PEBCAK problem transformed young techie into grizzled cynical sysadmin

On Call With Friday erstwhile much upon us, different week has descended from nan energetic optimism of a Monday to nan deflated downtime of Friday. To easiness that slump The Register arsenic ever presents a caller instalment of On Call, our play reader-contributed file that shares tells of tech support triumphs and terror.

This week, meet a scholar who asked to beryllium Regomized arsenic "Manny Hats" because aft he graduated from a machine subject grade and sewage a occupation astatine a bank, he wore … you guessed it … galore hats.

"I did everything from moving arsenic a teller, to handling caller accounts, to indebtedness caput work," Manny told On Call.

And he did it pinch immoderate disfigured tech. "We were stuck pinch cast-off dinosaur bladed clients, an ATM that came pinch a Windows XP for Embedded Systems licence cardinal and 4GB of RAM (new models usually get 32GB), positive telephone work that was perpetually spotty, and more."

Manny stuck astir regardless, and was yet asked to return complete customer accusation record changes arsenic well.

Which was really he ended up connected nan telephone 1 day, speaking to an aged customer who was having problem pinch his net banking app.

Manny started by moving done a checklist.

"I could show he needed thief pinch signing in, but arsenic accustomed for his property bracket, his descriptions were acold from technically rigorous." Manny looked up nan customer, recovered his personification ID, past publication it backmost to nan customer truthful he could participate it into his app.

Which produced a "User Not Valid" error.

Manny was stumped. The surface he could spot suggested nan relationship was not conscionable valid but had precocious been accessed.

"Because I wore truthful galore hats, I had extended back-end access. So, I decided to effort immoderate things."

None of which worked. Manny decided to commencement from scratch and springiness nan customer a caller ID.

Which besides didn't work.

• I'll spot your information nonaccomplishment and raise you a information argumentation violation
• Windows screensaver near broadcast techie each astatine sea
• Resilience is overrated erstwhile it's not advertised
• How to get a machine get stuck successful a lift? Ask an 'illegal engineer'

Manny escalated nan matter to nan dedicated Online Banking group – a determination that meant he and nan customer sewage to hold for a master to prime up nan call.

During that pause, nan customer made an absorbing remark.

"I conjecture you guys changed your logo?"

That elemental mobility saw Manny almost driblet his phone, because he knew that Banks aren't very creative, and that nan beingness of sensible names for online banking apps is small.

"There were, therefore, astir 37 apps successful nan App Store pinch astir nan aforesaid name. Which meant nan customer was trying to log successful to different bank's app, and I hadn't checked that."

Fair enough?

Manny thinks not. “The civilized of nan communicative is that nary matter really bad your hardware aliases software, ever cheque for PEBCAK – Problem Exists Between Chair And Keyboard."

"I stuck my cervix retired to thief this guy, and past that happened. If that won't move maine into nan grizzled, gruff, and uncharitable sysadmin of yore, I don't cognize what will."

Why reference much On Call, of course!

Which is wherever you, beloved reader, travel into nan picture.

If you person a communicative of thief table hell, overlapping apps, aliases being asked to deterioration excessively galore hats astatine work, click present to nonstop On Call an email. Feel free to prime your ain Regomized sanction too. Manny Hats did because he thinks immoderate different readers will bask seeing his communicative successful print. Perhaps you'd for illustration to nonstop a coded connection too. ®