 The magazine of the Melbourne PC User Group Not working, networking Ray Beatty raybea@melbpc.org.au |
This is the story I never wanted to write. It's an embarrassing piece of self-flagellation called "How to screw up installing a network." But I felt duty-bound to put pen to paper in order to save my fellow hackers great pain and huge expense.
The realisation that all was not well with my LAN installation hit during a lunch with some august computer experts who are well-known to you all. In the midst of the conversation, as I licked a dab of sauce off my fork, I mentioned that my LAN was still not operational three months down the line. The others stopped and looked at me puzzled. "My God that's a long time," said one, "how many outlets do you have?"
I mentally added it up and said, "Nine."
"A nine-point LAN and it's still not running?" And then they burst into laughter. "So what kind of comms system are you using?" they asked. "Microsoft," I replied, defensive by now. They laughed even more and I shrank into my seat, determined that when I returned to work I would find out what the hell was going wrong and why a simple task had turned into an expensive disaster.
The trouble is that while I pride myself with knowing a thing or two about computers, I know absolutely nothing about networking. Oh, I've written knowledgeable copy for clients of mine who sell vast networks and numerous network products, but there's a big difference between turning computer jargon into intelligible copy, and actually understanding the nitty-gritty of how a system works.
In the beginning
My office at that stage had about ten distinct work points and it was decided that it would be a good idea for staff to be able to exchange their information and, most importantly, their printers, overcoming bottle-necks and rush-hour jams.
So I called in our computer suppliers, explained to them what the network was required to do, and my various people all chipped in with what they wanted. One wanted to share files, another wanted access to several e-mail carriers, another wanted to be able to use a scanner without interrupting his secretary's word processing. My PR manager wanted to be able to scan newspaper clippings and send them to his clients over the e-mail.
All this was communicated to the networkers who duly noted it down and started recommending various pieces of hardware and software which would be necessary for the job. However several of my people had specific products in mind which they had read about, or heard about, had recommended to them, sounded wonderful, sounded like they would do exactly what was needed. So we started saying that this or that product was required in the system. The networkers in turn adapted what they were to provide to fit in with these wants.
At last! Er...nearly
Finally the LAN was laid, the LAN cards plugged in, everyone connected up. But... There were still more delays.
Some of the specified equipment was hard to find and had to be ordered from interstate; some of the things we wanted weren't quite working. There was what later turned out to be a short-circuit in one of the sockets. The installer claimed that someone must have kicked it, I thought it was more likely to have been an installation fault; however we ironed that out. What took the time was actually tracking down the fault.
Having all the equipment in place, I then learned, was not the same as having a functioning LAN. In order for it to function your staff have to know how to use it. You have to know how to use it. And encourage them.
Trouble was we were all so flat-chat with work that nobody had time to open a manual and study it or to work it out. So despite having this expensive connection, people still wandered around with floppy disks in hand and pushed others off computers to use certain printers, or were only able to do certain tasks from a specific computer. In other words, the LAN was simply not being used.
I had arranged for the installers to give us training, but then there was the difficulty in getting everybody together on time. Some never got any training at all, some only got a cursory run-down, and still nobody knew how to use the system.
Probably the greatest fault lay with me. I have still not had the time to sit down and study the setup, not even to the point where I can understand it, let alone teach anybody else. And the trouble is that in my office I am regarded as the computer guru who fixes all the myriad problems with software and hardware which inevitably crop up in any organisation; so, they reasoned, if I didn't know, how could they know?
Well the LAN was one of a few costly mistakes I made over the past year and I've since had to reorganise my office and cut back on some of the loss-making activities, so I can concentrate on doing the things that actually make money. This has meant a reduction in staff so now there are several empty desks in the office, at each one a shiny new LAN point which looks accusingly at me with its single eye every time I walk past.
Every story has a moral
The moral of this tale is this: before you leap into any new technology, make sure you know something about how to operate it yourself.
When you plan a network, try to be practical. Look for advice from people who know rather than people who just have opinions. You'll find no shortage of the latter, but very few who have the experience to actually know what they are talking about. Unfortunately the opinionated ones do not go as far as paying for the installation; that comes out of your pocket.
If you are going to go to the expense of a network, also make provision for adequate training of your people as part of your installation budget. Then make sure you have very clear agreements with these people that they will be available for specific training dates and not just send their secretaries along thinking they can pick it up later.
Try to find at least one person who really learns the system: give them extra time, extra pay, some incentive, but do have someone on hand who knows how to run the blessed thing!
Meanwhile, if you need any LAN cards or a few yards of co-axial cable, give me a call. It's going cheap.
Reprinted from the September 1995 issue of PC Update, the magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia
