Meridian Mail 12.11 Install Tape

[daleblizz]

We have a MerMail down (possible power surge). We have clean backups, and another hard drive, but the install tape has apparently been tossed.

Does anyone know where we can get another one?

 

[dlesap]

On another Mail rls 12 system

 

[daleblizz]

On another Mail rls 12 system"

Yeppers. That's the trick. And apparently it has to be 12.11. A 12.12 didn't cut it.

We're looking under all the rocks as I write. (And now, so is Shared Technologies).

Thanks.

 

[x11tech]

I used to work at Shared. They don't keep stuff like that. They look for whether they have customers who have similar configurations as yours are willing to "temporarily" part with their install tape for the duration of your crisis.

As a tech, I collected all sorts of old stuff like this knowing that it would be valuable. Sadly, I never came across a customer tossing their MerMail install tapes. I just have a migration tape that Nortel used to put out.

Good luck

 

[daleblizz]

As a tech, I collected all sorts of old stuff like this knowing that it would be valuable. Sadly, I never came across a customer tossing their MerMail install tapes. I just have a migration tape that Nortel used to put out.

Good luck"

Thanks.

We may have located a tape in Dallas. And like with you, it's in the personal, collection of a Shared Tech employee. The last I heard, he wasn't absolutely positive he had it, but he thinks he does.

The switch and MerMail is in New Jersey, at a site that was practically mothballed. (An Option 61C with 13 people -- who are normally not there.)

I guess somebody decided to clean up all the "junk" in the switchroom.

The last company I worked for stopped leaving the software with the equipment. Instead they'd put it in a locked file cabinet in secure room and leave a note on the equipment to tell the tech where it was.

Now I can see why they did it.

 

[x11tech]

With newer systems (RLS 4+) I would also keep a careful eye on your PCMCIA cards. I've had technicians walk away with those and they are needed for the off-system EDD process which has been implemented.

Technicians are used to working with limited resources and therefor tend to hoard customer property in their personal possession for the eventuality that some other customer will need that resource.

Any time I go in to the field, I always make a point of asking customers to contact me before throwing out any software or hardware. I've acquired a lot of Nortel software CDs over the year because of this and have a fairly extensive library of drivers/software for Symposium 1.5 and up and CallPilot 1.07 and up because of this.


Unfortunately, the MerMail tapes is not something that you can replace once you lose it (or if one dies). I would (in your shoes) tell them to send the technician in Dallas with the tape up to you, and then take him out for siesta as a thank you. It would force Shared to reward their technician with a small paid vacation (as I recall, New Jersey Shared is a Union shop, so he won't be able to do any work...his entire job would be to shuttle the tape to you and stand around doing nothing while the local union technician did the work) and give you a chance to show your personal appreciation.