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Network problems, begone!
Jun. 16th, 2001 10:20 pmDespite the comments posted by fellow LJers regarding my networking problems in the shop, I could not help but think that my problems lay not with Windows, but with the network hardware. After all, I've been otherwise successful in running a small (6-machine) network at home, where half the machines run Windows... or at least run Windows at least as well as when not networked.
After LapLink Gold started to flake out on me over the network, I began to seriously think it was my hub. So, I went over to the Radio Shack across the way to see what they had in the way of hubs or switches. While there, I again asked about the StarBand two-way satellite installation, and was told it was no problem (as long as I had the money, natch).
I reminded them that my landlord wanted a detail of the roof penetration for the antenna, at which point the fellow I spoke with walked me back to the store and we took a look. Roof penetrations are generally a Bad Idea. Once you perforate a composition roof, leaks are not far behind despite any best efforts to keep the water out.
The proposed alternative was to erect the dish on an outrigger antenna at the back of the store. This would require only a few holes in the outer brickwork. We got to talking and in a matter of a few minutes, the fellow from Radio Shack had not only spoken intelligently about antenna options, he had also given me and Galina some good advice regarding organizing the display of merchandise in the store. I'm embarrassed to say that some of what he said was pretty obvious, though it had not occurred to me before he mentioned it.
Anyway, he was so helpful and friendly, I went ahead and bought a LinkSys switch from the Radio Shack. Replacing the hub with the switch was a breeze, and my problem went away like that. Both machines see each other and themselves, and I was able to install our ancient HP Deskjet 660C as a network printer without any hassle.
I am not sure the problem was a faulty hub, either, as the switch appears to indicate that one of the incoming connections is 100 Mbit, while the other is a 10 Mbit connection. Maybe this was the source of my problem?
It was pretty warm today - in the mid-80s I would guess - which was a change from the sub-freezing temperatures of a few days ago. Frankly, I prefer the cooler weather, though not in the low 30s. It promises to be a pretty warm Father's Day tomorrow; the weather dweebs promise temperatures in the 90s, though it should be somewhat cooler at the higher elevations. ("Higher" meaning, of course, higher than out on our porch, which is about 7800 feet above sea level.)
We were informed a couple of days ago that our storage unit in Houston had been flooded, which is never good news, but I cannot recall anything of value that was in the unit. (This of course raises the question: If there's nothing of value in there, why are we paying $43.50 per month to store it? But I digress...) Galina is thinking of going down to Houston early next week to see about the unit and also to see about our Pearland house.
It turns out I am not getting enough contract work down there to make it worth while keeping the place, so we're thinking: Maybe it's time to sell the place? I don't know. We had planned to keep the Pearland house for a few years. Besides affording me a place to stay when I have work in the area, we were thinking we'd live there in the winter, away from the bitter cold and snowy, icy conditions up here in Colorado. But that was predicated on our being able to be absent from the shop for the winter, which is not in the cards, as far as I'm concerned.
We'll see. In the meantime, I think I'll do some light cleanup of my work area and then go off to bed.
Cheers...
After LapLink Gold started to flake out on me over the network, I began to seriously think it was my hub. So, I went over to the Radio Shack across the way to see what they had in the way of hubs or switches. While there, I again asked about the StarBand two-way satellite installation, and was told it was no problem (as long as I had the money, natch).
I reminded them that my landlord wanted a detail of the roof penetration for the antenna, at which point the fellow I spoke with walked me back to the store and we took a look. Roof penetrations are generally a Bad Idea. Once you perforate a composition roof, leaks are not far behind despite any best efforts to keep the water out.
The proposed alternative was to erect the dish on an outrigger antenna at the back of the store. This would require only a few holes in the outer brickwork. We got to talking and in a matter of a few minutes, the fellow from Radio Shack had not only spoken intelligently about antenna options, he had also given me and Galina some good advice regarding organizing the display of merchandise in the store. I'm embarrassed to say that some of what he said was pretty obvious, though it had not occurred to me before he mentioned it.
Anyway, he was so helpful and friendly, I went ahead and bought a LinkSys switch from the Radio Shack. Replacing the hub with the switch was a breeze, and my problem went away like that. Both machines see each other and themselves, and I was able to install our ancient HP Deskjet 660C as a network printer without any hassle.
I am not sure the problem was a faulty hub, either, as the switch appears to indicate that one of the incoming connections is 100 Mbit, while the other is a 10 Mbit connection. Maybe this was the source of my problem?
It was pretty warm today - in the mid-80s I would guess - which was a change from the sub-freezing temperatures of a few days ago. Frankly, I prefer the cooler weather, though not in the low 30s. It promises to be a pretty warm Father's Day tomorrow; the weather dweebs promise temperatures in the 90s, though it should be somewhat cooler at the higher elevations. ("Higher" meaning, of course, higher than out on our porch, which is about 7800 feet above sea level.)
We were informed a couple of days ago that our storage unit in Houston had been flooded, which is never good news, but I cannot recall anything of value that was in the unit. (This of course raises the question: If there's nothing of value in there, why are we paying $43.50 per month to store it? But I digress...) Galina is thinking of going down to Houston early next week to see about the unit and also to see about our Pearland house.
It turns out I am not getting enough contract work down there to make it worth while keeping the place, so we're thinking: Maybe it's time to sell the place? I don't know. We had planned to keep the Pearland house for a few years. Besides affording me a place to stay when I have work in the area, we were thinking we'd live there in the winter, away from the bitter cold and snowy, icy conditions up here in Colorado. But that was predicated on our being able to be absent from the shop for the winter, which is not in the cards, as far as I'm concerned.
We'll see. In the meantime, I think I'll do some light cleanup of my work area and then go off to bed.
Cheers...
