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Hello everyone, found this place recently, decided to bore you with one (or many) Navy story... tech Navy story. I'll start from the end.
Little backstory: I've deployed a simple domain setup on the ship I served, nothing fancy, a server, a switch, 10 computers, all Windows (details on that at another rant). I enter the ship Monday morning, and the XO tells me that he can't access his online folders.
OK, I say, I'll get to it. I fire up my laptop, try to RDP to the server (I know, I know, burn me at the stake later) no connection. WTF? Is the service down? I try pinging. No luck. I tried pinging the switch. OK. Looking at the switch admin panel, I see the server's port is dead. "OK, probably the cable." (we have old ethernet cables)
So, I drag my ass over to the server (same room with ship comms) with the cable tester to confirm that. What do I see?
The IMBECILES had pulled the plug from the server so that they could charge their mobile phones. I literally slammed my head against the door (calming exercise in case of spontaneous murder impulses - the things you learn at the Academy). My CO was nearby, and lucky for the guys, he heard me yell at them, while throwing mobiles and chargers around.
"But we thought it was OK, we just wanted to charge our-"
I kid you not, I reached for the firefighter's axe.
My CO grabbed me by the collar and dragged me to his room. I explained to him (between two cigarettes) that we MUST get a UPS and a server cabinet (budget constraints in the military are something that will give you people nightmares, trust me). I carefully explained to him that unless we got those, nothing would prevent the next moron from destroying confidential data and me from murdering him.
I plugged in and booted the server, after installing a multi socket extension. Two days after, surprise surprise, the server was off again. That was the first time I opened the door to the CO's room with a low kick. I must have looked like a psycho on drugs, he gave approval for the purchase in twenty seconds flat.
After that, I installed the UPS and the cabinet. Everything went inside, from the UPS to the very plugs. Just a locked box with cables coming out.
One of the guys came to my room, and asked if I could unlock the cabinet so that they could plug a "device" they needed.
I actually reached for my folding knife.
Disclaimer: The story above is TRUE. Even the almost violent parts.

Comments
  • 10
    Cool, I can relate.
    Even I always pick big glass water jar so I can smash that on someones head when someone do stupid things.
    (Ofc, I pick it as joke with no intention to smash on head)
  • 47
    Moral of the story: use superglue on server plugs
  • 7
    Haha. Brilliant story and welcome to DR.

    QQ though, had they been using those plugs to charge their devices before you installed the server?
  • 11
    @ganjaman I hadn't considered that. But then again, the next step would be coffee mug on the server, what could go wrong? If you build a system that is idiot-proof, nature will just create a better idiot :P This thought keeps me up at nights.
  • 10
    @Brolls They were warned repeatedly not to touch the server's cables. Next time I even installed a multi-socket extension, and they occupied all of the sockets. And pulled the plug. AAAAARGGHHHH!
  • 5
    I laughed my asses out while reading it.
  • 9
    Man, the lengths people go to charge their unimportant devices...
    I never unplug anything I don't own.
  • 13
    Why get so upset about it? If the XO is complaining that he can't access his shares, you can calmly explain to him that the crew has no respect for his shit, and that unless 1) the crew is taught some respect (not likely), or 2) the server gets locked up, this will keep happening. Rather than making it your problem (which it certainly was not) you could have effectively backed a senior officer into a corner on it.
  • 7
    @bahua That would be nice... the main problem is, I am the senior officer ;) And yes, I have to do those things myself. Among other duties.

    Kill me now. I am not paid enough for this st!t
  • 4
    @rutee07 Love your constant positive attitude :)
  • 1
    I want to kill them, i'm angry >:в
  • 4
    Couldn't you have taken the "plugged devices" and hand them to your CO? Maybe when they won't have their phones for a week they might learn not to unplug stuff.
  • 1
    🤣😂 Priceless!!!!!
  • 3
    Holy shit, that's an opener rant! Welcome on board! :-)
  • 2
    How about restricting physical access to the server room and/or getting some extension cords
  • 7
    In the Ancient Roman Navy, crew members who did shit with their smartphones got chained up in the lowest galley deck, below the people who didn't update their PCs or did shit with USB sticks. That was pretty effective.
  • 8
    @Fast-Nop The USB thing, I have to make another rant for it. From my time at another ship.
  • 3
    I worked for the Army when the order came from DoD that people couldn't use their own flash drives. The old men were FURIOUS.
  • 4
    @bahua Just posted another lengthy rant, just on that. Here I will remember all the horrors I had suppressed. Dear God of Computing, have mercy on my sanity :S
  • 4
    Congratulations on having the top rant of the day!
  • 2
    @bahua and possibly had the satisfaction of seeing those responsible for the outage cleaning the heads for a month
  • 0
    @bladedemon good thing they did not mention floppy discs.
  • 0
    Not cool. Absolutely can relate, but violence is never an option.
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