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Networking Shopping Tips : |
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- Liberally estimate your need for network port
connections and disk storage space--and then double your estimate. No
matter what you think you'll need, you'll require more. The good news
is that both the cost per port for connections and the cost per byte
of storage have dropped significantly.
- Decide on a family of networking products and then
try to keep it in the family. Although today's network products
conform to many protocols that promote interoperability, there are
still components, such as management software, that might be
proprietary.
- Pay close attention to the physical environment in
the space you designate for your networking equipment. Water and dust
are intolerable. Heat is marginally tolerable. You should also plan to
control physical access to the space to maintain security.
- There is no problem buying networking equipment
online. In fact, the high degree of standardization and
interoperability makes selecting equipment this way easy. If you buy
high-end equipment second hand--through an online auction, for
example, you might wish to upgrade the internal firmware, especially
in sophisticated installations. Be aware that the manufacturer might
charge an additional fee for licensing the software, for support, or
for both.
- Suggest solutions to your value added reseller, but
then listen for a reply. Working with your VAR or other consultant is
important when you select a family of products or design the
infrastructure of a network. No matter how experienced you are, the
VAR can usually teach you something.
- There is a whole art to licensing the software used
on networks. Software companies offer a variety of plans. Buying
multiple copies of programs with per-CPU licenses is usually the wrong
thing to do. You can often negotiate site licenses, licenses based on
the number of active users, limited-time licenses, or other types.
Software licenses can get expensive as you buy more seats.
- Build a good toolbox of handy devices and
utilities. Practical things to have in your networking toolbox include
a cable tester, packet decoding software, a kit to crimp on cable
connectors, a variety of replacement and patch cables, and
cable-labeling accessories.
- Create a good plan for data backup and stick to it.
Traditional data backup plans call for taking a snapshot of the system
at one time of day, saving that snapshot on removable media, and
moving that media to a separate physical location. You'll need a
removable storage device, such as a tape backup drive or a cartridge
drive and removable media. New, aggressive, dynamic backup systems
keep a rolling snapshot of the data environment and transfer that
snapshot to a safe location using high-speed data lines. Dynamic
backup costs more, but in corporate environments it allows much faster
data restoration. Storage management software provides options to
selectively save certain types of data on specific schedules.
- Create a plan for remote access by employees.
Organizations of all kinds must accommodate work-at-home employees and
road warriors. The old approach was to use a dial-up access server.
The modern approach is to use a virtual private network (VPN). In
networks with a few dozen simultaneous remote callers, the VPN server
can be part of a corporate firewall. If there are more simultaneous
users, then you need a standalone VPN server.
- Consider the role of wireless in your local
network. Wireless can extend cable or replace cable. Wireless local
networks may require more support, but they offer excellent
flexibility.
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