A server has gotten flaky, and this IT pilot fish determines that the problem is a failing motherboard. It’s still under a support contract, so fish calls the vendor.

“Please tell me the express support code on the front,” vendor tech says.

Fish reads off the number.

“That server is in our warehouse,” tech says.

No, fish says, I can assure you that it’s in my rack. Let’s check again.

Tech double-checks. “Our records show a refund was issued for this server 15 months ago,” he says. “You used that refund to purchase a more powerful server, and were supposed to ship that one back.”

Fish does a little quick math: Fifteen months ago was right about the time the then-sysadmin left the company.

Sighs fish, “He never bothered to process the return of the server. When I arrived seven months ago, it was racked and ready to go.

“Tech support said they can’t help without a contract, and I had a dead server and people above me with lots of questions.

“We got a new server ordered right away — and this time we are going to own it.”

Sharky owns a server. I use it to receive your emails containing your true tales of IT life. The address is sharky@computerworld.com. You can also subscribe to the Daily Shark Newsletter and read some great old tales in the Sharkives.