I've been working on a project for a while to build a single supported centralized Windows domain at the University.  We've done the background work, the political deals, the grant writing, obtained funding and approval, specified and purchased equipment and dealt with just about every type of delay and setback.   Today I'm waiting on power.

 

About a month ago I put in a work order to have some new circuits run for my new racks in our machine room.  This goes back to maintainance who is overloaded and under funded like every other department at a Louisiana University. (except LSU)  They get to looking at it after a couple weeks and realize that although it isn't hard, they are working on other projects and need to outsource.  So they work up a cost estimate and send it back to me.  I need to then approve the cost, and specify the account that will pay for it.  I need my VP to approve the expendature from my account and send it back.   Then maintainance sends it to the business office.  The business office needs to check that the money is really there and encumber it so I don't spend it.  Once this is done, then it goes back to maintainance and gets put back in the pile of requests a third time. This isn't email or some modern tracking system.  This is a piece of paper that takes 2 days to travel through interoffice mail each step of the way if everything goes right.   Eventually someone is going to get it and try to find an electrician.   Two major hurricanes passed within 30 miles either side of us recently; I expect that  electricians aren't easy to come by.   I'm working with a single circuit and pulling 17 amps continuous on a 20 amp breaker.  I've got 5 brand new servers powered off because I can't risk blowing the breaker.  I'm bringing them up one at a time for configuration.    I've threatened to wire up the recepticles myself, but my boss shot down that idea.  He doesn't want me playing with the 3-phase power comming off of our power conditioner.  I can't really say I blame him, if I screwed something up that  blew power to the mainframe or dumped the halon it wouldn't be a good day.  So I wait,  and yell at Dell who sold me 4 UPS batteries and 2 UPSes for the rack and sent me UPSes that don't have connections for the  batteries.    Unfortunately for me everything we recieve goes through our central receiving department that sticks on property tags and spray paints PROP OF UL in a nice stensil font on everything before even telling me it's in.   That makes things harder to return.   When I don't notice until I've destroyed the packaging getting it out, thats worse.  Good thing I'm a little under budget and have the correct (according to Dell) replacements on order...