The Importance of Being Focused

Not much use being earnest with a server like an IBM xSeries 335. What you need when installing software on a pizza box is focus. The server knows when you're not concentrating and it'll do it's own thing if you don't pay attention.

The first time the x335 booted, I was reading emails, so I didn't get to press F12, which will force it to do a network boot and fetch the primary OS from the FEWS laptop. Second time around, I was able to press F12, but went back to my emails while the kernel is loading. I forgot that the priOS will prompt for the hardware type. The server got tired of waiting, so it chose the cp1 option when the right one should be x335. In the middle of the install process, I noticed that some important files were missing. A quick check of the previous commands showed that I missed a parameter, which meant a re-installation.

Sometimes I feel the more we try to multitask and maximize time, the more time is wasted.