I decided to take out and dust off a little internet appliance I was given years ago, an Intel InBusiness Internet Station. In other words, a modem-sharing device. The idea in mind was to take the burden of internet connection sharing off of the server so I can (heaven forfend) shut the server down so I can get a decent, quiet night’s sleep.

So I hauled it out and more or less got it working. Then, a flash of stupid moronic asinine inspiration hit me: I should upgrade to the latest release firmware!

So I downloaded the software from Intel and proceeded to do the deed. Only, there’s a problem of some sort with (I think!) the D-Link hub I’m using… communications are wonky between the computers in this room and the device. So the update aborted, leaving the device utterly useless. (My suspicion is that the cheap-assed D-Link doesn’t like having mixed 10-mbit and 100-mbit devices.)

A flash of inspiration struck, leading me to haul the device into the other bedroom to see if it would behave better on the other room’s hub. And it did! I was able to use Wendi’s computer to successfully update… once I could get the software transferred to her computer.

You see, her computer could no longer see the server. And copying the file to a floppy? No good, her floppy drive’s not hooked up (!). So I had to burn a CD-ROM (!!) just to get the updater onto her computer.

But wait, there’s more! I tried doing the simple FTP-based update. Nope. I ran Intel’s updater, and it seemed to be stuck in a loop so I (being the idiot I am) decided to abort the run once I thought (!) that it had already successfully updated the software.

Finally I just launched the updater, grabbed a book, and wandered off to read until the updater itself decided it was done. At which point things started going my way. Except for the part where the D-Link hub in here is so discombobulated by having a 10-mbit device attached that (get this) I can’t get machines to see each other anymore.

I’m online through the device right now, but only on the server. The other computers can’t see the device at all, let alone use it to surf the ‘net. As it is, my connection is kind of… intermittent.

The upshot is: IF IT AIN’T BROKE DON’T FIX IT!

So now I just need to beg Wendi to run me down to the station to swap out the hub. Oh yeah: Peter David’s “Knight Life” is an entertaining little read. Hey, it got me through the afternoon of waiting for progress indicators and blinking lights…