1. Administrative login
2. Count of users logged in
3. Verify user login is presented
4. Check GAD application status via a proprietary (to my company) widget which returns the application status. You’ll probably have to comment out the whole :check_status section.

@echo off
REM Version 3.0
REM This version is more complicated because it has been redesigned to run multi-threaded for its results.
rem if we don’t have a command line being passed in, then we are the parent process

set result=%temp%\gad-healthcheck.txt
set SERVERS=wpoh0010gengw01:10362 wpoh0010gengw02:10362 wpil0210gengw01:10362 wpil0210gengw02:10362 wpky0190gngad01:10100 wpky0190gngad01:10120 wpky0190gngad02:10100 wpky0190gngad02:10120 wpky0190gngad03:10100 wpky0190gngad03:10120 wpar0130gngad01:10100 wpar0130gngad01:10120 wpar0130gngad02:10100 wpar0130gngad02:10120 wpar0130gngad03:10100 wpar0130gngad03:10120

if .%1.==.. (
if exist %result% del %result%
echo Spawning individual threads…
for %%j in (%SERVERS%) do start /min “%%j” %0 %%j
rem check for the existence of the log files and wait until all processes are complete.
ping localhost -n 5 > nul
echo.|set/p BLAH=Waiting for threads to complete
:wait_here
ping localhost -n 1 > nul
echo.|set/p BLAH=.
if exist %temp%\gad-health-check-wp*.txt goto :wait_here
type %temp%\gad-health-check-wpoh*.don > %result% 2>nul
type %temp%\gad-health-check-wpil*.don >> %result% 2>nul
type %temp%\gad-health-check-wpar*.don >> %result% 2>nul
type %temp%\gad-health-check-wpky*.don >> %result% 2>nul
del %temp%\gad-health-check*.don
if .%QUIETMODE%. NEQ .TRUE. start notepad %result%
goto :eof
)

rem if we got here, it is because another instance called us, and we’re our own thread, to work on a single server.

for /F “delims=: tokens=1,2″ %%p in (’echo %1′) do call :_set_host_port %%p %%q
set result=%temp%\gad-health-check-%host%-%port%.txt
set LOG=%temp%\%host%-%port%-output.txt
set tmp=%temp%\%host%-%port%-tmp.txt
if exist %LOG% del %LOG%
if exist %tmp% del %tmp%

echo.|set/P BLAH=>%result%

echo.|set/P BLAH=Checking %1

echo.|set/p BLAH=%1 >>%result%

:admin_login
echo.|set/P BLAH=admin
wget –output-file=%LOG% –output-document=%tmp% –tries=1 –timeout=15 “http://%1/gdesktop/admin/mainpage.jsp?userName=dublin25&userPassword=dublin25″ “http://%1/gdesktop/admin/agentList.jsp”
for /F %%m in (’findstr /c:”Available Links dublin25″ %tmp%’) do echo.|set/p BLAH=Admin OK, >> %result%
findstr /i “failed error” %LOG% >> %result%

:count_users
echo.|set/P BLAH=user count
for /F “tokens=9″ %%j in (’find “Agents list Nb” %tmp%’) do echo.|set/p BLAH=%%j users, >>%result%

:user_login
echo.|set/P BLAH=user login
wget –output-file=%LOG% –output-document=%tmp% –tries=1 –timeout=15 “http://%1/gdesktop/”
for /F %%m in (’findstr /c:”" %tmp%’) do echo.|set/p BLAH=Agent OK, >> %result%
findstr /i “failed error” %LOG% >> %result%

:check_status
echo.|set/P BLAH=app status
wget –output-file=%LOG% –output-document=%tmp% –tries=1 –timeout=15 “http://%1/gdesktop/JGenAppStatus?XmlAppStatusRequest=false”
for /F “delims=<>(). tokens=6″ %%k in (%tmp%) do echo.|set/P BLAH=%%k >> %result%
findstr /i “failed error” %LOG% >> %result%
echo done.
echo.>> %result%

move %result% %result%.don
exit

:_set_host_port
set HOST=%1
set PORT=%2
goto :eof

So I wrote the following script to check current status of the applications against a list of “preferred states”. The biggest challenge I faced was that it isn’t particularly easy to get the current state of an application directly from the SCS logs. The only way I found: after someone logs into SCI, the SCS logs report a complete status check for all applications. So, support person must first login to SCI, then launch this script to check the logs against the preferred states list. In order to make use of this in your organization, you’ll need to set the LOG and APP variables. All the mentions of “CTS” in the script are references to one of our two Genesys environments. You can remove or change CTS to suite your implementation.

@echo off

set NORMAL=cts-status-normal.txt
set result=%temp%\cts-status-check.txt
set LOG=\\wpoh0010genwf01\Logs\cts_dub_scs_pr

set APP=ctssci

echo For this utility to work proprerly, you must have logged in to SCI recently, and cts_dub_SCS_pr must be PRIMARY.
echo If you have not done so, please log in to SCI now.
echo.
pause

:begin_here
if exist %result% del %result%
set FILE=%1
if .%FILE%.==.. (
rem if a file wasn’t passed in, see if we can find one
for /f %%k in (’dir /b /on %LOG%’) do set FILE=%LOG%\%%k
)
echo Checking %FILE%
copy /y “%FILE%” %TEMP%\cts-status-log.log
set BAD=false
echo Searching for SCI client connection ID
for /f “delims== tokens=1-3″ %%m in (’find /n “SC Interface ‘%APP%’ connected” %TEMP%\cts-status-log.log’) do (
set CLIENT=%%o
for /f “delims=[]” %%t in (’echo %%m’) do set /a STARTLINE=%%t-1 2>nul
rem echo %%m=%%n=%%o >> %result%
)
if .%CLIENT%.==.. (
echo Could not find client connection. Did you lauch SCI first? > %result%
exit
)
echo Searching for application statuses
if exist %temp%\cts-status-log2.log del %temp%\cts-status-log2.log
for /F “tokens=* skip=%STARTLINE%” %%t in (%temP%\cts-status-log.log) do echo %%t >> %temp%\cts-status-log2.log
find “SCI(%CLIENT%,ctssci)” %TEMP%\cts-status-log2.log > %TEMP%\cts-status-log1.log

echo Comparing application statuses against known good list: %NORMAL%
for /f “tokens=1-6 delims=(){}[]” %%i in (%TEMP%\cts-status-log1.log) do (
rem echo %%i %%j %%k %%l %%n
rem %%i — SCI
rem %%j — nnn,sci where nnn is client id
rem %%k — < ==
rem %%l — bbb, where bbb is dbid for app (I think)
rem %%m — app_name
rem %%n — app_status, mode
if “%%k” == ” <== ” (
rem echo “%%l} [%%m”
rem echo “%%k”
find “%%l} [%%n” %NORMAL% > nul
if errorlevel 1 (
echo %%l %%n IS WRONG
echo %%l %%n IS WRONG >> %result%
set BAD=true
)
)
)

if not exist %result% echo No application status problems detected > %result%

start notepad %result%

• The 6+ hour road trip from our home town makes the trip impossible as a day trip.
• The 6+ hour road trip from our home town makes the trip difficult as a half-day trip.
• Cost for adults to ride the People Mover: $7.50CA. Cost for children: $4.50CA. Our total cost for one round trip: $24CA.
• Despite the People Mover, Niagara Falls is not a place for people with disabilities. Maybe someone with an electric wheel chair could get around, but someone who has difficulty walking will not have much fun here.
• Eating lunch at Elements on the Falls incurs a $10CA seat fee. Well, not really, but it sure felt like it.  The entrees were $17-$25 for lunch, and would have been significantly less had they been anywhere else. But, while I didn’t enjoy my food very much, I did enjoy the view. All told, our lunch for 4 adults, and 2 children with no drinks (adults had water, children’s were included) nor desert was $110CA, including tip. As a side note, it is absolutely a shame that the website for Elements doesn’t include a real picture. The view was fabulous, even from our no-thanks-we-don’t-want-to-wait-for-a-window table. There were definitely cheaper places to eat in the immediate vicinity if one were inclined to save the money rather than enjoy the view.
• The Maid of the Mist was well worth the cost of admission: $14.50CA per adult, $8.90CA per child. The 20 minute wait seemed to fly by, but we were there on a Monday. However, practice you ability to say “No” to prepare for departing the boat.  An outside vendor insisted on taking our picture prior to boarding the boat (I didn’t argue with them, though I was tempted). At the end of the ride, you must exit through the gift shop, then be hammered by the photographers’ sales people. We emerged unscathed, fortunately because the boy had to go potty. The photograph they took was a pretty bad overlay of us on a Niagara back ground. The prints: $25CA for two 6″x10″. I much prefer my own shot.
• We paid $20 to park in the Falls Parking lot. We were walking distance (for those easily able to walk) to Table Rock. However, you can park at the Rapids View lot for only $10, and grab a free shuttle to Table Rock.
• We did not Journey Behind the Falls, but the people who did were clearly visible from our Maid of the Mist. I want to do that the next time we go. The price is roughly comparable to Maid of the Mist.

Along the way, we passed by the Calvary Bible Church. Members of the church (I assume) were handing out bottles of water for the small price of accepting their pamphlet.

I glanced at the pamphlet momentarily as I accepted what I would later call my
“Jesus Water”.

At this point, my beliefs are somewhere between agnosticism and weak atheism, and I’ve been somewhat critical of religion in general recently. But I hate to argue against “strawmen” or examples that I make up in my head only to be easily beaten down. There are plenty of examples of idiots on the Internet, but that doesn’t necessarily represent official church doctrine. Here I have an “official” church outreach document which they are clearly hoping will a) increase their membership, and b) will save souls.

What if there really is a creator-god?

That would be absolutely fascinating. If I had an opportunity to meet this being, I’d be really curious as to how it came about all sorts of decisions: why are there vast reaches of total emptiness? have you tried this whole creation thing before? what have you been up to since you created this universe? are there other creations like this one? do you know what created you?

What implications does this have for me, His creation?

Um, why is the creator gender specific? Anyway, I’m not sure there are any implications. Just because the creator created me (and billions of other people, and planets and suns, and moons, and rocks, and viruses, and Hitler, and Polpot), I’m not sure what the implications are.

What if that creator will hold man, his creation, accountable in a day of judgment?

What if it won’t? What if the creator doesn’t really care? And accountable for what? What if we are accountable to hold all squirrels sacred, providing them shelter, food, and loving care? Crap. I see one in my back yard right now. I better go help him out.

What if the creator-god really loves man, his creation?

Love is an action. Dead-beat dads may claim they love their children, but it is the actions that speak louder than words. The claim that this creator loves us is like saying I love squirrels. If I don’t demonstrate that love, and there is no evidence of that love, then I have not loved that squirrel. Time for me to go make a squirrel chapel.

What if the creator-god has a son named Jesus?

I dunno. Father-son duos aren’t always the best thing. Sometimes the nut does fall far from the tree. Maybe Jesus is a little pissed–his dad gets to create entire universes, and he just gets to visit one itty-bitty planet for 30ish years. What if Jesus had a son, the creator’s grandson? Wow, procreation really works.

What if Jesus is who the bible claims he is? Eternal God, Virgin-born, Sinless, Savior, Resurrected lord.

So, let me get this straight. What if the creator has a son, who is the creator, who killed himself so that he could be brought back to life? If Jesus was born to a virgin, then his mother must not be human, because humans procreate through sexual intercourse. That’s how the creator created us, right? So the creator sets up all these rules for how things are done, but when he wants a son, he can’t just “poof” him into existence, he has to “poof” his sperm into some poor woman in order to create the boy? I’m afraid the sinless and savior pieces don’t really mean much to me…

What if he really is the only way to god, as he claimed to be?

Wait, Jesus is god and the only way to god? I don’t understand. Is he the finger pointing at the moon, or is he the moon? Perhaps this is some sort of cruel treasure hunt: follow the map to the treasure only to find another map, which leads to another map.

What if I arrive at heaven’s door with misplaced hope of entering in?

What if there is no heaven? Indeed, what if you were supposed to have been building squirrel chapels all along? What evidence of heaven do we have? What do the doors look like? Is it really someplace we want to be?

What if I haven’t met god’s requirement for entering in (to heaven)?

From the pamphlet, the requirement is “He that hath the son hath life; and he that hath not the son of god hath not life.” Um, could you make that requirement a bit clearer, please? Even translated to modern English, I still don’t get it “He that has the son has life.” How would I have the son? Like a cupie doll? Like an action figure? Oh! I’ve seen those in toy/novelty stores. I get it now. I must have a Jesus action figure. Maybe the squirrels would like it in their chapel!

So, I’m completely tired of this, and don’t feel like answering any more of these questions. What they gave me is essentially a pamphlet of Pascals Wager: believe because the risk of non-belief is too great. The pamphlet moves from deism in the first question (where we simply postulate that something might have created the universe) to a judgmental, demanding, multiple personality being. And the only source of information to support their presumed answers to the “What if” questions are a bunch of ancient stories.

I don’t think its likely, but it just might be possible that the universe was created by some being. However, it is a HUGE step to suggest that we should worship that being.

• No alcohol was required to get things moving. I’m certainly not a teetotaler, but its good to see people having fun without the social lubricant known as beer.
• The party was winding down about the time we expected, but didn’t feel rushed. Folks showed up anywhere from 12PM to 3PM, and left when they felt like it. We figured people would hang out much of the afternoon, and it was around 6:30PM when everyone had left.
• Everyone brought great food to share. I sometimes worry about a “bring something to share” sort of potluck. I worry that everyone will bring a bag of chips. When we do large family gatherings (e.g. Thanksgiving) we assign dishes to families, so that we know whats coming and what we need to provide. For this party, I just had to let it go, and it turned out beautifully. From roasted potatoes to taco dip to home baked apple pie, deviled eggs, and brownies–the only chips were the ones we provided.
• It rained most of the time, but, thanks to a portable awning showing up unexpectedly, a large contingent of folks hung out outside. So despite my fears that our “4th of July Picnic” had been rained out, it worked out perfectly.
• There were a fair number of people who didn’t know each other, but they all did a great job of introducing themselves and having fun with their new acquaintances.
• Anne pulled out Apples to Apples which about 15 adults and kids have fun with for nearly two hours. That game is great because of a) the short learning curve, and b) the ease of adding/removing/substituting new players. I was afraid out new coffee table would be broken by enthusiastic players…
• There was time enough for me to learn more about people who were just acquaintances before the party. One couple, both psychologists, probably learned a great deal more about me than I did about them. The both had a very friendly way of asking very polite questions that just seemed to get me to rattle on for minutes at a time.
• The last sign of a good party: trampled grass in the back yard. After the rain let up, a bunch of kids (some of us a bit bigger than others) played kick ball and ball tag. The grass is still matted down, and its wonderful.

• Bicycle topic 1 this week: Emily and Anne had brand new bikes, with aluminum frames, soft seats, and 7 gears. Emily’s is a full adult sized 26″ bike. Oh. My. Garsh.
• Bicycle topic 2 this week: Emily’s bike was “borrowed” for about 20 hours until I found it behind a denominational house. The “borrower” hadn’t even bothered to take off the pink plastic hearts from her spokes. We spent most of our waking hours glancing at every bike that went by to see if it was Emily’s.  I found this habit difficult to break even three days after I found it. We started locking Anne’s and Emily’s bikes afterwards. I also noticed that, other than at “club”, 30-50% of all bikes at Chautauqua are locked.
• Bicycle topic 3: the house bikes look decent, but aren’t that great to ride. While climbing what has become known as “Bennett’s Bloody Bend” (the hill above the sailing center) a gear slipped while I had all my weight on my right foot. I lost my balance and rolled right over the bike, hitting the pavement with my right shoulder and elbow, most knuckles, and right knee. The damage was minor–the pavement was easily repaired. I’ll probably have a scar on a knuckle and knee. And the rear rim of the bike is bent.
• Sailboat lessons are well worth the $60 (a $10 increase from last year) as long as you get a cute, young, friendly instructor. Oh, and as long you can go with someone you love. We had a great time, and did well enough that the instructor let us do almost all the sailing. Our only regret: we didn’t take the camera.
• Drama and disappointment on day one of club does not indicate a bad week ahead.
• Clouds and nastiness 5 miles from Lake Erie does not mean clouds and nastiness on the beach. (Oh, and be sure of the directions to Presque Isle before you leave Chautauqua).
• It seems the Chautauqua Institution is cutting back on bike patrol. Several of us commented on it. There was a report of an attack (or was it an attempted attack?) on a student at a practice room one evening. And then there was the bike incident! And I distinctly saw some kids in Group 2 flash a gang sign–Erie Crips if I’m not mistaken. What has Chautauqua come to?
• Theo introduced me to Hed PE (NSFW) on Friday. Take 2 pounds Limp Bizkit, add 2 cups Korn, salt with plenty of profanity, then grind together with Rage Against the Machine. That is Hed PE. I love it. (sorry, Mom)
• We got to see Switchfoot, where Emily officially fell in love with her first lead singer. And I took the best picture of the week.
• Next year may be the first time we let the kids have their own rooms, especially if Emily invites a friend to go with her (which right now seems like a good idea).
• Next year will be Nathan’s first to go kayaking and sailing at club.

• The maximum fine for providing (or attempting to provide) alcohol to a minor: $250. In Ohio, you could get jail time. In Kentucky? Bah. Give up some profits from your still, and “don’t let us catch you doing that again!”
• The maximum fine for littering: $500. For real? Yup–signs all along the freeways.

It is twice as bad to throw a cigarette out your window as it is to contribute to the delinquency of a minor.  Evidently Kentucky is more concerned with keeping their countryside beautiful than protecting their youth.

The “Exercise Facility” at the Best Western where I’m staying consists of a) a exercise bike, b) a treadmill, c) a stairmaster(R), and d) a nautilus all-in-one-piece-of-scheize.  I wasn’t really surprised, but I ws a bit jealous to learn from a co-worker that a neighboring hotel has free-weights.

So I walk in to do a little mid-week exercising while traveling. I hop on the bike to warm up. But the control board doesn’t work. No RPMs, no time elapsed, no MPH, nothing. And the right pedal has a really disconcerting thunk on the down stroke. Fine, I say, I’ll switch to the treadmill. As soon as I turn it on, the “lubricate belt soon” light comes on. It has a slightly annoying squeal as I get up to jogging speed, but, hey, I’m only on it for a few minutes, so I can put up with it. Unfortunately, the treadmill can’t handle my ironman 6mph for more than 2 minutes and spontaneously shuts off. Unceremoniously.  Without. Warning. Fine, I’ll try the stairmaster. I’ve never used a stairmaster, despite the fad from the 80’s. I give it a valiant try, and started breathing hard enough to consider myself warmed-up.

On to the natuilus. Had it been in my home, and had I paid less than $300 for it used, I would have been reasonabley pleased with it. Actually, it would have been fine had there a) not been bent pieces making leg exercises dangerous, and b) not been a wall right next to the floor level pulley, making 1/3 of the movements exercises in wallpaper removal.

Ah well. Beggars can’t be choosers. My work schedule didn’t allow for me to go a local gym for a full workout. Instead, I got 45 minutes of pecs, lats, and biceps. Oh, and I got a few squats in next to the wall.

The oddest moment was when a dude (with a bushy Texas style mustache) wearing street clothes comes in from the pool area (right across the hall), inspects the bike, hops on for 15 seconds, then leaves with a “Have fun” comment. Um, yeah. Will do. Thanks.

Ah the joys of traveling. I can’t wait to be home. Only to leave again. At least my next trip will be with my wife and kids.

1. My kids were desperate, nay, absolutely desperate, to see the original Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. There are a number of reasons for the feverish pitch in recent weeks, but ultimately they couldn’t wait to beg us day in and day out to see the movie. This weekend we finally had a chance, and they loved it. That movie came out when I was my daughter’s age.
2. Today as we were driving home from dinner, my daughter heard Bon Jovi’s Livin’ on a Prayer to which she exclaimed “Turn it Up! I love this song.” Of course we obliged as I reminisced about cranking it while cruising Reynoldsburg (Oh, the happenin’ R’burg) as a teenager. I couldn’t have imagined then that my own daughter would love that song over 20 years later. She delivered the coup de grace to my teen angst memories when she said “When we get home, can we put this on my MP3 player?”

I thank the media. I blame the media. I thank the DVDs, CDs, and digital media for making my kids adore the same stuff I did when I grew up, and “came of age.” It tickles me to no end to see them devoting hours to reading the Complete Calvin and Hobbes on lazy Sunday mornings.

What Went Right

• Before the school year started, before the first den meeting, I looked at the requirements for Wolf and the Pack calendar. I laid out a plan for completing the requirements before the Blue and Gold banquet.
• I talked to one of the parents who had been active during Tiger Cubs, and asked for his help throughout the year. I was sure I could not do it alone, given the stress I was feeling at work, and likelihood of travel. I showed him the plan, and asked him to cover the topics in two weeks. He agreed, despite his own reservations regarding his own work stress and travel.
• Part of what I figured out in my plan to complete the requirements was that there were going to be several requirements that I simply would not be able to cover in den meetings. I wanted to be crystal clear with the parents right from the beginning that I expected them to do this stuff at home. So my wife helped me by typing up this document which I gave them a couple of times throughout the year.
• During one of my business trips, I managed to ask one of the other parents to help by covering some requirements during a meeting. I hate asking for help, so this was a great accomplishment for me.
• I downloaded the Wolf Trax and used it right from the first meeting to track progress. It is a fabulous tool.
• After prodding and coaxing, I got three of the six boys to finish their Wolf requirements in time for the end-of-year picnic. The other three boys hadn’t attended meetings at all in the spring, so I don’t feel bad that they didn’t get Wolf.

What Went Not-So-Right

• After one month, my original parent helper and his son stopped coming to meetings. I called a couple of times to ask if they were coming, but it became clear that they had other priorities. I never confronted him about his failure to keep his commitment to me, and it was too late for me to give up on the den.
• Even though I had laid out an achievable plan (with a couple of weeks to spare) for all the boys to get Wolf, the weather and family schedules got in the way. For the most part, the meetings were well attended, but by the end of the year, there were a patchwork of requirements still to be completed. I should have kept all the materials from all previous meetings with me in my briefcase. That way I could cover the material in promptu with a boy who had missed that meeting. It turned out OK in the end, but there were a number of meetings at the end of the year where I didn’t bother to plan, because I didn’t know what boys would show up, and therefore which requirements would need to be covered. I just did my best to look at the assembled scouts and cover the requirements that a couple of them still needed. Fortunately, most of them didn’t mind repeating a requirement or two.
• The pack we’re a part of isn’t terribly organized. For example, the pack meetings are organized in the first 10 minutes of the meeting as the cub master and assistant cub master compare notes on what they need to cover. Also, leadership meetings are typically announced on a Friday or Saturday for a Sunday meeting, via e-mail. Because of the late notice, I wasn’t able to attend one of them. The lack of organization frustrated me greatly last year, but this year I learned to just roll with it. However, I felt like I wasn’t able to contribute as much as possible because they weren’t organized, and because I wasn’t motivated to drive the organization. The only event that went off smoothly was the pinewood derby.
• My son and I didn’t do a single scout event outside of meetings and pack events. There are a couple of reasons for this: a) my motivation to do these events was very low, so even if I knew about them, I was likely to find an excuse not to go; b) our council relies on Pack/Den leadership to publicize council and district level events. Since we’re not terribly organized, we tended to find out about them 2-3 days in advance.

In all, the year went better than my Tiger Cub year. I was able to get many of the boys to complete their rank, and there were only a couple of hiccups along the way. Now, the Pack leaders are asking for someone to step up and be Cubmaster and Assistant Cubmaster. I know that I absolutely cannot be Cubmaster. Depending on who steps up, I might be able to help as Assistant Cubmaster. But they’ll have to be pretty organized, and good at telling me what they need me to do.