| 4.
Network and Wiring
And what about the
network? – One more component in our series of articles revolving around
ways to stabilize your computer network. Well, unless you want to spend
your money on some high-end Service Provider-grade network equipment, you
should be fine with the type of hardware you can buy from renowned
manufacturers like 3Com® or Dell®, just to mention a few of them.
Actually,
what are the differences and what do
you need? Well, that depends on several factors. First, you should look at
your current environment and determine what network speed you have a
demand for. Most office and database applications work absolutely fine
over a 100Mbit/s network (that reads “megabit per second” and means
100,000,000 ones and zeros are transported every second). Most computer
networks nowadays are wired with Cat5 (category 5) or Cat6 wiring that
either plugs cables directly from each computer into a central networking
unit or has hardwired connections in the walls from outlets to a central
“patch panel” with connection cables on either end to plug into
workstations and networking equipment.
So
what can you do to stabilize that?
For
starters:
-
Make sure
that no cables (hardwired or patch cables) are frequently moved, pulled,
rolled over with office chairs, wedged or squeezed, cut or rubbed or
otherwise mechanically altered.
-
Use only
high flexibility, high quality cables with gold plated connectors. The
cheaper the cables the more problems you can expect over time. The gold
plating ensures solid connections and prevents tarnishing of the fragile
contacts. This includes the patch panel and wall outlets.
-
Make sure
the company performing the wiring labels, tests and certifies each cable
in the walls.
-
Make sure
the network cables are adequately routed away from power wiring for
lights, outlets and machine wiring. The network cards are basically
receivers for FM radio signals (or TV in case of faster connections). Make
sure to stay at least two feet away from fluorescent lights because the
inductors can create false signals or noise on the network.
-
Use
color-coded cables to better identify the wiring of specific connections
on the server side or at the patch panel.
-
Have a
protected area for your server and network equipment (preferably in a
separate part of the building) with sufficient air conditioning and power
wiring. This will greatly ease the pain of performing Administrative tasks
such as changing backup media or maintaining multiple servers. It also
allows you to centralize battery backup and secure access to the hardware
as well as keeping the air clean to avoid premature aging of moving parts
like internal computer fans (a common cause for motherboard and CPU
deaths!)
-
Stay away
from solutions advertising computer networking over telephone wire. They
typically don’t work at the speed you pay for.
(read
on ...)
Copyright (c) 2008 by In Scope-Solutions,
Inc.
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