how-to block ads
|
mrbueno
join:2002-08-03
US
| Do not go on vacation! In another thread someone asked how to take a vacation as a one-man ISP. I gave some advice, but I feel this advice is better. 
While I was gone on a trip to visit Austria and the Czech Republic one of my employees somehow unplugged the ethernet cable from my front desk computer and plugged it back into another ethernet port on that system.
Having done that, the system was using a new IP Address. This caused all my gaming systems to be unable to reach the billing system for the gaming systems which, of course, stops the gaming systems from working. So, the same employee began to think there was a problem with the network. Said employee went to different switches around the office to make sure nothing had somehow become unplugged. During this process she plugged cables into both the uplink and straight through portions of the final port on one switch causing that switch and all others in my office to stop operating all together. Then an hour later she decides to call me while I am enjoying the public transportation of Brno, Czech Republic.
I am informed that the gaming systems cannot reach the front desk computer or the Internet and the front desk computer cannot reach anything as well. My first questions, "Did you check the switches?" and "What did you change?" After 40 minutes of trying to wrestle any sense out of this I asked her to put another employee on the phone. Employee 2 was asked to check out the switches and see if something seemed wrong and then call me back. Employee 2 found the port where uplink and standard ports were being used simultaneously and fixed that part. It took him 15 minutes, but he found it. Then they called me back.
"Everything works but the front desk computer cannot reach the ISP billing server.", says Number 1. Our ISP billing server is firewalled and only 2 IP's can reach it, this means the IP was changed.
"Why was the IP address changed number 1?", I pondered aloud.
"I didn't change it.", she defended
"Number 1, are there two ethernet ports on that system?", I more stated than asked.
"No.", she replied with a sense of cluelessness 15 year old schoolgirls left behind.
"Ok. Give me the new IP address and I will add an allow statement." I was defeated and tired. I didn't want to deal with this anymore.
Finally I got back to the States and other than this one incident things went pretty well. However, when I walked into the office, I noticed that the gaming systems were not connecting to the cafe server. "No other problems, but the cafe software still doesn't work." I walked over to the front desk, looked at the back of the computer and saw... two, COUNT THEM, TWO FREAKING ETHERNET CARDS. I moved the cable to the other card, stood up, then I saw all my gaming systems come to life. I was livid or rather I would have been if Air France hadn't been so rude on our trip back. I just sighed and asked, "What is the first thing I said to you?", directing the question at number 1.
"Do as I say and you'll live!", answered number 2. »www.imdb.com/title/tt0417148/quotes
As any fan of awfully over-hyped films knows, this completely diffused the anger and we all laughed like we were 1 minute away from the credits on an A-Team episode.
Point being, no matter how much you prepare. You can't prepare for everything. | |
|  | | mrbueno
join:2002-08-03
US | Heh. Funny thing is I just did a 72 room hotel the had no labels and we did almost exactly this. DOH! | |
| | | Chele
join:2003-07-23
| I labeled one of our POPs with a Dymo label maker only to go back a few weeks later and find the writing on the labels had disappeared! I think it was the heat  Looking for a different method now. | |
| | Keithb
join:2003-09-16
US
| Re: Do not go on vacation! Chele,
We use the Dymo label maker for our meters. We number each meter for inventory purposes and started using the White plastic labels only to find out that moisture sunlight, and other environmental factors faded the label. I then purchased the metallic label (silver) and it works great. It is actually a metal material and has lasted at least 3 years in direct sunlight in South Texas.
»global.dymo.com/enUS/Products/LetraTag.html is the label maker we have. The metallic label # is 91338.
Like I said, we've used it for a few years now and have had great luck with them. Unfortunately, we labeled about 100 meters with the plastic label that are in the field. If not for the serial number, we'd have a hard time identifying the meter.
said by Chele  :I labeled one of our POPs with a Dymo label maker only to go back a few weeks later and find the writing on the labels had disappeared! I think it was the heat Looking for a different method now. | |
| | | Keithb
join:2003-09-16
US
| I'm our IT guy, for our company as well as the wireless network. Lord help us..!! lol I have a binder with all invoices, and a Word document of all the contacts I have in this industry and what their strong points are, and who we have purchased what/why from.
The network diagram is almost complete as we've did some modifying recently, but man is it good to have. I have an Excel folder with IP addy's, and other info to help troubleshoot, even for myself to look back upon at times.
You can never have enough documentation of your network, as it's always the smallest detail that will trip you up and you'll overlook it. | |
| | LLigetfa
join:2006-05-15
Fort Frances, ON
| Re: Do not go on vacation! I labelled hundreds of wires with a Brother P-Touch and figured they would stick well if I folded them over the wire and stuck the glued surfaces to each other. A month later I had hundreds of labels littering the floor as they all fell off!
I then tried the Brady wire markers that feels like cloth tape and come in booklet form. You peel each individual digit and wrap them, making up the number as you go. Months later, they too started unravelling and falling off in handling.
The Brady labels I posted have stood the test of time. I also use colour coding and the important stuff I document. | |
| | | Keithb
join:2003-09-16
US
| Re: Do not go on vacation! That's when I bring out the scotch tape. lol
said by LLigetfa :I labelled hundreds of wires with a Brother P-Touch and figured they would stick well if I folded them over the wire and stuck the glued surfaces to each other. A month later I had hundreds of labels littering the floor as they all fell off! | |
| | | |
|
I'm thankful that you had a sense of humor during this obviously painful endeavor. If you don't have that, what do you have? 
·