work whining
All the confocal imaging done in my department is performed on Nikon 'scopes run by PCs that are not networked. Deliberately.
Since a single experiment may generate many Gb of data files, this means that a normal pocket drive cannot be used to transfer data to the server for long-term storage, or even to another PC in the imaging lab for data analysis. Because the acquisition of data does not allow analysis of a separate data file to occur at the same time, and it's super expensive to sign up for time using the 'scope, but not so expensive to reserve time with the computers that have all the analysis software (Nikon Elements, AutoQuant, etc). But anyway. Can't acquire and analyze at the same time. That's the way the program is. Don't ask me why, ask Nikon. Nikon programmers make a lot of decisions that make subsequent analysis a pain in the ass. But that's a story for another day.
Usually I acquire data, and at the end of the experiment, transfer a copy to the lab's encrypted portable hard drive (institutional policy: all portable drives must be encrypted, even if we do not work with patient-related data), then take it back to my desk and transfer it into my file on the server.
Friday afternoon I was in a hurry, so I just left that afternoon's data folder on the portable drive and went home. Today another member of the lab used the drive, and between using it on one PC and returning to her desk to transfer the files to the server, the drive stopped working. Well, that's not quite correct. When you plug it into the port, it lights up and whirs like it's working. But no computer we've plugged it into will recognize that it is a drive any longer.
It's not OS dependent, it's not a wire problem.
So. I begged the imaging facility manager not to delete any data in her normal weekly wipe of the acquisition PC's drives. Requested that IT order us a new portable drive. Oh, did I mention? We aren't supposed to order any of our own peripherals. At all. But since the IT guy realized that it'd be at least two weeks before that order would be processed and filled (why? no, really, WHY?) and we need the drive NOW, if I buy a VERY SPECIFIC DRIVE (ie: Western Digital's My Passport, 1Tb or larger, encrypted) he will OK the one-time purchase of a portable drive with my lab credit card. Which means I get to make a trip to Best Buy. During holiday shopping season. FML.
Crossposted at http://asimplechord.dreamwidth.org/521470.html; comment as/where you wish.
Since a single experiment may generate many Gb of data files, this means that a normal pocket drive cannot be used to transfer data to the server for long-term storage, or even to another PC in the imaging lab for data analysis. Because the acquisition of data does not allow analysis of a separate data file to occur at the same time, and it's super expensive to sign up for time using the 'scope, but not so expensive to reserve time with the computers that have all the analysis software (Nikon Elements, AutoQuant, etc). But anyway. Can't acquire and analyze at the same time. That's the way the program is. Don't ask me why, ask Nikon. Nikon programmers make a lot of decisions that make subsequent analysis a pain in the ass. But that's a story for another day.
Usually I acquire data, and at the end of the experiment, transfer a copy to the lab's encrypted portable hard drive (institutional policy: all portable drives must be encrypted, even if we do not work with patient-related data), then take it back to my desk and transfer it into my file on the server.
Friday afternoon I was in a hurry, so I just left that afternoon's data folder on the portable drive and went home. Today another member of the lab used the drive, and between using it on one PC and returning to her desk to transfer the files to the server, the drive stopped working. Well, that's not quite correct. When you plug it into the port, it lights up and whirs like it's working. But no computer we've plugged it into will recognize that it is a drive any longer.
It's not OS dependent, it's not a wire problem.
So. I begged the imaging facility manager not to delete any data in her normal weekly wipe of the acquisition PC's drives. Requested that IT order us a new portable drive. Oh, did I mention? We aren't supposed to order any of our own peripherals. At all. But since the IT guy realized that it'd be at least two weeks before that order would be processed and filled (why? no, really, WHY?) and we need the drive NOW, if I buy a VERY SPECIFIC DRIVE (ie: Western Digital's My Passport, 1Tb or larger, encrypted) he will OK the one-time purchase of a portable drive with my lab credit card. Which means I get to make a trip to Best Buy. During holiday shopping season. FML.
Crossposted at http://asimplechord.dreamwidth.org/521470.html; comment as/where you wish.