.
The Cost/Time Relationship
There is usually a direct and very important relationship between time and money. If the planned timescale is exceeded, the original cost estimates are almost certain to be overspent. A project costs money during every day of its existence, working or non-working, week day or weekend, from day one of the programme right through until the last payment has exchanged hands. These costs arise for a variety of reasons, some of which will now be explained.
The effect of project delays on direct costs
The variable or direct project costs of materials and workforce man-hours are time-related in several ways. Cost inlation is one factor, so that a job started and inished later than planned can be expected to cost more because of intervening rises in materials prices, wages, salaries and other costs.
There are other, less easily quantiiable, causes where late working implies ineficient working, perhaps through lost time or waiting time (often the result of materials shortages, missing information, or poor planning, communications and organization). If any project task takes longer to perform than its planned duration, it is probable that the budgeted man-hours will also be exceeded. This is true not only for a single task, but also for the project as a whole.
The effect of project delays on indirect (overhead) costs
The 'ixed' or 'overhead' costs of management, administration, accommodation, services and general facilities will be incurred day by day, every day, regardless of work done, until the project is inished. If the project runs late, these costs will have to be borne for a longer period than planned. They will then exceed their budget.
The effect of project delays on the costs of financing
Another important time-related cost is financing. Where the contractor has an overdraft at the bank or relies on other loan financing, interest has to be paid on the loan. Even if the contractor can finance the project from internal funds, there is still a notional cost of financing, equivalent to the interest or dividends that the same funds could have earned had the contractor invested the money elsewhere (such as in a bank deposit account). If a project runs late, the financing period is extended, and the total amount of interest or notional interest payable must increase correspondingly.
Much of the finance raised for a large project is likely to be invested in work-in-progress as the project proceeds through the execution stage of its life history. This work-in-progress includes not only the tangible results of a project such as construction or manufacture, but also the intangible elements such as planning or design engineering. In many projects the contractor can only charge the customer for work that can be demonstrated as finished. For example, in construction and manufacturing projects the amount of work completed usually has to be inspected and certified by an independent quality surveyor or engineer before it can be charged out to the customer. The customer will not pay without the receipt of certiied invoices. Certiied invoices are often linked to planned events or 'milestones'. If the planned amount of work has not been done, or if a milestone has not been reached, a certified invoice cannot be issued. The contractor's revenue is then delayed, which means that the contractor must continue to finance the mounting costs of the project. The contractor could suffer severe cash low problems as a result, even leading to bankruptcy in the worst case.
Cost penalties
Late completion can invoke the ignominy of contract cost penalties. Some contracts contain a penalty clause which provides the customer with the sanction of a cost penalty against the contractor for each day or week by which the contractor fails to meet the contracted delivery obligation.
The total cost effect of project delays
All these cost/time considerations mean that delays on a large project can easily cause additional costs amounting to thousands of pounds per day. It is clear, therefore, that if work can be carefully monitored and managed so that it proceeds without disruption against a sensible, achievable plan, much of the battle to control costs will already have been won.
Perceptions of Project Success or Failure Beyond the Three Primary Objectives
Most project managers are expected to complete their projects so that they satisfy the three primary objectives of time, performance and cost. These are usually the most important factors that drive the project contractor and they should be the foremost expectations of the project owner. Most project management procedures (and this book) are directed towards achieving these goals, which could be summarized as delighting the customer whilst creating a commercial success for the contractor. In this context the contracting organization and the customer are both primary stakeholders in the project.
But many projects have to satisfy more than two primary stakeholders. For example, a bank that has provided loan finance for a project will have a keen interest in whether the project succeeds or fails.
There will always be people and organizations who, while not being principal stakeholders, nonetheless have an interest in how the outcome of a project might affect them. Subcontractors and suppliers are obvious examples. Project workers have a stake in the outcome because project success or failure can (apart from contributing to job satisfaction) have profound implications for their future employment and careers.
Perceptions of success or failure will differ between the various stakeholders. The residents of houses lying in the path of a proposed new motorway would take a very different view from that of the potential motorway users. A project to build a transport system that runs out of cash and ruins its main contractor would be an undoubted failure from the point of view of the shareholders, project staff and unpaid creditors. But road users would not regard that project as a failure if a replacement contractor and fresh cash injections allowed the new road to be opened as planned.
Some environmental groups might be dismayed by new project proposals. Many project managers have learned to their cost that work can be seriously delayed by determined protesters, who may be able to publicize a good case, attract a great deal of public support and even trespass on the owner's site or premises.
It is clear, then, that the true measure of project success or failure depends on how the project outcome is perceived by all the stakeholders. Hartman (2000) declares that a 'project is successful if all the stakeholders are happy'. Although that ideal may not always be achievable, it is best project management practice to try to identify all the stakeholders and satisfy their aspirations as far as possible.
Identifying and Ranking the Stakeholders
The range and nature of stakeholders will vary greatly from one project to another but the principle of stakeholder identiication can be illustrated by an example. Suppose that a project has been proposed to redevelop a derelict urban area. This ambitious project will provide a shopping mall, ofices, cinema and live entertainments, other leisure facilities, new connecting roads and so on. The primary stakeholders for this project will certainly include the main project contractor and the project owner. The banks or other organizations financing the project will also have a considerable primary interest in the project's success or failure.
Not least of the stakeholders are all those who hold shares or have otherwise invested in participating companies that, by accepting an element of risk, stand to make a proit or loss as a result of the project.
Subcontractors, suppliers, staff, artisans and labourers can all be considered stakeholders too, although perhaps these could be placed in the second rank. Intended occupiers of the shops, ofices and other premises also have a large stake in the project.
There are others who will be dependent on the secondary stakeholders. These are the wholesale suppliers of merchandise to be sold in the new shops, service staff such as car park attendants, shop and office workers, companies expecting to provide security, cleaning and maintenance services, and so on.
Public transport organizations must consider how the development will affect passenger numbers: some of their existing services might need to be changed to suit the new travel patterns (and take advantage of the new business generated).
Then there are the various regulatory authorities, such as the local building inspectors, planning ofice and many other oficial organizations. These are all stakeholders whose decisions and actions can affect the project.
People living near the proposed development will benefit from the new shopping and leisure facilities but might resent the inconvenience of construction works and the prospect of increased trafic and noise when the new premises start to function. Parents might be concerned that their schoolchildren will have to cross streets that are busier and more hazardous. Motorists and other road users will be interested in how the new road layouts will affect their journeys. The new entertainments facilities will provide wider opportunities for live artistes.
This discussion could be carried on at length to identify still more stakeholders. Some will have the power to inluence the project, while others will be able only to voice opinions. All stakeholders might be ranked (primary, secondary, tertiary and so on) according to the power that they can wield and the impact that the project will have on them.
Consideration of the Stakeholders' Interests
Once all the stakeholders have been identified, the means of communicating and dealing with them will have to be considered. Regulations and local byelaws will determine how local government and other oficial bodies must be consulted. There might have to be meetings with some stakeholders' groups or associations. Publicity can include, for example, announcements in the local press and advance public display of architects' plans and models. Consultation is always better than confrontation.
When the preliminary investigation of stakeholders' interests is inished, the triangle of objectives could, in theory at least, be supplemented by a more complex matrix of stakeholders' perceptions. Figure 2.3 shows a theoretical format.
Benefits Realization
In most industrial and manufacturing projects the project owner should start to realize the expected beneits immediately or shortly after the project is successfully inished and handed over (Phase 13 in Figure 2.1). A chemical plant, once successfully commissioned, will be capable of producing saleable product. A new ofice building might require attention to the occupier's snagging list during the irst few weeks of occupation but should nonetheless provide a pleasant working environment that can immediately improve staff satisfaction (and thus productivity). However, business change and IT projects can be quite different because their most signiicant beneits tend to be realized later in the project life history, during the irst months (or even years) of the period shown as Phase 14 in Figure 2.1.
Consider, for example, a large-scale project that is intended to replace and standardize the customer service and invoicing systems of all the companies in an international group. The execution phase of the project is inished when the IT designers have developed, documented and tested the software. If the IT was contracted out, the IT specialist contractor might have had a successful project outcome, with all three primary objectives of cost, performance and time satisied at the time of handover to the user company.
However, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. There is much more to the success of a management change project than the technical excellence and performance of the IT. It is only when the new system is up, running and accepted by the managers and staff of all the companies in the group that the project owner can begin to regard the project as a success. That implementation process can be long and dificult.
There may be a requirement for one or more special mobile implementation teams to be set up. A team will visit each of the different companies, and stay with that company until the staff are trained to use the new system, the initial problems are solved and beneits begin to become apparent.
Introducing new systems and procedures can be very difficult in any organization where the staff resist change, have understandable concerns about possible redundancies, come from a rich mix of different cultures, or resent having to cope with all the initial teething problems that significant changes create. Such difficulties are made worse by the spread of rumours (true or false) through the unoficial communication grapevine.
In recent years all these dificulties have led to new ways of assessing and managing the beneits realization of management change and IT projects. It is now recognized that the benefits realization process should start during early project definition by establishing benchmarks that can be put in place in the business plan. These benchmarks have some similarity with the milestones set in the project execution plans of all projects, but for management change and IT projects there are two important differences:
The most important benchmarks often occur some time after initial handover and commissioning of the project from the contractor to the customer (remembering yet once again that the contractor and owner can be in the same company).
Each benchmark must be directly associated with a cash inflow, cost saving or other real beneit that can be tracked to a favourable entry in the company's accounts or management reports.
Benefits realization is appreciated among the more enlightened management fraternity as the most important driver in managing a management change or IT project, so that the intended long-term beneits are kept in the minds of the project manager and the other project stakeholders.
There are management consultant companies that specialize in helping organizations to achieve their project implementation beneits, and some have proprietary methods for the purpose. An Internet search for 'beneits realization' is a good pathway to these companies and their methods. One such specialist company is Isochron Limited, and that organization uses the terms 'recognition events' and 'value lashpoints' to identify milestones and financial benchmarks that can be used to drive a management change project forward to successful conclusion. Chapter 27, new for this tenth edition, takes this subject of management change implementation further and is based on Isochron's methods.


text: Join friends and fellow volunteers for this special peek at an outstanding collection of antiques, furniture, paintings, rugs, silver, Chinese export porcelain and more at the home of Hugh and Laurie White. Hugh is a Past President of the Foundation for Historic Christ Church who with his wife Laurie assembled this amazing collection. Wine and hors d'oeuvres. $25.00 per person. Proceeds from the Estate Sale Preview Party benefit Historic Christ Church & Museum.

subset: commoncrawl


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Win the Way You Won Before. We have definitely picked up skills in the past. Ask yourself what skills did you learn in the past? It need not be work skills only. What were the circumstances that conspired in your favour? You might have an audience to drive your development of the skill. Sometimes, you could have been pressured by a tight deadline. Find a new crowd you share your skill with. You could devise a reward system once you have attained a particular skill. Set a countdown on your phone to motivate yourself to do something, it could be 60 minutes or something. Don't be afraid to devise new methods in your pursuit of new skills. Learn the strategies employed in the past to help you improve and give yourself a better chance at success. Never reinvent the wheel and always learn from your past.
Kick-Start Your New Skills with Something Fun. You can learn by necessity or curiosity. Necessity are related to work skills. Curiosity is more borne out of desire. Both types of skills are important for us. A smarter approach is to start with something fun. Developing a curiosity skill is more fun and easier than a necessity skill. Keep it simple. You only need time and knowledge at the start. Time and knowledge are more accessible than money, time, gear. You can research about it for free on the Internet. You need to make time for learning your skill too. You must decide exactly when do you want to learn it. Macro means printing out next month's calendar. You will realize that you have more time than you think. Fear likes to tell you that you don't have enough time. Learn to utilize your time well and in a fruitful manner. The micro is exactly which days and how many hours you will use to hone your skill. What's consuming your calendar daily? Start your day with what matters most and that will help you the most. Work on your skill before other things get in the way. Who will help you learn this new skill? Skills are no exception. It is more fun to learn with a friend. Someone should track your progress. This person should ask you for updates on a regular basis. Check in twice a week.
If you really want to learn something, you have to decide when you are going to do it. Otherwise, you dramatically reduce your odds of actually doing it. – Jon Acuff
Days are like snowballs rolling down a hill. I don't care how perfectly you've planned it, something unexpected is going to get picked up as your day rolls down the slope. – Jon Acuff
An accountability partner you only contract when you are winning isn't an accountability partner, it's a cheerleader. – Jon Acuff
Learning a new skill doesn't have to be miserable, especially if you start with something fun and easy. – Jon Acuff
Skills Get Sharp Slowly and Dull Quickly. Skills will go dull if not used frequently. If you are writer, you should write daily. Once you get lazy, it will be hard to kick-start the habit again. At that time, you need motivation from friends to kick you to start again. The hardest competition you'll ever face. The key for sportsmen is to be disciplined and do the same time every day of the week, even during off season. Learn to outsmart yourself. There is a problem with first times. First times should be the worst experience. Every time you start a new job, the skills you learn in your previous job are not useless. For every repetition you make, you should lay another brick in your foundation. You work best when skills become second nature to you. This will free up brain space for other things. If you discipline your life, it creates freedom in another. For instance, you could buy many sets of the same clothing. This will help you pare down your decision making. Your career is not shampoo. Nowadays, videos are big part of blogging. You must step into the tension of skills. Some skills cannot be simply put on autopilot, but should be on fighter pilot.
The more you can turn an important skill into a repeatable habit, the more you can trust the power of autopilot. – Jon Acuff
When you refuse to practice a skill today, it makes it harder to practice it tomorrow. Weeds of fear grow stronger the longer we wait to hustle. Get in the garden today. – Jon Acuff
Grab the Right Kind of Hammer for Your Career Ceiling. Do not build your cage. When you are stuck, you can choose to accept it or change it. Your skills will help you break ceilings. The ceiling is challenging you to break through it.
The father of every good work is discontent, and its mother is diligence. – Lajos Kassak
Should you ever stay at a bad job just because other people in your field don't have a job? What are you really saying? That until everyone in your field is employed you can't apply somewhere else? You can't have another job until everyone else does? That doesn't make any sense. – Jon Acuff
We build elaborate internal campaigns justifying where we are. We trick ourselves into thinking it's someone else's fault or that maybe it's not so bad. It's not a horrible job, it's a good-enough job. If we stay there long enough, we eventually forget that we are even allowed to change. – Jon Acuff
I can't tell you if in ten years I will have written five more books. But I can tell you that this year I will write one. I can't tell you if in 10 years my blog will have 5 million readers, but I can write a new post today. – Jon Acuff
Investment 3: Character. Character is who you are. Character is the reason why people will give you another opportunity if you fail the first one. It is a pre-requisite for many things to come. Everything is personal in work. Character is impossible to ignore. Character will also determine your resilience to move things forward. Start planting your orchard and be generous and empathetic. People with bad character might win, but they may not last.
A talent is formed in stillness, a character in the world's torrent. – Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
Plant an Orchard. Character is a slow process and takes time to build. Character is like an orchard. The trees are the character traits and the weeds threaten to destroy your orchard. Which is one character trait that you want to develop? Ask a friend if you are clueless. Trust could be something you want to work on. Take a look at your whole orchard. I was addicted to chaos and busyness. However, if you like chaos, your character falls on the wayside. Write down the jobs you've had. Give a brief description of your job performance. List the way you left each job. Describe the strength of the relationships you left behind. Pull the weeds as fast as you can. Narcissism is a problem. Dishonesty is a horrible weed too. Pessimism is an issue too. Pessimism can grow and it can become a problem. Apathy is a big issue as well. Apathy cripples your ability to launch a career jump.
The future is purchased by the present. – Dr. Samuel Johnson
The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now. – Old Saying
Most destructive of all is that apathy cripples your ability to launch a career jump. No one who is apathetic has the energy or heart to try a positive, voluntary career transition. That entire quadrant is off the table when weeds like this have grown in your orchard. – Jon Acuff
Generosity is a Game Changer. We need to be generous as it can help us greatly in our careers. It helps to breed loyalty. People will support you if you have helped them before. Do not hesitate or hold back. Greed will cost you more than you think. Generosity is always cheaper than greed. Your generosity will pay dividends. It is for long term benefits. If you find that people are exploiting you, make sure you don't have an itchy trigger finger. Learn to draw some boundaries. You can let the person learn from a painful experience. The worst case is to avoid them. Make your definition of generosity bigger. You can be generous with your time and skills. Ideally, you should be able to do something you are good at.
Service is renewing. When we serve, our work itself will sustain us. – Rachel Naomi Remen
Before you make a Career Jump give generously of your time, talent and resources without keeping score. If you keep a record of who you've been generous to with the expectation that they'll return the favor, you'll build transactions not relationships. – Jon Acuff
Empathy, No Longer Just for People Who Like to Cry with Friends. You need to navigate with empathy. It means understanding someone else's needs and acting on them. Most people are the same and they all have hopes, fears, dreams, frustrations. Having empathy allows to work with just about anyone. If you have empathy, you can do sales and sell stuff. Take time to know someone's real story. You will understand that they might have undergone to get to where they are. Compassion is important. Fear is an amazing storyteller. Care about what the people you care about care about. Character is an orchard, it changes over time. You don't have to quit your job to engage in a career jump, but you can do something positive and voluntary. Read less minds, ask more questions. Instead of guessing, learn to ask them directly. Simply showing up shows empathy. It doesn't have to be big actions. Make people bigger. Ask questions to your colleagues like 'What can I do to make you look like a rock star to your manager?' Put someone's needs ahead of your own. What to do when empathy is broken. Be honest and admit you were wrong sometimes.
Everybody has a story. When we don't take the time to know someone's story or worse, create our own version of it, we lose the chance to understand what they need, which is the first step to empathy. – Jon Acuff
Be Present. Showing up at your job is important. You have to deal with your phone, your computer, and your meetings. We use our phones way too often. If you are not present, your relationships might be threatened. When you use your phone, you are putting other people on pause. Be present with your computer. People might surf the Internet at work in their free time. We are all guilty of it. Do work while you're at work. Be present in meetings. Learn to take notes. It is easier to hide behind a laptop by being old fashioned and taking down notes is easier. Ask at least one question during the meeting will help you to stay engaged. Turn your phone upside down. You could just not bring your phone to the meeting or something.
Never Jump without Character. You need character when you decide to chase a dream. Character helps you navigate through chaos of change. You can always rely on your character. You can't completely eliminate chaos from your life. Over time, you get used to living with chaos. It's time to hustle.
Investment: Hustle. We are more capable than we think. Hustle means hard work. It helps you to build on relationships, skills and your character. You don't get anywhere without hard work. There is a thin line between hustle and hassle. Use grit, awareness and flexibility.
'Music is in the piano only when it is played.' Jack Gilbert
Grit is a Choice, Not a Feeling. You will feel a sense of apathy if you have given up on your dream. Grit is not fun or easy. You might have to stay up late to work hard etc. It can be ugly and messy. However, grit is a choice. You might ask, what if I don't have what it takes? You don't need some ultimate goal to work on Do Over. Fear will always discourage you from working hard and acting on your goal. Tell yourself that you have what it takes to try. We all get to try. What if I pick the wrong thing to hustle on and miss my opportunity? The thing about life is that you will have many opportunities that will come your way. Therefore, do not apply the once-in-a-lifetime label to things you face. Regret is much worse than fear. Which would you rather choose, fear or regret? Make grit decisions. Give your hustle some time to succeed. Counsel and lean on your relationships. Ask for awesome opportunities. Give yourself permission to be kind. Be honest to yourself. Build a grit list. It's like running, I don't like it but I put in on my Grid List due to the benefits I derive from it. Go with grit, don't be most people. Don't wait until you feel brave to hustle, choose to hustle until you feel brave.
I didn't want to be selling insurance at 40, wondering what it would have been like to do stand-up. – Steven Wright, Comedian
If you're going to make new relationships, you need to have grit. If you're going to learn new skills, you need to have grit. If you're going to have strong character, you need to have grit. If you're going to hustle, you need to have grit. – Jon Acuff
There's no such thing as a perfect job. There's no job where you get to do only the things you love doing. Those don't exist. – Jon Acuff
There will be tasks, projects and activities you have to do in your career that you hate. No matter which stage you're in, you'll have to do some things you don't love. That's why we all need a Grid List, a short list of the skills we grit our teeth and do regardless of how we feel. – Jon Acuff
Hustle Has Seasons: Use Awareness to Recognize Them. Do not try to hustle at wrong points of your life. For instance, do not hustle on a holiday as you will not feel rested or recharged. You need to ask 'what season am I in?' Learn to focus. Hustle is a scalpel. Doing more action might not be the solution all the time. Do not hustle too much that you neglect your family etc. Instead of blaming your boss or colleagues, ask yourself 'Did I expect this job to be something it never would be?' It does not mean you are a failure. It just meets that you just took a wrong path and need to find a new one. Keep your head down and hustle on your work.
Be proactive about doing that in your own life. Work on your sense of awareness. Don't wait for someone you love to call you out. – Jon Acuff
You don't have to know the exact path, because nobody does, but are you roughly headed in the right direction? If you want to be a musician and you're a pharmaceutical rep working 70 hours a week, not playing any music, stop kidding yourself. That path doesn't lead to music. – Jon Acuff
Career Yoga. You need to spend time planning your day. Things rarely go according to plan. Hustling with flexibility is the best, as it leads to less disappointment. Be flexible with your dream. The work you end up loving might not even exist yet. You have to flexible about what you study as well. Your dream will change over your lifetime. Be flexible with your definition of success. Let new be different, not old. Humans love to idealize your past when our present doesn't meet our expectations. Have fun storming the castle. Having fun is important as it helps you to get going and to push on. Having fun helps you to prevent burnout.
Always Use This to Multiply the Moment. Hustle offers you unexpected opportunities. Overcome your fear and learn to speak to a crowd. Say yes to small opportunities and learn to build from there.
Let no one be deluded that a knowledge of the path can substitute for putting one foot in front of the other. – Mary Caroline Richards
Hustle works those two ways. You hustle hard to stir up more opportunities. And then when you have one, you hustle hard to blow it up as large as it can possibly be. – Jon Acuff
Three Final Words You'll Tell Me Someday Soon. Work can be more meaningful than we think. We have to change ourselves. We don't get to pick a transition permanently. Your work is a lifestyle. Anyone can have a Career Do Over.
O you who sit over your full cup and do not drink, tell me, for whom are you still waiting? – Hermann Hesse


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Articles about Web Scanning
'Legit' website compromises reach epidemic proportions
Once upon a time surfers could stay unmolested by malware by staying away from warez and smut. Those days are well and truly over as changes in hacking tactics mean that compromised content on legitimate website has become the main conduit for so-called drive-by download attacks. Web security firm ScanSafe reports that two in …
Create a news alert about Web Scanning, or find more stories about Web Scanning.


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In the wake of a tragedy – the Christchurch earthquake
On Monday night I came home and saw that a friend in Christchurch had commented on facebook about another earthquake. I didn't think much of it as they have been having ongoing aftershocks since the one in September…and I thought it must have been one of those. I woke on Tuesday to find facebook (my source of almost all world news these days) covered in posts about the earthquake and it's impacts, people checking in with others for news, friends asking that people pray for their loved ones.
This morning the official death toll is at 98 but there are 226 listed missing and the Prime Minister John Keys has said "We are very fearful tonight that the death toll could be much greater than any of us have ever feared." It has been NZ's deadliest disaster in 80 years.
I spent a lot of Tuesday contacting friends who are either in Christchurch or have family there, reading articles and updates, looking at pictures and watching videos – some that were horrifying and heartbreaking. One of the most hard-hitting was this one.
How to make sense of what has happened and is happening? A couple of years ago I might have written something that would have come across as insensitive and apathetic to explain why this has happened and what will come out of it. But I am not there. I don't know what it is like for those involved. I can't possibly imagine. Though people I know have been affected, either through being there themselves or losing loved ones in the quake, no-one I personally know has been counted in the death toll. I don't feel I have a right to comment on what it might be like for them. But here is what I do know for sure and do feel I have a right to comment on…..
There is absolutely NOTHING that unites us like death.
There is nothing that has the power to bring a family, a community, a country, a people together like a loss of life, particularly on such a scale.
I have been watching as Air NZ has dropped it's prices to almost nothing to fly in or out of Christchurch those affected or immediate family members. I have seen friends post on facebook as they wait for news about their loved ones and then post again as they get the news – one way or another – and the messages of support flood in to them. Defence staff, medics, and engineers are coming from all over the country and flying in from the UK, US, Taiwan, Australia, Singapore and Japan. There are sites and facebook pages where you can find/provide temporary accommodation, need/give supplies & comfort, donate, search for/find loved ones, and provide messages of support.
I was moved to tears after seeing a friend in Wellington open up her home, saying that she had two spare rooms available to 'anyone' who needed a place to stay. She is one of many.
At what other time do you see a nation pull together like this than in the face of such tragedy? Great strength and life emerge from something like this.
I'll be honest that I am not sure whether I feel so relieved not to be there or if I wish I could be there to really DO something. But one thing is for sure – I feel more 'Kiwi' than I have in years. I feel fiercely patriotic right now and I feel so connected to MY country. It's been a long, long time since I felt this way.
Keys has said "Things will get better. Christchurch will rise again. This country is right behind you and we are backing you with all of our might."
And if they didn't already know, now the world will see what Kiwis are made of.
Kia kaha, New Zealand. Aroha nui.


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"We felt there was a big deal waiting for us just round the corner," says Peter Goodman. "But it didn't happen."
Goodman is recalling the final days of his first venture as an entrepreneur - an advertising company that he and a partner established shortly after leaving university in 2000. As he acknowledges, the initially successful business foundered as a combination of fluctuating revenues and high fixed costs pushed up the company's borrowing. When it finally became impossible to continue, was looking at a total debt in the region of £100,000.
"We were young and naive," he says, "We over traded."
Fast forward to 2017 and Goodman can look back on an entrepreneurial career that has sustained over the best part of two decades. Helped by his parents - who remortgaged their home to pay off the debts accrued by that first venture - he threw his hat back into the ring through the launch of ad inventory brokering business. From there he went on to found ad management software company Brighter Option, which was sold to Buddy Media in 2011. When Buddy Media was itself acquired by SalesForce in 2012, Goodman joined the US giant as part of an earn-out arrangement. Having subsequently, set up an investment vehicle, Growbag Capital, he has now returned to the entrepreneurial fray through the launch of Homelyfe an -app powered insurance business, founded in partnership with Andrew Craven.
But as Goodman stresses, the experience of launching, building and ultimately folding his first company has shaped his approach to entrepreneurship. The lessons learned have helped him recognize and avoid the pitfalls that often catch inexperienced business owners unaware. When I spoke to him this week, he was keen to discuss not only his latest venture but also the importance of learning lessons from adversity.
Customer Focused
Officially launched for IoS and Android earlier this month, the Homelyfe app is designed to provide consumers with a mobile-driven means to buy insurance easily. Insurance tech is a competitive marketplace, but as Goodman explains, the goal is to attract customers by providing a range of insurance products that can be purchased and managed through a single login. User-friendliness. For instance, the inevitable list of questions that usually greets insurance purchasers has been pared back. The formula, Goodman explains, is to ask enough questions to enable underwriters to provide effective cover while at the same time avoiding anything that is - strictly speaking - unnecessary. It's a balance he says. "Too few questions and customers don't know what they're buying. Too many and they turn off. To achieve that balance, Homelyfe has collaborated with underwriters to come up with a formula that makes purchase easy while retaining the integrity of the policy.
By providing a means to buy and manage multiple policies while also making the purchase process more streamlined, Goodman and Craven hope to gain traction in the marketplace. Starting with home insurance, the range of policies will be expanded over the coming months.
A focus on customer experience plays a central role in Goodman's approach to business and he cites his period with Salesforce as a particular influence on his thinking. "The biggest thing there was customer centricity," he says. "It's at the core of what they do and it made me stop and think."


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The head of NBC is desperately trying to get its parent company to sell NBC by producing horrible programming while neglecting other shows.
Oh, sorry, that's the season arc of Community's (former) Thursday primetime buddy, 30 Rock.
All of my god-awful openings aside, Community is getting some horrible treatment from whoever is trying to to be Jack Donaghy at NBC. While internal problems between Dan Harmon and Chevy Chase and…well everyone else and Chevy Chase have been long-rumored, NBC hasn't made it easy either.
The 2009 premiere of the Community was promising, bringing in about 8 million viewers, retaining 93% of the declining Office's viewership. Like most shows, the finale viewing totals were much farther off than the premiere's, at a relatively paltry 4.41 million, but averaged 5 million a night overall. It may not have helped that the show was dropped after only a couple of weeks from its 9:30 p.m. time slot to a 8 p.m. one. It also may not have helped that The Office and 30 Rock were in a bit of creative slump as well.
The next years continued the trend of waning popularity, averaging 4.44 and 4.03 million viewers in season two and three, respectively. Community's overall ranking for those two seasons was 138th and 144th, certainly ranking below plenty of less critically acclaimed shows.
Of course there was the November 2011 announcement of a the mid-season hiatus that really showed that NBC was taking of the kid gloves and putting on the big boy gauntlets. Cue the lash back.
Twitter blew up with trends, including the hashtags #SaveCommunity and #OccupyNBC. College Humor even got the main cast together to make a wonderful, hilarious promotional video to get the show back on the air. Though, you can tell from its YouTube view count, that it didn't receive that much exposure either.
However, the big win for community during it's second-to-third season stretch is that it won the people's Comedy of the Year via TV Guide, giving the cast room to deservedly plug saving their show. For a week at least…
The hiatus came at both a bad, yet opportune time for the show, as it was coming off some really strong episodes. But none stronger than "Remedial Chaos Theory."
The episode is a perfect snapshot of Community. Throwing away all sitcom conventions, this episode followed six different timelines that all resulted in some sort of conflict between characters. None darker than the one that resulted in Pierce's death and Abed in a goatee.
This goatee more or less became a symbol for diehard Community fans as everyone from Twitterers to flash mobs began using it as way of saying the show's cancellation would be the darkest timeline.
On January 6, 2012, an NBC Chairman announced that the show was not cancelled, and on February 21, show runner Dan Harmon announced via Twitter that community would return again in March. Despite the great support from fans during the hiatus, the viewership hit an all-time low, with under 3 million by the season finale.
However, in a head-scratcher of a move, NBC put three episodes together (not well-connected episodes, either) for the finale in a single night. They were all great episodes, including one that is currently spawning a videogame, but received no love from the masses in terms of primetime viewership.
Cue season 4. The show is set to move to Friday, where its viewership is assumed to continue to fall. Dan Harmon has been fired, producers have left, and actor/writer Dino Stamatopoulos is gone. STARBURNS, ("my name's Alex!") WHY MUST YOU LEAVE US?
So since NBC forced their hand, everything must be at one in the Community world, right? Wrong. The show had an already delayed season premiere, originally planned for October 19, after The Office, Parks and Recreation, and 30 Rock had aired a couple episodes of their latest seasons. Then, just a couple of days ago, NBC announced that it is delaying the new season indefinitely. The move could put the show on a better night, but regardless, it's paired with the dreadful Whitney.
Despite promise of a better night, this has dealt a serious blow to the Community…err..community? This will surely (don't call me Shirley) bring out some more backlash, and people like Blake Griffin are even showing their support.
If NBC drops the show, it could face the fate of one of Abed's favorite show (no, not six seasons and movie), Cougar Town, which recently made the jump from ABC to TBS. It would hardly be considered a loss if fans had to change networks for the show versus cancellation, but Community fans are still asking themselves a familiar question…
…is this the darkest timeline?


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A series of 6 varied concerts throughout The week beginning with "Instant Sunshine" followed by 3 classical concerts, an 0pera ... more
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It all begins with a line, the physical mark on a surface A mixed exhibition of paintings, sculpture, ceramics and ... more
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Fundraising afternoon in memory of Joy Beveridge (Fowler), raising money for Hospice in the Weald and Ovarian Cancer Action. Stalls ... more


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The ROI of Social Media
Are you considering social media as part of your new marketing strategy? Are you unsure about the effectiveness of this tool?
To find out more about promoting your business on social media, have a look at this infographic and see how social media can power your company.
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Metrics for Measuring the Performance of the Mixed Workload CH-benCHmark
Advances in hardware architecture have begun to enable database vendors to process analytical queries directly on operational database systems without impeding the performance of mission-critical transaction processing too much. In order to evaluate such systems, we recently devised the mixed workload CH-benCHmark, which combines transactional load based on TPC-C order processing with decision support load based on TPC-H-like query suite run in parallel on the same tables in a single database system. Just as the data volume of actual enterprises tends to increase over time, an inherent characteristic of this mixed workload benchmark is that data volume increases during benchmark runs, which in turn may increase response times of analytic queries. For purely transactional loads, response times typically do not depend that much on data volume, as the queries used within business transactions are less complex and often indexes are used to answer these queries with point-wise accesses only. But for mixed workloads, the insert throughput metric of the transactional component interferes with the response-time metric of the analytic component. In order to address the problem, in this paper we analyze the characteristics of CH-benCHmark queries and propose normalized metrics which account for data volume growth.
Keywordsmixed workload real-time business intelligence
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
- 1.Bog, A., Sachs, K., Zeier, A.: Benchmarking Database Design for Mixed OLTP and OLAP Workloads. In: Second Joint WOSP/SIPEW International Conference on Performance Engineering (2011)Google Scholar
- 2.Bog, A., Schaffner, J., Krüger, J.: A Composite Benchmark for Online Transaction Processing and Operational Reporting. In: IEEE Symposium on Advanced Management of Information for Globalized Enterprises (2008)Google Scholar
- 3.Cole, R., Funke, F., Giakoumakis, L., Guy, W., Kemper, A., Krompass, S., Kuno, H., Nambiar, R., Neumann, T., Poess, M., Sattler, K.-U., Seibold, M., Simon, E., Waas, F.: The mixed workload CH-benCHmark. In: ACM International Workshop on Testing Database Systems (ACM DBTEST), ACM Special Interest Group on Management of Data (ACM SIGMOD) Conference Workshops (2011)Google Scholar
- 4.Doppelhammer, J., Höppler, T., Kemper, A., Kossmann, D.: Database Performance in the Real World - TPC-D and SAP R/3. In: ACM SIGMOD International Conference on Management of Data (1997)Google Scholar
- 5.Plattner, H.: A common database approach for OLTP and OLAP using an in-memory column database. In: ACM SIGMOD International Conference on Management of Data (2009)Google Scholar
- 6.Poess, M., Nambiar, R.: Building Enterprise Class Real-Time Energy Efficient Decision Support Systems. In: Fourth International Workshop on Enabling Real-Time Business Intelligence (BIRTE), International Conference on Very Large Data Bases (VLDB) Workshops (2010)Google Scholar
- 7.Transaction Processing Performance Council. TPC-C specification (2010), www.tpc.org/tpcc/spec/TPC-C_v5-11.pdf
- 8.Transaction Processing Performance Council. TPC-H specification (2011), http://www.tpc.org/tpch/spec/tpch2.14.0.pdf
- 9.VoltDB. TPC-C-like Benchmark Comparison - Benchmark Description, http://community.voltdb.com/node/134


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How to configure clustering of 8.x Aruba Mobility Controllers?
ASE Link: Go to the solution
Clustering is a new feature introduced in AOS 8.0 that enables seamless roaming of clients between APs, hitless client failover and load balancing of users across Mobility Controllers in the the cluster.
This solution provides the configuration required to create a cluster of Mobility Controllers that are managed by the same Mobility Master.
This solution uses the terms "Mobility Controller" (MC) and "Managed Devices" (MD) interchangeably. Both these terms refer to controllers in the AOS 8.0 context (hardware or virtual) that are managed by the MM.
About clustering
AOS 8.0 introduces the concept of AP Anchor Controllers (AAC) and User Anchor Controllers (UAC), as described below. Clustering in AOS 8.0 provides the following benefits:
- Seamless roaming of clients: When MDs are part of a cluster, each client that connects to the network always terminates on a dedicated MD, referred to as User Anchor Controller (or UAC), irrespective of what AP they are connected to. The AP that a client is connected to builds a dynamic tunnel back to the UAC. When the client roams from AP1 to AP2, AP1 tears down the dynamic tunnel and AP2 builds a similar tunnel back to the UAC. Since the client always connects back to the same UAC that maintains the client state and sessions, the user does not experience any network drops during roaming.
- Hitless failover:
- Hitless AP failover: When MDs are part of a cluster, APs that come up will connect to their LMS IP (i.e. one of the cluster members), called the Active AP Anchor Controller (or A-AAC). The AP builds a standby tunnel to a Standby AAC (or S-AAC) that is selected by the cluster leader. When the A-AAC goes down, the AP seamlessly fails over to the S-AAC. This is similar to how AP Fast Failover (HA) works in AOS 6.x.
- Hitless client failover: When MDs are part of a cluster, high value client sessions (such as voice, video, FTP, SSH etc.) are synchronized between active and standby members of a cluster, thereby making the client failover seamless. When a client joins the cluster, it always terminates on a dedicated MD in the cluster called Active User Anchor Controller (or A-UAC). The cluster leader then selects a Standby UAC (S-UAC) from the cluster. Since the client L2 state and high value client sessions are maintained between A-UAC and S-UAC, if the A-UAC goes down, the client is able to failover to the S-UAC without the user noticing any loss in connectivity.
- User load balancing: Clients are evenly load balanced among cluster members, based on the platform capacity of cluster members and the configured load-balancing threshold.
Minimum Software Version Required
Minimum Networking requirements
- All cluster members are time synchronized. It is recommended that an NTP server is configured for that cluster.
- It is strongly recommended that only controllers of the same model are members of a cluster.
clustering guidelines
- The Mobility Master cannot be part of a cluster. Only MDs make up a cluster.
- For the 72xx controller model, you can add up to 12 members per cluster.
- For the 70xx controller model, you can add up to 4 members per cluster.
- For the VMC model, you can add up to 4 members per cluster.
- If you have RAPs in your deployment, you can add up to 4 members per cluster, irrespective of the controller model.
- When MDs are added to a cluster, a cluster leader is chosen based on configured priority, platform value and MAC address. This solution assumes default 'configured priority', i.e., priority is not explicitly configured for any cluster member in this solution. So the leader election will primarily be based on the platform value and MAC address.
Ap boot process
When an AP initially boots up in an AOS 8.0 deployment:
- It learns about 'aruba-master' (or a list of aruba-masters) via DNS, DHCP, ADP or static configuration on the AP. It is recommended that VRRP is configured between the cluster members and 'aruba-master' is the cluster VIP.
- If 'aruba-master' is not reachable, the AP will try to contact the next 'aruba-master' (if one is available), that could be a VIP from a different cluster.
- The AP contacts the cluster VIP and receives its configuration, including LMS and Backup LMS IP.
- The AP then terminates on the LMS IP (i.e. one of the cluster members), which is the AP's A-AAC.
- The cluster leader selects a S-AAC from the cluster to which the AP will build a standby tunnel.
Identifying group and device nodes
- When prompted for IP Address and Device Node in this ASE solution, the easiest way to get them is via the show switches debug and the show configuration node-hierarchy commands.
- You can also look up these values from the UI as shown below. The Managed Network > poc > 00:0b:86:bb:cd:47 path corresponds to /md/poc/00:0b:86:bb:cd:47, i.e the device node. Under this node, the IP address can be obtained by navigating to Dashboard > Controller.
Platform(s) Tested
Aruba Mobility Master running AOS 220.127.116.11, build 56862
7030 running AOS 126.96.36.199, build 56862
7024 running AOS 126.96.36.199, build 56862
No special license required for the Clustering feature itself.
Standard MM, AP and PEFNG licenses are applicable for the Mobility Master, Access Points and firewall policies, respectively.
To learn more about clustering in AOS 8.0, please refer to the following resources.
- Find more articles tagged with:
- arubaos 8.x
- Mobility controller
- Service Controller
Mobility Controller
Service Controller
Question: What should I do if an Aruba controller or Mobility Switch is missing the TPM and/or factory certificates?
Environment: This article applies to the Aruba 7200, 6000, 3000 and 600 series Mobility Controllers and Aruba S3500, S2500 and S1500 Mobility Switches.
You can determine if a controller is missing the TPM and/or factory certificates in two ways:
. While booting up, the controller displays the following message on the console screen.
Initializing TPM and Certificates
TPM Initialization or Certificate Initialization failed.
For debug information see /tmp/deviceCertLib.log.
If this message appears even after rebooting the device
couple of times, please contact Aruba Networks.
. Output of "show tpm cert-info" command executed at the CLI prompt displays the following message:
#show tpm cert-info
Cannot get TPM and Factory Certificate Info.
TPM and/or Factory Certificates might be missing.
If you see these messages, contact Aruba Networks Global Support to process a RMA.
Mobility Controller
Introduction :
AppRF is a new PEF feature on the ArubaOS controllers. It is designed to give network administrators insight into the applications that are running on their network, and who is using them.
Aruba has extended the network intelligence offered by our unique, market leading firewall to include powerful heuristics and visualization techniques. Together, these give customers a real time and historical (with airwave) view of who is using what applications, and when.
AppRF will be officially supported in the 6.3 release.
It will also include support for detection of several more web-based applications, and enhancements in the accuracy of our peer-to-peer detection technology.
Perhaps the greatest improvement in 6.3 will be the inclusion of data from our new Lync ALG. With this new ALG, we will have visibility into the different types of traffic inside a Lync session. You can see desktop sharing, file transfer, IM, and voice/video calls in the dashboard and the drilldown pages. Here's an example of the drilldown page
AppRF collects data from the network activity of authenticated users and uses this data to build pie charts and lists of the top applications, destinations, WLANs, users, and device types. These results are based on the volume of traffic in each of these categories.
The dashboard will be visible on any 3K, M3, or 7200 series controller. It will not work on 600 series controllers.
Configuration Steps :
In the GUI, there is a new dashboard item called "Firewall". If you click this, you'll be brought to the AppRF main page. If you haven't enabled the feature yet, you'll see a link to enable it. Simply click the link. Don't forget to save your configuration.
From the CLI, you can use the command "firewall-visibility" to turn it on and "no firewall-visibility" to turn it off.
Mobility Controller
ClearPass - Policy Manager
How to Remote Telnet or SSH Session from the Controller
Starting from ArubaOS 6.5, an administrator can initiate a remote telnet or SSH session from the controller to a remote host. The host can be a controller or a non-Aruba host.
To initiate a telnet session from the controller to a remote host:
1. Initiate an SSH session to the controller.
2. In the enable mode, execute the telnet <user> <remote-host> [<port-num>] command.
user: User name of the remote host.
remote-host: IPv4 or IPv6 address of the remote host.
port-num: Telnet port number of the remote host. This is an optional parameter.
3. Once successfully connected, the remote host prompts the credentials. Enter the remote host credentials.
To initiate an SSH session from the controller to a remote host:
1. Initiate an SSH session to the controller.
2. In the enable mode, execute the ssh <user-at-host> command.
user-at-host: Username and IPv4 or IPv6 address of the remote host in the user@host format.
Once successfully connected, the remote host prompts the credentials.
3. Enter the remote host credentials.
To end the remote host session, execute the exit command. The remote host displays the following message:
(remote-host) #exit
Connection closed by foreign host.
(host) #
This feature has few limitations. They are:
- This feature is supported from the SSH session of the controller only.
- There is an inactivity timeout for the CLI sessions. When an administrator initiates a remote session (inner) from the controller's SSH session (outer), and the remote session takes more time than the inactivity timeout session, the outer session times out although the inner session is active. The administrator has to log back in to the outer session once logged off from the inner session.
- Designated telnet client control keys do not work for remote telnet sessions. When an administrator initiates a remote telnet session (inner) from the controller's SSH session (outer), the designated telnet client control keys functions for the outer SSH session only. The administrator should designate unique control keys for each remote telnet sessions.
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- remote telnet
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Mobility Controller
Adding, removing or revoke RAP white list
The remote AP (RAP) white list is the method where a controller could manage which RAP is allowed to terminate on the controller, which AP group it assigned to and etc. The RAP wired MAC address is needed in order for the certificate based RAP to establish the IPSEC tunnel successfully with the controller.
There are various ways the RAP white list could be managed. When you provision the RAP through the controller web interface, the wired MAC address will be added into the white list table automatically. However, when you're provisioning the RAP using the Aruba Instant Convert option, you will need to enter it manually into the controller. Alternatively, if the entries are available in the Activate server, you can configure the controller to pull the entries in to the controller.
This solution will allow user to enter a list of comma separated RAP wired MAC addresses and the system will generate the configuration codes where you can apply them into your controller. The three operation supported are add, delete and revoked. Note that the white list command is introduced since AOS 6.3 release, and prior AOS versions are using the local-userdb command.
Platform Tested
Aruba Mobility Controller 7210 running AOS 126.96.36.199 build 43121
Access Point License.
- [User Guide] Converting IAP to RAP or CAP
[Knowledge base] What are the new RAP whitelist DB sync commands in 6.3 and which 6.2 commands do they replace?
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- 7210
Mobility Controller - Remote Networking
Introduction :
Lync ALG is an implementation of a full-fledged ALG for Microsoft Lync software. Microsoft Lync provides enterprise users with the ability to make voice and video calls to each other and also enables applications like 'Desktop Sharing' and 'File Transfer'. The proposed ALG for Lync will allow Aruba to provide value-added services like QoS, Call Admission Control, Call Quality metrics and Prioritization for the various Lync applications. This solution also provides a dedicated visibility and debugging framework to fine-tune and troubleshoot Lync traffic flow on Aruba networks.
Feature Notes : Lync ALG feature is supported from AOS 6.3.
Environment : Microsoft Lync deployed by customer. Lync applications need to be prioritized are Voice, Video, file transfer and desktop sharing.
Network Topology : Lync clients <----> AP <--> Controller <----> Lync Server (with LNE plugin)
Configuration Steps :
Lync ALG has to be enabled globally in the firewall settings.
(Abilash-Lab-Cont-master-6.4) (config) #no firewall disable-stateful-sips-processing
(Abilash-Lab-Cont-master-6.4) (config) #show firewall | include SIPS
Stateful SIPS Processing Enabled
(Abilash-Lab-Cont-master-6.4) (config) #web-server
(Abilash-Lab-Cont-master-6.4) (Web Server Configuration) #?
ciphers Configure cipher suite strength. Default is high
idp-cert Certificate name configured under certificate manager
mgmt-auth Configure management user's WebUI access method, either username/password authentication or certificate authentication or both. Default is username/password authentication
no Delete Command
session-timeout Configure user's WebUI session timeout <30-3600> (seconds)
ssl-protocol SSL/TLS Protocol Config
switch-cert Certificate name configured under certificate manager
web-https-port-443 Enable WebUI access on HTTPS port (443)
web-lync-listen-port Web Lync Listen Protocol/Port Config
web-max-clients Configure web servers' maximum supported concurrent clients <25-320>
(Abilash-Lab-Cont-master-6.4) (Web Server Configuration) #web-lync-listen-port http 15000
WARNING: Disable 'classify-media' CLI in access-list for better performance.
(Abilash-Lab-Cont-master-6.4) (Web Server Configuration) #exit
Answer :
Once the applications get invoked, the Lync server shares the session-related information with the Lync Plugin, which, in turn, passes on this information to the controller through HTTP/ HTTPS based XML communication.
Verification :
(Abilash-Lab-Cont-master-6.4) #show firewall | include Statef
Stateful SIP Processing Enabled
Stateful H.323 Processing Enabled
Stateful SCCP Processing Enabled
Stateful VOCERA Processing Enabled
Stateful UA Processing Enabled
Stateful SIPS Processing Enabled
(Abilash-Lab-Cont-master-6.4) #
Troubleshooting :
There are a set of troubleshooting commands that have been introduced for analysing LYNC issues.
(Abilash-Lab-Cont-master-6.4) #show app lync ?
call-quality Show call quality information for prioritized lync calls
client-status Show lync client status and calls information
tracebuf Show lync calls tracebuf for first 256 entries
traffic-control Lync Traffic Control Profile
Mobility Controller - Voice
Also refer to Lync SDN API Configuration guide on Aruba web site which provides configuration best...
Also refer to Lync SDN API Configuration guide on Aruba web site which provides configuration best practices, step-by-step Lync specific configurations and additional troubleshooting details -
How do I quickly search a specific Instant AP or Mobility Access Switch on Aruba Central?
Central provides a standard web-based interface that allows you to configure and monitor Instant Access Points (IAPs) and Mobility Access Switches. Integrated in this web interface is a Search tex box, which can be used by an administrator to search for an IAP, Mobility Access Switch, client, notification event, network or labels.
When you type a search string, the search function suggests matching keywords and allows you to automatically complete the search string entry. This option proves very handy when a user is not aware in which ap group, a client or IAP is part of.
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- Aruba Central
- aruba central 2.0
- mac
- quickly search
- search
- search bar
- serial number
- switch
Aruba Central
Aruba Controller Startup Configuration
The Aruba built-in command line (CLI) setup dialog will prompt users to answer a set of questions to configure the basic options on your controller. You can start the Initial Setup dialog when you connect a terminal, PC or workstation running a terminal emulation program to the serial port on the controller.The serial port connection only allows you to configure the basic configuration required to connect the controller to the network.
The solution complements the initial setup dialog by allowing the user to configure the uplink port, NTP, licenses, VLAN, Airwave integration and IP pool for the Remote Access Point (RAP). When using the Aruba Solution Exchange (ASE), only relevant questions need to be answered.
Configuration Notes
When configuring an NTP server, you can click on the "Action" button to view the drop down menu and use the default values for the selected time zone.
Platform Tested
Aruba Mobility Controller 3600-US running AOS version 184.108.40.206.
Mobility Controller
Mobility Controller - Others
This article explains the use of "netdestination" or "alias" and steps to configure it on the Aruba controller
"Alias" or "Netdestination" is created as an alias to a specific host, network or to club together a set of hosts/networks. While using this option, you need to configure the IP address of the host/network.
This can be useful if we need to allow/disallow a specific set of hosts/network then we need not permit or deny each host/network separately. We can instead create a netdestination containing those hosts/networks and allow or disallow access.
Environment : This article applies to all the controller models and AOS versions.
- Navigate to Configuration> Stateful Firewall> Destination
- Click "Add"
- Enter IP version, Destination name and Destination description (optional).
- Enable "Invert" option if you want to specify all the destinations except the one configured in this netdestination
- Click "Add" at the bottom
- Add the new rule
- Click "add" and "Apply".
(Aruba-620) #configure terminal
Enter Configuration commands, one per line. End with CNTL/Z
(Aruba-620) (config) #netdestination RDP-Host
(Aruba-620) (config-dest) #host 10.1.1.1
(Aruba-620) (config-dest) #
NOTE: Please ensure you have PEFNG license installed on the controller to configure "netdestination".
(Aruba-620) #show netdestination
Name: ipv6-reserved-range (invert)
Position Type IP addr Mask-Len/Range
-------- ---- ------- --------------
1 network 2000:: 3
Name: controller
Position Type IP addr Mask-Len/Range
-------- ---- ------- --------------
1 host 10.1.200.10 32
Name: vrrp_ip
Position Type IP addr Mask-Len/Range
-------- ---- ------- --------------
1 host 172.16.0.250 32
Name: RDP-Host
Position Type IP addr Mask-Len/Range
-------- ---- ------- --------------
1 host 10.1.1.1 32
Mobility Controller


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Event Information:
Wed14Feb20188AM-10AMRiver Park Shopping Center
Senior Wednesdays- Walking Club and Free CoffeeATTENTION ALL SENIORS!What better way to start off your day than to take a refreshing morning stroll surrounded by friends and family? We invite anyone over the age of 50 to join our Walking Club that meets EVERY Wednesday morning for FREE coffee and bread pudding, a morning walk, FREE valet parking, and other various discounts throughout our shopping center! We meet at our booth in the open Event Area between Yoshino's and Teazer. Bring a friend, neighbor, or family member and come join the fun!All levels of fitness are welcome!Free Coffee/Bread Pudding & Morning Walk: 8-10AM


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Signed and framed Bobby Charlton Manchester United 1968 photo best
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Signed and framed Bobby Charlton photo
A stunning signed and framed Bobby Charlton 1968 Manchester United photo
The photo measures 16x12 inches and comes framed in a black wooden frame ready for display. The montage pictures Bobby Charlton celebrating with George Best in the 1968 European Cup final, both the autograph and the photo are in excellent condition
Bobby Charlton is a Manchester United great making over 750 appearances for the club. His finest moment for the club came came in 1968 when he captained United to European Cup triumph. Sir Bobby scored twice in a 4-1 extra-time victory over Benfica at Wembley.
This is your chance to own a piece of Manchester United history, making it a must for any United fan.
The signatures were obtained through a private signing session. It comes with photo proof and a certificate of authenticity.
If you have any questions, please contact us through the 'ask a question link'
| Photo Proof
About us
Skegoniel Autographs have dealt in authentic sports memorabilia for the past 7 years, we are proud members of both the Iconic Signings and the Exclusive Private Signings (EPS) groups. These groups consist of reputable dealers and the groups are widely respected across the industry. We have built up are reputation by offering excellent customer service, please have a look our feedback
Almost all autographs have been obtained in person or from private signing sessions. Skegoniel Autographs have taken part in signing sessions (through EPS and Iconic Signings) with the likes of: Sir Bobby Robson, Martin Johnson, Tottenham 1961 double team, Glenn Hoddle, Robinho, John Grieg, Mike Tyson, Steven Gerrard, Sir Tom Finney, Wayne Rooney, etc.
What is a certificate of authenticity?
A certificate of authenticity is simply our guarantee that the item is genuine, often containing photo proof of the sporting star signing. Please see an example below
How do i know that the autograph is genuine?
Almost all autographs are obtained private signing sessions, this is where we pay the sporting star to sign items under a controlled environment. Most of are signing sessions are arranged through either iconic signings (www.iconicsignings.co.uk) or through public signing events such as collectormania (http://www.collectormania.com/). These are highly respected groups with limited membership. The majority of items come with photo proof of the sporting star signing.
Postage InformationAll items will be despatched within 1 working day.
All postage quoted is for UK delivery only. If you require an item to be delivered outside the UK please contact us first for a quote.
If you are not happy with are product for any reason, returns are always accepted in exchange for a full refund.
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If you order an item and selcted Special Delivery it will be guaranteed to arrive before Christmas providing you complete payment by 1pm 23rd December.
If you have any questions please contact me.
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Want Shoulder Stability – DO NOT PUT YOUR SHOULDERS DOWN AND BACK!!!
February 19, 2014 1 Comment
I am going to say it here and I will say it again and again until people know the truth…
Shoulders Down and Back is WEAK
Your humerus (upper arm bone) has a ball in it. Your scapula (shoulder blade) has a socket in it. If you put that ball into the socket and line up that socket so the load from the arm goes into the socket via the ball, then you will be in the most stable position.
If you point the socket down and the low is above the shoulder, then all you are doing is trying to win an arm wrestle from a poor position.
Don't believe me? Just try it!
Take a 5kg (10lbs) dumbbell. Don't think about it…just do a front raise and think about the weight and the effort it took to do that…maybe even film it. Now think about pulling your shoulder down and back and repeat the lift. Does it feel the same, heavier/harder or easier? 9 times out of 10, I am going to bet that it was harder with the shoulder down and back…that is because your body knows how to be efficient…it is only when you have a dysfunction do you have to retrain back to high function.
So next time, just point that socket at the load and you will be on your way to a more stable shoulder…remember to test it and go by your results 🙂


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So i posted this status message on FaceBook:
"Just want to say thanks to everyone who's supported me this morning, especially my unexpected angel this morning! So much love!!"
And then i felt the need to add this addition to the comment section:
"The redundant "this morning" in this post is killing me, and im leaving it there to punish myself for doing it in the first place. Masochistic English Major Self Flagellation. BAM!"
Issues. Have them, i do. -Yoda, if he was me.


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Truthout Original Vicious Ideologue Renews Attack on Social Security Monday 21 July 2008 Dean Baker, t r u t h o u t | Perspective Billionaire investment banker Peter Peterson is back on the warpath. He just established a new foundation with a $1 billion endowment, the main purpose of which is to cut back spending on Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. These programs, which provide an essential safety net to virtually the entire country, are hugely popular and will be politically difficult to cut. Nonetheless, $1 billion is a lot of money. Therefore, Peterson's campaign deserves to be taken seriously. Peterson has long been an ardent foe of these programs. He first rose to national prominence as commerce secretary in the Nixon administration. He then returned to the private sector and became a partner in the Blackstone Group, a very successful private equity fund. Mr. Peterson is fond of telling his audiences that he doesn't need his Social Security. Of course, as a manager in a private equity fund, Mr. Peterson was allowed to take advantage of the fund manager tax subsidy - a provision of the tax code that allows some of the richest people in the country to pay much lower tax rates than ordinary workers. With his enormous wealth, Mr. Peterson was probably given more than 1,000 times as much money through this tax subsidy as the typical worker can expect to see on her Social Security. Needless to say, if the rest of us had been beneficiaries of the government's largesse to the same extent as Mr. Peterson, we would not need our Social Security either. Mr. Peterson's public crusading against Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid began in 1992 when he formed the Concord Coalition. This organization crusades for cuts in these programs under the pretext of fiscal responsibility. Mr. Peterson has also written several books calling for cuts in these programs with ominous titles like Gray Dawn: How the Coming Age Wave Will Transform America, which warns that the country will be bankrupted by the retirement of the baby boomers. He uses his power and wealth to publicize these diatribes and get them reviewed in top outlets, such as the New York Times Book Review. While Peterson's efforts appeal largely to Republicans, he generally pulls enough Democrats on board that he can pass off his attacks on the country's key social programs as bipartisan. In fact, the media often treat Peterson's assault on the social safety net as being above the political fray, allowing him to spout his views unanswered on major national talk shows. Peterson has not been shy about using slippery logic to advance his agenda. For example, back in the 90's he argued for cutting the annual cost-of-living adjustment for Social Security, which is tied to the consumer price index (CPI), based on the claim that the CPI substantially overstates the true rate of inflation. If Peterson's claim about a CPI overstatement were true, then it would imply that incomes are rising far more rapidly than our projections show. Peterson's CPI adjustment would mean that our children and grandchildren will be far richer than we could possibly imagine, because incomes are rising so rapidly. Similarly, the retirees for whom he wanted to cut benefits actually spent much of their lives in poverty. If incomes have been rising more rapidly than the official data show, then we must have been far poorer in the past than the data show. In the same vein, Peterson supported the partial privatization of Social Security, based on assumptions on stock returns that were inconsistent with the profit growth projections of the Social Security trustees, and the price-to-earnings ratios that existed in the stock market at the time. In the push to cut Social Security and Medicare, Peterson does not feel the need to be bound by the truths of logic and arithmetic. There is a fundamental point on which Peterson is correct. The long-term budget projections do show a horror story of enormous deficits. But these projections are not driven by aging and overly generous retirement programs. They are driven by projections that our private health care system, which already costs twice as much per person as the average for other rich countries, will get ever more inefficient through time. If we never fix our health care system, then we will face an economic disaster, which will include serious budget problems, since half of our health care is paid for through government programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. This reality would suggest the importance of reforming the health care system. Health care reform would mean confronting the insurance and pharmaceutical industries, as well as the doctors' lobbies. These groups have serious power. That's why Mr. Peterson prefers to stick with granny bashing.Still enjoying Monday? Suzan
Monday, July 21, 2008
Pete Peterson Attacks Social Security (Again!)
I really admire Al Franken and think his campaign is emblematic of what we need to have occurring all over the country in order to take control of the Congress this year. Here is his latest video for your viewing enjoyment. Billionaire Pete Peterson has always impressed me as exactly the right white guy for the task of abolishing Social Security (and Medicare and Medicaid) and the last remnant of the safety net we still brag about having in this country (and inspiring otherwise well-educated people to be quaking in fear at the prospect of its bankruptcy). If we allow him to continue this ideological rant without being held to public account, we probably deserve the poverty-stricken end he and his ilk have in mind for us. Dean Baker, who is co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research and previously a senior economist at the Economic Policy Institute (also the writer of Social Security: The Phony Crisis), is an economist to believe in. He is very familiar with Peterson's rantings and calls him a "vicious ideologue," a claim that I believe has quite a bit of merit. (Emphasis marks are mine.)
Posted by Cirze at 3:29 PM
Labels: Al Franken, Dean Baker, Pete Peterson
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