Networks

1. Thick, Thin, or the Other "T"
2. Taking Care of Business
3. Networking
4. Network Applications

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Thick, Thin, or the Other "T"
From Catalog 38, page 34

Networking for the masses is a reality! It is easier to hook up a ten user network today than setting up a second hard drive was 5 years ago. Setting up the network would take longer, but the procedure is turnkey, particularly if you are using one of the newest network operating systems.

The most difficult part of networking today is choosing the cabling method. Should you use 10Base5, 10Base2 or 10BaseT? 10Base5, also called Thick Ethernet, is rarely used in small installations. Its main advantage is its ability to support users over a wide geographic area.

10Base2, or Thin Ethernet, uses inexpensive RG58 cabling to daisy-chain the workstations together. Thin-net supports cable lengths as long as 185 meters (roughly 200 yards, hence the 2 in 10Base2) which is usually long enough.

10BaseT cabling looks much like standard telephone wire and uses a connector with a similar appearance. The cables are also referred to as UTP (Unshielded Twisted Pair). The distances are appropriate for most offices, and the connection scheme makes reconfiguration easier to accomplish.

If you use 10BaseT, buy a concentrator with more ports than you initially need and locate it near the center of the PC workstations. This makes cabling easier and assures you of expandability in the future.

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Taking Care of Business
From Catalog 27, page 52

Networking computers and peripherals is a great way to reduce the cost per workstation and increase the availability of expensive peripherals without having one on every desk.

It isn't for everyone, however. Many businesses don't need, or even want, users to have access to shared data. But that doesn't mean they don't want to save money.

The 16 to 1 printer sharing device is a great advantage of one high quality/high throughput printer without being on a network.

Of course it doesn't have to be an expensive printer on the other end of the cable. It might just as well be the multiform printer located half a building away in the shipping department.

The point is, it solves a real problem inexpensively and without adding complexity to anyone's normal tasks.

I like that!

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Networking
From Catalog 26, page 44

Put in some cards, cable them together, run the appropriate software, and call it a network. This is fine if you can get along without the network should it crash for any reason.

However, if your network is really an integral part of your business plan, this philosophy is short sighted and may some day cause you grief.

No network is complete without a central backup facility, and usually an Uninterruptable Power Supply is more than just an "expense."

I usually advise the people I deal with to get tape backup unless they can guarantee me they won't miss any of the data they have on their computers. (So far, the count is zero.)

I just want to SHOUT! Given that you can buy a UPS for slightly over a hundred bucks, how can any business justify not having one for their network server?

It is absolutely no consolation to me that management decides to buy one after they have just spent thousands of dollars recovering from a disk crash.

P.S. These are usually the same people who don't "need" a tape backup, or only back up when the urge hits them.

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Network Applications
From Catalog 18, page 45

JDR began selling network hardware a couple of years ago, and recently added LANtastic products to our catalog. Buying into a network can be a scary proposition, and therefore, many potential users are sticking with the isolated PC rather than receiving the benefits of shared computing. Even limited networking could be of great benefit to many small concerns. Here are some applications that I think are likely to benefit.

1.Printing, faxing, and communications, with users sharing equipment to lower costs.

2.Medical, dental, law, and counseling, with shared appointment books.

3.Accounting, with separate receivable, payable, and other clerks.

4.Construction, with critical path info coming from different sections.

5.Vehicle scheduling, periodic maintenance, unscheduled maintenance, loaned out status.

6.Classrooms, to insure common data and programs and re-establish data on an erased hard disk.

If your business has more than one computer, you are a candidate for a network. Networks can be as simple as you want, or as complex as you need, and getting started doesn't require that you become a computer expert.

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