NETWORKING News

Upgrading to Vista

Daylight Savings Time
Issue and Patches

Do you have a Sick Computer or Server? If you need Computer Maintenance or Network Troubleshooting click here

Links:

Cabling Installation & Maintenance Magazine

Cabling Networking Systems

Network Design

Amik's Network Design Services

Our Network Design follows BiCSi's New Telecommunications Distributions Methods. Amik Technology strongly supports the efforts of BiCSi to develop and document standards in the industry. We also support the efforts of Environmentalists like Frank Bisbee as he works to identify and resolve issues with abandoned cable and environmental pollutants like lead in PVC wire coatings.

Amik Technology provides high quality, high performance, and environmentally friendly telecommunication design solutions to our clients. Our Network Design experience includes:

• Design of Entry Corridors
• Design of Server Rooms
• Design of Wiring Closets
• Trays & Cable Management
• Risers, Floor Opeings & Fire Stopping
• Equipment Enclosures and Racks
• Drop Quantities and Layout
• Backup Power and Filtering
• Fire Supression Systems

Your Managed Cable System used to be just the PC network but you should now include:

• Power for Electronics and Computers, Filtered Power, and Power Backup
• Security System Wiring
• Intercom and Paging Systems
• Phone System Wiring (Telecommunications Systems)
• Wireless Network Access Points
• Fire Alarm System Cabling
• Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning System Control

It is easy to let every trade take care of their own wiring needs but this lack of planning leads to environmental issues, reduced longevity, messy layout, overfill of trays and risers, and excess costs.

Network systems especially need to allow for change. Businesses and institutions expand and contract with market fluctuation, people relocate, and standards change. Ways of communication, expectations, and the associated costs of communication are changing at a rate that is simply mind boggling!

Today's leading organizations are planning for change. There is a very strong move towards managing building Infrastructure with an eye for minimizing cost and maximizing flexibility related to CHANGE.

If your hiring an Architectural Firm to construct a new facility consider whether you have the resources to provide detailed network infrastructure design to the architects design team or subcontractors; typically an electrical design draftsman. If the architect is providing the network design evaluate the skills/resources they are providing. If you are not totally confident that you have this area covered, consider hiring an outside network design consultant to provide the necessary design input.

Amik works with Engineering and Architectural Teams to design network infrastructure in support of better business environments.

If you would like to know more about our Network Design services, about Amik Technology, about how this area of the industry is evolving, or how this technology can lead to better buildings and architecture, then contact us. References are available!

Need to get your Telephone Calls?

Today, businesses are turning to flexible communication solutions to reduce costs, increase employee productivity and improve customer interaction, with a payback on investment measured in months, not years. The Nortel Hot Desking solution can deliver these business results. For a modest capital investment, Hot Desking integrates with a company’s existing Nortel or non-Nortel telephony environment to provide onenumber access to employees, wherever they are.

Green Storage

Seagate in a recent VAR Channel Webinar talked about their intrepretation of "Greening Your Storage". Seagate says there are two trends in the market these days:

1. The move from 3.5" down to 2.5 inch drives as the new drives are more material and energy efficient.
2. The implementation of solid state drives in place of rotating media.

What else was interesting in the seminar ... Serial Attached SCSI (SAS Drives) use them anywhere you would think of putting a Serial ATA (SATA) disk where you want server level reliability instead of tier 3 consumer quality drives.

Upgrading to Vista

Before you decide, run the Micorsoft Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor

Daylight Savings Time Issue

As of August 2005 the US legislated and increase of daylight savings time by 4 weeks. Ontario is going to parallel these changes. In fact there are some 32 changes internationally that will be made to your timezone file through this update from when win2000 was released.

The Energy Policy Act of 2005 states that daylight saving changes based on the follow table:

In 2006, daylight time begins on April 2 and ends on October 29.
In 2007, daylight time begins on March 11 and ends on November 4.
In 2008, daylight time begins on March 9 and ends on November 2.

Microsoft DST Info

XP-SP2 users should run automatic update end of February. the changes should be pushed out by then. You can manually download and run a update file that quickly patches your PC Operating System Now

Windows 2000 users need to manually patch the operating system by updating the timezone database then refreshing the current control set information.

Corporate users can do this through Group Policy or via SMS.

More Microsoft Patch info

Third Party Windows Patches - Quick and easy DST fixers

-One for XP / 2000 / 2003
-One for 98 / ME

Outlook Concerns

With respect to moving calendar entries in the affected time period, one very important required configuration change—the calendar must be configured to allow conflicting calendar entries for conference room resources.

Novell DST Info

Daylight Savings Time change affects Novell Groupwise

Java

The Java Runtime Environment (JRE) stores rules about DST observance all around the globe. Older JREs will have outdated rules that will be superseded by the Energy Policy Act of 2005. As a result, applications running on an older JRE may report incorrect time from March 11, 2007 through April 2, 2007 and from October 29, 2007 through November 4, 2007.

If you are interested in High Quality, Long Range Wireless (< 80 Kilometers), consider

the Redline Wireless Product Line now available from Amik Technology

Current Issues:

• To do Gigabit to the desktop, Backbone speeds need to be 10 Gigabit or faster. Laser optimized fibre supports much longer lengths than standard cable. Additionally consider 50 micron over the standard 62.5 micron cable.

  Read more about 10-Gigabit Ethernet

• Drafting Symbols for Telecommunications Design - The industry needs to develop a standard set of symbols for documenting the design of managed cable systems (networks).

- Richard Dunfee, BICSI Training Program Manager reports:

"There is now an attempt under the new division created by Construction Specifications Institute to create a symbol set for telecommunications. You can look at existing suggestions by visiting www.division17.net. Then scroll down to TACS Industry Drawing Symbology."

• Use of properly designed and installed hanger systems for cable can reduce your long term costs. This article fits into current thinking about managed cable systems. It is important to manage all building cable; data, mechanical system control, security, inter comm, and telephony. Failure to properly plan for upgrades or removal can create environmental issues and long term removal costs.

J-Hook and Cable Tray Benefits Article

 

"Did you know? Virtually all communications cables manufactured during the past 20+ years had outer jackets made of PVC that contained high levels of LEAD (2-7%)."

How to build a Greener Building... Environmental pollutants are a big area of consideration these days. Contaminants such as lead emerge in the most unusual products. We all take things like data cable for granted. Too often cost and performance are the primary issues considered when purchasing data cable.

Before you cable, have a look at new lead-free PVC and other cable options.

See BOMA's June 2003 updated article on Lead-free PVC

See also May's Article on Structured Health Risks in Cabling Systems

Abandoned Cable Triggers Code Compliance Issues

Houston, we still have a problem

Lead-Free
PVC Data Cable

Cable Toxicity

New research suggests that Premium Data Cable may have toxic and potentially deadly side effects

Recent research has now identified the potential for FEP (fluorinated ethylene propylene) based data cable, toted to be the premier low combustible cable, may emit a colorless and odorless hydrogen fluoride gas, which becomes hydrofluoric acid in the eyes, nose and throat of the individuals exposed to the gas.

Further experts in the field are suggesting that age old fire safety test methods for rating cable don't look at toxicity but rather focus on smoke.

Thanks to Frank Bisbee @ Wireville for this most recent and interesting cable tip!

Product Review

on VPN's

December 2002 - Review of Small Business Virtual Private Network (VPN) Technology

Amik Technology reviewed solutions by Cisco, 3Com, LinkSys, D-Link, Novell, and Citrix for the networking of a satellite sales office in Winnipeg MB with a head office site in Thunder Bay.

Issues and conclusion were as follows:

1. LinkSys could without a doubt create a VPN tunnel between sites, but they claimed not to support Novell, only Windows 2000. If Novell 5 can operate in a pure IP mode then there should be no need to support IPX. If there is no need to support IPX then why won't LinkSys support the platform? This potential need to support the IPX protocol for some connection issues in Novell 5 was a question that we never did resolve. There may be functions like browsing that purely work better when IPX is supported.
2. Clearly Cisco and 3Com had products that are multi-protocol compliant, yet it seemed like a step backwards to go to an expensive product like these guys offer when we all know that the future of networking is based on the Internet and the IP protocol.
3. D-Link failed to provide enough information either on the web or via tech support in their marketing material to make a decision as to if they could do the job. In short they seemed to be the poor cousin to LinkSys
4. What about soft VPN technology? Novell 6 offers integrated VPN software so remote users can connect through the Internet to a head office server. The issue that has held us back is the upgrading of the server. It's a major undertaking, it looks a lot more drastic than slapping on a few hardware VPN boxes and setting up a connection with your browser. Overall it looks like the way to go!