A dialog between two CowOrker''''''s. In Hell:

''A'': What's this error message mean?

''B'': What's it say?

''A'': The Morgothrond can't deploy its thumpwhistle. The dialog window just says "can't undeploy". Then it says to read the log file.

''B'': Can't you read the log file?

''A'': I can't turn the log file on. When I changed my ~/.thumpwhistle/vars file the Morgothrond wouldn't even launch, so I changed it back.

''B'': You have to put a matching line in the log.props file, with the relative path to that vars file.

''A'': Why didn't the Help mention that? Nevermind. I'l deploy again.

''B'': Okay. It just says "undeploy invalid ModuleTargetID passed". It doesn't even say what value the ModuleTargetID contains, or where it read the ID.

''A'': Oh wait, I remember this one. I put the answer on our Wiki. Let's see... you have to delete a folder with a name like  ~/.thumpwhistle/4.1/config/Y2K/TargetModules/thumpwhistle_home_bun_bun_2518152_ho-0957/HelloWorld/Amphetamine''''''Reptile

''B'': Okay. Just any file with a name ''like'' that, right?

''A'': Yeah.

''B'': Back it up with your recycler.

''A'': Gotcha... now restart the thumpwhistle?

''B'': Just try to launch HelloWorld again. Oh, wait. Also delete the HelloWorld.XML file from your conf/Argentina/localhost/temp#2 folder. ''Now'' launch again.

''A'': It's asking for a name and password now.

''B'': It's not supposed to do that. Read the user's configuration file and type in the name and password. It's just clear-text.

''A'': The global user's file?

''B'': No, the local one. Open it. Okay, you also have to take that line out.

''A'': Why is it there?

''B'': Because you have to move it into the global configuration file, and then add any user-name after it.

''A'': My username?

''B'': It can't be the name of any user in the system. Call it "supersonic_enemy_of_evil" or something.

''A'': Check. Okay, now I saved both files.

''B'': Oh, yeah, the local file needs a modification time greater than the global file, or you will trigger a refresh.

''A'': Touch.

''B'': When you restart, make sure that copies of the binary files are also in the project-specific folder, too.

''A'': How long have I been trying to install this Thumpwhistle? Is this lucrative?

''B'': My certification tutors said it was...

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Someone once sent me an e-mail to report what happened when he read one of my (unrelated) posts, and got to the tag line.

He was taking classes to learn to configure OracleDatabase. I wrote, "Whip me. Beat me. Make me install Oracle."

He fell off his chair laughing. --PhlIp

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See also ConfigurationFiles, ConfigurationManagement, IntegrationHell, ConventionOverConfiguration

CategoryStory, CategoryAntiPattern