I have been trying to configure a server and associated applications to use for research purposes.  The emphasis being on “trying to configure”.  It has driven me nuts.

My original goal was to configure this server so that it could be used in a production environment.  I also wanted to configure all the required applications from scratch and document the process to make it easily repeatable.  Things were not going well but I was determined to complete the job.

Then I asked for advice from someone with extensive experience of the software in question.  To paraphrase the response, my attempts to configure everything would be a nightmare and I should really think about using an existing pre-packaged bundle of the applications I needed.

Later that day I had everything up and running.  The solution is not immediately suitable for a production environment and does have a few niggles but it will be fine for research purposes.

Notes to self:

• Spend more time at the outset thinking about the requirements of a technical project.
• Sometimes “just enough” will do.  The server is just a tool to facilitate research and it is this research that will be the important outcome.
• Take a step back and reconsider the situation when things are not going well.  Sometimes a different approach will lead to the required outcome.