Milestones for Calendar Year 2005

Go to list of Milestones for previous years.

Overarching Goals

Prio Description
1SDIT (Software development and Integration Team) "Program Manager" Role: Help organize the efforts of SDIT to have a sensibly prioritized portfolio of projects with appropriate status displayed to customers and the MIT Leadership.
2Serve in a vendor liaison role to help negotiate contracts and to identify and qualify appropriate hardware configurations.
3Serve as Linux Platform Coordinator.
4Continue to work with the MIT Libraries on Digital Library work in an advisory and liaison role.

Tasks

I'm experimenting with using GForge as a manager for my personal tasks

Major Milestones

11/10/05 Go-live of How to Install Athena with PXE and an Athena Version Page for the Linux Product Front Door.
10/21/05 (Personal): Moved my home. Expect to be unpacking for weeks or months.
8/28/05 NIST offers PXE boot for Athena.
8/22/05 Athena 9.4 went to the field, delayed by a month waiting for a working Linux OpenAFS port.
7/29/05 New Athena Linux desktop hardware ordered after much process mess.
7/6/05 New Athena Linux desktop hardware config certified by dev.
6/16/05 Go-live with full support of Red Hat Enterprise 4.0
6/2/05 Go-live with Red Hat Satellite Server
4/7/05 Red Hat Enterprise Linux Software Release Effort begun.
3/11/05 Annual performance review.
2/2/05 Red Hat Linux License renewed for another year. Includes switch over from Proxy to Satellite server for RHN delivery.
1/18/05 Went live with OpenOffice.org support.

Minor Milestones

12/29/05 Meeting about ISDA reorganization plans.
12/28/05 Began reading the HTTP protocol spec as prerequisite to deep understanding of WebDAV.
12/28/05 Jabber meeting.
12/27/05 Tested new HP LCD display for recommended Linux desktop config.
12/26/05 Holiday.
12/23/05 Vacation.
12/22/05 Learned about the Xen virtualization system. Read White Papers.
12/22/05 More study of WebDAV.
12/19-21/05 Out sick.
12/16/05 Vacation.
12/14/05 Caught up on status of OpenAFS projects and release.
12/14/05 Updated "Athena Testing Cycle" document. Eliminated "The Release Order" because how we test diverged from it's original roots as a skeletal test plan.
12/13/05 Reviewed Goals.
12/12/05 Entered E911 renewal into GForge.
12/8,9/05 Class: Communicating with Diplomacy and Tact. Had fun! Got much useful stuff! Was much better than I expected it might be.
12/7/05 Release Team meeting. Status report and planning.
12/7/05 Met with representative from MIT Campus Police to discuss E911 equipment renewal.
12/6/05 Emailed cartel list a query about WebDAV use to access AFS.
12/6/05 SDIT and Jabber meetings with status checkins.
12/5/05 Freed leased disk space previously used to give out Red Hat 3. (We now use a different depot that does not charge us.)
12/5/05 Meeting with folks from Apple on various topics.
12/1,2/05 Vacation
11/30/05 Issue of Red Hat terms and conditions is all resolved. This year's license is officially recognized as an extension of last years terms and conditions.
11/29/05 SDIT meeting: Status checkins.
11/28/05 Put laptop linux related tasks in GForge.
11/28/05 Confirmed HP laptop test system paid for.
11/28/05 Volunteered to be Product Release Coordinator for either a Mac or Windows AFS Software Release, if SWRT chose to initiate such a thing.
11/22/05 Updated status of my goals for the year.
11/22/05 Drafted proposal to SWRT to support a bootable CD to help customers resize NTFS partitions when they're building dual boot systems. Circulated for review amongst some stakeholders. Submitted to SWRT.
11/21/05 Begin researching what use is being made of webdav/AFS out in the world.
11/18/05 Drafted white paper on possible value to shifting Athena to NOT have shared home directories in AFS.
11/17/05 IS&T All Hands Meeting: SAP Payroll Project Presentation.
11/15/05 Proposed corrections to IS&T Core Services document section on Athena.
11/15/05 Reviewed Academic Computing Proposals Letters. Proposed amendments.
11/10/05 Working issue of Netgear router dropping idle connections.
11/10/05 Update of saws_configs.html: Athena Linux system includes a Windows license.
11/10/05 W91 open house showing off BlueGene.
11/9/05 Restart HP Laptop Technical conversations. Their product manager is changing.
11/8/05 Shepherded transmission of PO to buy loaner HP laptop.
11/3/05 Check in on customer issues.
10/26/05 - 11/05/05 Various vacation days taken to unpack.
10/28/05 Assisted with evaluating possible substitute for Linux Virus Scan software. Alas, it was lots of un-needed functionality, and still fails to have the crucial thing we need: A simple recompile under Red Hat 4 to support current libraries.
10/25/05 Worked issue of disconnect between MIT and HP in getting systems serviced.
10/24/05 Owls: Further discussion of Modular Athena.
10/20/05 - 10/21/05 Vacation days taken to move.
10/19/05 Checked to see if there are issues with publishing Athena Product Front Door and version page.
10/18/05 Reviewed Documentation: Athena install via PXE, Athena Product Front Door, Athena Version page.
10/17/05 IS&T All hands meeting: Sloan School overview by Dean Schmalenze, and SSIT Project presentation.
10/17/05 Owls meeting: Discussion of Modular Athena concepts.
10/12/05 Followed up with HP on status of open issues.
10/6/05 - 10/11/05 Holiday and vacation time primarily.
10/5/05 Release team meeting and monthly status report.
10/5/05 Updated a Red Hat issues doc with current status.
10/3/05 Requested funds to buy HP Laptop for Linux work.
10/3/05 Began working issue of "connecting the dots" to publish recommended HP laptos which can then have Linux added on by customers.
9/30/05 Published revised Athena Release Pages which indeed simplify and clarify. Eliminated a couple sub-pages. TODO: Rewrite the Release Order page (started.)
9/29/05 Asked HP to revise Athena Desktop Linux hardware config to include Windows license.
9/29/05 Reviewed status of pending documents: Athena PFD & Version pages, Instructions for installing, new version of Athena Release web pages.
9/27/05 Initiated outreach to all known present Athena Kerberized NFS customers.
9/27/05 Attended SWRT Town Meeting.
9/26/05 Began new version of Athena Release web pages to simplify and clarify.
9/26/05 Got commitment from Red Hat saleswoman to produce documents clarifying current terms and conditions, and to propose what we do together next year.
9/26/05 Published new version of purchasing.html that clarifies how to buy Sun, HP and IBM with updated and we hope simplified procedures.
9/23/05 Subscribed to bugs as a way to become the deliverer of crucial info that was simply not making it to the hardserv folks.
9/23/05 Got HP Laptop wireless working. Sent proposed amendments to HP Laptop Linux documentation to HP.
9/22/05 Meeting with HP Salesman to review strategy and operational plans.
9/21/05 Reviewed and amended update of purchasing.html.
9/20/05 Received Solaris Source, hooray!
9/20/05 Made Linux Software release plans: xwrits, ntfsresize, jabber, OpenOffice.org 2.0.
9/19/05 Owls: update saws_configs.html, purchasing.html; Discuss laptop strategy; approved my leading knfs sunset project.
9/16/05 Did some coordination with GovConnection regarding HP product SKU's.
9/15/05 Conversations with Red Hat tech to sort various stalled issues and either close or move forward a few of them.
9/14/05 Big shopping trip to restock snack drawer.
9/12/05 Outreach to HP for engineering contact for Laptops.
9/9/05 Tested PXE install of Windows on HP dc5100 desktop config.
9/8/05 Updates made in GForge of task statuses and completions.
9/7/05 Forwarded bits to enable burning of RHEL 4 Update 1 CD's for distribution through VSLS.
9/7/05 Release Team meeting: Status report, and began planning for next release with significant modularity.
9/6/05 Initiated discussions to make sure botth MIT and Red Hat really DO mutually understand the terms and conditions of our agreements.
9/6/05 Handled mail sending issue from Professor Slotine.
9/5/05 Holiday
9/2/05 Crafted list of Linux Stock Answers we want monitored, and forwarded list to person who may be able to set up that monitoring.
9/1/05 Started examining HP laptops to understand their Linux issues.
8/30/05 Proposed revisions for purchasing.html doc. (Thanks to Phylis Galt for chasing down facts on how to order Suns thru GovConnection.)
8/30/05 Checkins: Still no Sun source license; sent nastygram. Still no HP desktop Linux system SKU; sent nastygram. Extended Laptop loan by a month.
8/29/05 Catchup and dig out of email backlog, and figure out what to work on.
8/19/05 - 8/28/05 Vacation.
8/18/05 Set up return of HP Workstation demo system. The PC had more graceful operation owing to having used slightly older NIC and SATA chipsets.
8/17/05 Sent hardware spec confirmation to NIST in hopes of a speedy creation of a RIS image for windows installs on the machines.
8/17/05 Replaced my 4 year old Dell Linux Athena system with one of the new HP desktop systems. Migration was smooth and uneventful. (Thanks to cfox who reminded me of what I did and did not need to worry about.)
8/16/05 Checkins: Still no Sun source license. Still no GovConnection SKU for HP desktop Linux system.
8/15/05 Out sick. (Checked in on revised parking permit rules. Hated them.)
8/12/05 Out sick. (Published the update to saws_configs.html anyway.)
8/11/05 Out sick. (Came in anyway to try and give VM folks some insights into Linux in preparation for a Linux on VM meeting they were soon to attend.
8/10/05 Out sick.
8/9/05 Fell face first into sidewalk scooter-ing to a meeting. 6 stitches.
8/8/05 Attempt to find web or paper indication of what chips are in HP Laptops. Unsuccessful.
8/5/05 Nudge GovConnection for SKU for HP Desktop Linux systems.
8/5/05 Windev meeting.
8/5/05 Test new AFS to see if kernel panic happens to me.
8/5/05 HP Demo Laptops arrive. HP Desktop Hardware ships (WOW! Fast!)
8/4/05 Checkin on HP Desktop Hardware delivery.
8/3/05 Drafted revision to Supported Athena Workstations doc (desktop/saws_configs.html.
8/3/05 Release Team meeting with monthly status report, and contingency planning for Athena 9.4 without AFS for RHEL 4.
8/3/05 Read the IS&T Customer Survey, including the two questions about Athena.
8/2/05 Catchup on windows disconnected operation status.
8/2/05 Review new IS&T Project management templates.
8/2/05 Outlined HP Linux collaboration proposal.
8/1/05 Update RHEL 4 Release Notebook to show close-out.
8/1/05 Received source code addendum from Sun for Solaris 10.
7/29/05 HP Linux Desktop Athena order in HP's hands!
7/29/05 Tried to help Star Market understand how their web site was so Microsoft-centric as to be unable to properly display pages under Firefox or Safari.
7/28/05 Gave detailed review of why we don't like the HP Linux workstation. Summary: It used too new an Ethernet NIC, and required too much hand-tooling to get our pre-existing installer to work, whereas the PC just worked from the get-go.
7/28/05 Administer draino to our ordering process for HP Linux desktops.
7/28/05 RHEL SWRT 30 Day review and project closeout meeting.
7/27/05 Checkin on stalled Linux HP order and lack of demo Linux laptop systems.
7/25/05 Discuss technical issues with Apple folk.
7/21/05 Review copyfitted Spotlight Article.
7/21/05 Test out HP Desktop Linux Workstation. I didn't like it.
7/20/05 Meetings to discuss Software Development Team organization/reorganization.
7/19/05 Received SGI AFS support query, and brought Rich Garcia up to speed on the history of same. A certain professor has a faulty memory of what was agreed to in 2002...
7/18/05 New draft of RHEL 4 Spotlight article.
7/14/05 Test HP Linux PC for Windows RIS. Needs drivers.
7/14/05 Received demo HP Linux system from Workstation line. Must not allow it to distract from PC work.
7/13/05 ITAG review of Japbber project.
7/13/05 Closed out many tasks and issues in GForge that had been done but for which no time was made to document closure.
7/12/05 Conference call with HP on Linux Collaboration.
7/11/05 Submitted draft of RHEL 4 article for IS&T Spotlight.
7/11/05 Reviewed and submitted a rewrite of the Athena section for the IS&T Core Services page.
7/11/05 Owls: Green light to buy HP for Athena Linux.
7/11/05 Reviewed Athena Pocket Reference card and suggested amendments.
7/8/05 Meeting to discuss Linux collaboration and review HP Advisory Council outcomes.
7/7/05 Meeting to review hardware recommendation process. Lots of different stakeholders had lots of different questions, but it all seemed to converge.
7/6/05 HP demo Linux desktop system qualified, and reviewed by KSL and IS&T Hardware Svcs rep. Quote for more of them requested.
7/6/05 Athena Release Team monthly status report filed.
7/5/05 Catch up on email and issues that came in while I was away.
6/27/05 HP demo Linux desktop system received.
6/22/05 - 7/1/05 Vacation.
6/21/05 Nursed order for HP desktop Linux demo system through channels to expedite.
6/17/05 RHEL 4 Release Notebook updated.
6/17/05 Received Athena 9.4 update. Began filing bug reports.
6/16/05 RHEL 4 Go-live, and presentation at UNIX User's Group.
6/16/05 Crafted bullet points for HP Linux Advisory Council.
6/15/05 Lunch with HP Linux bigwhig. Received revised desktop Linux config from HP, and enqueued an order for it through MIT channels.
6/14/05 SDIT, SDIT-Win, etc. meetings.
6/13/05 Meeting of managers and Bruce Metz for review of recommendations.
6/10/05 OIS Luncheon celebrating the end of a heavy duty year.
6/9/05 Sent feedback on desktop Linux config to HP..
6/8/05 Received initial quote for HP demo Linux desktop system.
6/8/05 RHEL 4 prep.
6/8/05 Athena Release Team monthly status report filed.
6/7/05 SDIT, SDIT-Win, etc. meetings.
6/3/05 Opened case with Red Hat about Satellite Server not working for beowulf clusters.
6/2/05 RHN Satellite Server go-live!
6/1/05 RHEL 4 prep.
5/31/05 SDIT, SDIT-Win, etc. meetings.
5/27/05 Worked on my RHEL 4 action items.
5/26/05 RHEL 4 SWRT meeting.
5/25/05 RHEL 4: Crafted RHN Activation revisions to submit to NIST. Prep for team meeting.
5/24/05 SDIT, SDIT-Win, etc. meetings.
5/24/05 Sent detailed Linux desktop specifications to HP.
5/23/05 Reviewed ginnyw Hardware Recommendation process/web page proposals.
5/20/05 Hardware discussions with ginnyw.
5/19/05 RHEL SWRT meeting.
5/19/05 Opened Case with Red Hat about lack of source updates via Satellite Server.
5/17/05 Vacation.
5/13/05 Outreach to existing users of RHN Proxy asking for early adopters for Satellite Server.
5/13/05 Collaborated on documentation of differences between stock and Athena versions of Mozilla and Firefox.
5/12/05 HP Linux Hardware meeting. Interesting ideas exchanged.
5/11/05 Many RHEL documents reviewed. Checkin on Satellite Server roll-out status.
5/10/05 Checkin with team members on RHEL 4 tasks.
5/10/05 SDIT team meeting.
5/9/05 RHEL 4 Doc work.
5/5/05 RHEL 4 SWRT meeting. Much work done. Many Satellite Server Issues closed.
5/4/05 Prep for RHEL 4 SWRT.
5/4/05 Athena Release Team monthly status report filed.
5/3/05 SDIT, SDIT-Win, etc. meetings.
5/2/05 Made official request for Solaris 10 source (like we do every year.)
4/29/05 Vacation.
4/28/05 Car stolen, and recovered late that evening by police.
4/27/05 RHEL 4 Doc Status update.
4/26/05 Updated personal goals web pages.
4/25/05 RHEL 4 Software Release Underway announcement sent out.
4/22/05 RHN Proxy server outage remedied. Their clerical error. Fed back that the time to remedy was unacceptably long.
4/22/05 Sent HP some preparatory questions.
4/21/05 Lunch with jgrowchow.
4/21/05 RHEL 4 SWR Team Meeting.
4/20/05 Follow-up to linux-hardware list with status report on Dell, HP, IBM conversations.
4/20/05 Prep for RHEL 4 SWRT meeting.
4/20/05 WinAFS meeting.
4/20/05 Case opened with Red Hat about Proxy Server going offline.
4/19/05 ITPartners conference.
4/18/05 Holiday
4/13/05 Looked at the dotproject tool. I sorta like it. ghudson doesn't.
4/12/05 Worked at organizing windomain v5 efforts as GForge tasks.
4/11/05 Pondered issues of organizing Jabber efforts.
4/7/05 Outreach to Early Adopters of RHEL 4.
4/7/05 Red Hat Enterprise Linux Software Release official kickoff.
4/6/05 Tried out the draft Project Management Excel spreadsheeds in OpenOffice and Xess and reported a couple issues.
4/5/05 SDIT, SDIT-win, and WinAFS meetings.
4/4/05 Reviewed windomain scripts open questions for jcalz in advance of him sending it on to pbh.
4/1/05 Lots of RHEL 4 SWRT Work: Crafted work breakdown draft and loaded it into GForge. Called first team meeting. Assigned jdreed and astronut work in advance of the meeting. Drafted Release Effort Under Way announcement.
4/1/05 Follow-up meeting with ginnyw on Linux hardware issues. Looks like we'll be meeting weekly for a while to put this all to bed.
3/31/05 Meeting with Dell to discuss Linux. Many interesting new ideas.
3/29/05 Finished reading The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell, and published a review and summary. 3/29/05 Created RHEL 4 SWRT Project notebook at http://web.mit.edu/swrt/releases/rhe/.
3/28/05 Vacation
3/25/05 Began discussions about appropriate focus for SDIT in order to most usefully publish status.
3/24/05 Out sick
3/22/04 Began crafting work breakdown of Windows Script work.
3/18/05 Closed out work on Cluster Usage Survey until we get more guidance on what is wanted. Current draft is at http://web.mit.edu/release/www/2004-cluster-usage/
3/18/05 Established team membership for Red Hat Enterprise Linux Version 4 Software Release Team.
3/18/05 Meeting with Bruce Metz as part of the IS & T software review.
3/17/05 Asked contact at GNOME.org to help move forward in our query for more info on the shared home directory issue.
3/17/05 Had my performance review chat.
3/16/05 Inviged HP to talk to us about Linux.
3/16/05 Began seeking internal stakeholders for Linux Hardware stragegy meetings with vendors.
3/16/05 Escalated RPM problem we're having through unconventional Red Hat channel suggested by our salesperson.
3/16/05 Attended IS&T lunchtime seminar on SAP.
3/15/05 Worked out a plan of attack for Linux Hardware Recommendation stragey with ginnyw. I get many action items.
3/14/05 Vacation.
3/11/05 Submitted my Performance Review to my Primary Reviewer.
3/10/05 Second draft of Performance Review submission. (Thanks to edolan for review of it.)
3/9/05 Worked with dlogcher on Satellite Server deployment work breakdown and entered it into GForge: Satellite Server Task List
3/8/05 Drafted my performance appraisal submission.
3/4/05 Red Hat affirms registration issues is real and will try and supply a remedy in Update 1.
3/4/05 Sent out invitations to potential RHEL SWRT members.
3/3/05 Reviewed documentation and proposed scope for Red Hat Enterprise Linux version 4 Software Release effort.
3/2/05 Asked pakulat for guidance using his statistical analysis background to help sort through Athena Cluster Usage data.
3/2/05 Outreach to IBM for this year's Linux hardware qualification.
3/1/05 Opened issue with Red Hat about how install of RHEL4 forces customers to register in the wrong place or get an annoying pop-up every three days, when what we want is to make it easy for RHN Satellite or Proxy enterprise systems to register locally.
3/1/05 Red Hat has put someone new from Dell in touch with us to pursue collaboration.
2/28/05 Closed out my task to supply some Athena strategy. This will be a team effort.
2/28/05 Worked on Cluster usage doc. There's a complete draft but unresolved is the issue of how we compare Spring and Fall term. Sought guidance from longpd.
2/24/05 Worked with ghudson to revisit the GNOME shared homedir issue. Our understanding moved forward. We've asked GNOME.org for some clarification.
2/23/05 Fielded request for Zephyr source. User seemed to have trouble finding the binaries. jdreed made a source distribution and atticus modified the supported software page to point to it.
2/23/05 SDIT Meeting to discuss Academic Computing directives.
2/21/05 Holiday
2/16-18/05 Out sick.
2/15/05 Linux World conference: HP Day.
2/14/05 Responded to customer inquiry on AFS script for Fedora 2. Told him we don't have it cuz OpenAFS.org doesn't ship FC2 binaries.
2/14/05 Completed draft of Athena Cluster usage web doc.
2/9,10/05 Took some vacation. 2/8/05 Invited all members of rhe-release onto GForge for project tracking (and task assignment purposes.
2/7/05 Owls Meeting: Discussed usage metrics.
2/7/05 All Hands Meeting: "Hooray for Engineers." :-)
2/4/05 Checkin on getting access to olc-stock for aurora, and in pondering issue of merging them with is-stock answers.
2/4/05 Kickoff of RHN Satellite project in GForge.
2/4/05 Drafted and circulated Athena strategy/proposals White Paper.
2/3/05 Began looking into WinPE as a way to offer PXE Linux installs within our enterprise limits.
2/3/05 GForge updates to track AFS stuff.
2/2/05 PO received by Red Hat for renewal.
1/28/05 Outlined an Athena strategy white paper.
1/28/05 Green light from Theresa to renew Red Hat license for this year.
1/27/05 Meeting with edolan pondering ideas for changes in personal direction, and productive areas to propose Athena strategic changes.
1/25/05 Drafted a presentation to help others make sense of the IS&T Strategic and Operational Plan.
1/24/05 Received quote from Red Hat for renewal.
1/20/05 Conference call with Red Hat to identify issues in renewal this year. Good news! Should be much easier this time around. Red Hat has seen the value of MIT's previously stated positions, and is adopting more of them!
1/14/05 Put the announcement into the pipe for final approval and publishing.
1/13/05 Second draft of OpenOffice.org Release Announcement.
1/13/05 Reviewed OpenOffice.org stock answers.
1/11/05 Drafted OpenOffice.org Software Release Announcement.
1/11/05 Updated RHN and RHE Software Release notebooks to reflect current status.
1/11/05 OpenOffice.org stock answer describing help available is now published.
1/11/05 Issue of offering a stock answer regarding RHN outages is now resolved. The stock answer is published.
1/10/05 Submitted OpenOffice.org stock answer to pubs for formatting and publishing.
1/10/05 Began thinking about attending LinuxWorld in Boston.
1/6/05 Kickoff of cluter usage analysis like last year's. 1/5/05 Finished sanity check of team's contribution to the Outside Leadership activities Wiki submissions.
1/5/05 Finished OpenOffice.org tests.
1/3/05 Began crafting a "Who's doing what" inventory of the team.

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