Networking In Workstations

Local Area Network (LAN)

The services offered to Departments will cover new network installations, network upgrades, troubleshooting, and maintenance. We provide:
· Network needs assessment
· Software and hardware support for most available LAN systems and LAN based software packages
· Network installation and upgrades
· Network troubleshooting

New LANs

For new network installations, our staff can assist with network needs analysis; prepare or review specs for new networks or network upgrades; install/upgrade network operating system on network server; install, connect, and configure workstations and peripherals, and install, upgrade and configure network software applications.

LAN Upgrades

Network upgrades, including the upgrade of network operating system software; the installation and configuration of new network applications; the installation, connection, and configuration of additional workstations and peripherals; and the installation and configuration of hardware upgrades in network servers, are all a part of this new service. In addition, our staff can help coordinate LAN connections with the campus-wide network (when available).

Trouble Shooting & Problem Solving

We can troubleshoot network problems involving operating systems, the server, workstations, network applications, and printing. Network maintenance can also be provided including maintaining network documentation, remote network monitoring, optimizing server performance, design and help maintain network backup schedule, and installation of network operating system upgrades and fixes. Our staff can also design and/or conduct seminars for network managers and for network users as a non-contract service.

Network Maintence:

Preventive Maintenance

Preventive maintenance is one of the most ignored aspects of network ownership. Preventive Maintenance refers to performing proactive maintenance in order to prevent system problems. This is different from diagnostic or corrective maintenance, which is performed to correct an
already-existing problem. Here are some reasons why you should develop a preventive maintenance plan for your network:

1. Preventive Maintenance Saves Money: Avoiding problems with your PC will save you money in the long run. By preventing a problem from occurring, you will no longer need to spend money on new components or repair jobs.

2. Preventive Maintenance Saves Time: Preventive maintenance saves time because it saves you the inconvenience and disruption of system failures and lost data. Most preventive maintenance procedures are quite simple compared to troubleshooting and repair procedures.

3. Preventive Maintenance Helps Safeguard Your Data: For most people, the data on the hard disk is more important than the hardware that houses it. Taking steps to protect this data therefore makes sense, and that is what preventative maintenance is all about.

4.Preventive Maintenance Improves Performance: Some parts of your system will actually degrade in performance over time, and preventive maintenance will help to improve the speed of your system in these respects. It is important to us at Dapoy that your computer systems will be as
secure and steady as possible. If you would like to get an estimate for preventive maintenance that will suit your business needs, please contact the office to speak to a technical representative today.

Cabling and Infrastructure :

Network Performance

The performance of a network infrastructure depends not only on the quality of its components, but also on the quality of the cabling installation. Each network infrastructure is installed and tested by trained quality assurance engineers and technicians.

A properly installed cable network should function efficiently for 10-12 years. We guarantee all of our cabling installation for up to 12 years.

TimeTiger Technical Overview and Architecture

The TimeTiger,time and project tracking system has been designed to meet the needs of organizations from 1 to over 1,000 individual users. This document describes the components that make up TimeTiger and how these components work together to form a system. Various deployment approaches are illustrated, for installations ranging from a single-user desktop configuration to a multi-server, fault tolerant set-up suitable for 1,000 or more time loggers.

How TimeTiger Works

At the core of the TimeTiger system is the TimeTiger System Server. The TimeTiger System Server is a web server that hosts one or more TimeTiger applications, each of which is connected to a TimeTiger database. The TimeTiger database houses all the time log data, system configuration and user data required for the entire system. As of TimeTiger 2, the TimeTiger database can be stored in Microsoft Access 2000 format or on a Microsoft SQL Server. The TimeTiger database is open-architecture, meaning you are able to use third-party reporting and analysis tools to look at TimeTiger data, and even create your own applications that interface with the TimeTiger system. The TimeTiger database resides in a single location on your PC (for single-user installations) or network (for multi-user installations).

You install the TimeTiger System Server on a single computer (running Windows XP, 2000 or 2003), and then access the TimeTiger application using a web browser from the same PC or any other PC connected to your network.

For single-user installations, the TimeTiger application, database, and web browser can all reside on the same PC.

A single-user TimeTiger system

The single-user installation is the simplest TimeTiger configuration we support. A single PC houses the TimeTiger System Server, which has been used to create a single TimeTiger application connected to an Access 2000 format TimeTiger database. Note that owning Microsoft Access 2000 is not required to use the system: everything you need is already built-in to TimeTiger.

A Peer-to-Peer TimeTiger system

For small workgroups using a peer-to-peer network (such as Microsoft Windows 95/98/ME networking) multiple workstations can connect to a single TimeTiger System Server located on one of the machines on the network. This machine must be on at all times so that the other machines can connect to and use the TimeTiger system. This configuration is not recommended for workgroups larger than 10 machines.

A LAN-based TimeTiger system

For larger departmental or organization-wide deployments, the TimeTiger System Server should be deployed on a network server machine and the database should reside on a network file server (for Access 2000 databases), or a Microsoft SQL Server (for SQL Server databases, shown here). All LAN workstations access TimeTiger using a standard web browser. Optionally, you can allow Internet or WAN users to connect to the same TimeTiger System Server through your corporate firewall. This configuration is recommended for up to 150 users (using an Access format database) or 1,000+ users (using a SQL Server database).

An enterprise TimeTiger system

For enterprise-wide deployments where scalability, performance and reliability are critical, component redundancy and load balancing can be introduced using the facilities already available in Microsoft Windows Server and Microsoft SQL Server. By clustering the various servers involved and implementing SQL Server replication and Windows Advanced Server cascading failover, TimeTiger can reliably support your entire enterprise of 1,000+ users.

For large installations such as this we recommend you take advantage of the skills provided by our professional services team to help design and configure your deployment. We can help you architect the perfect tracking solution for your entire organization.

Microsoft Access or SQL Server?

TimeTiger gives you the option of using a database in Microsoft Access 2000 format or a Microsoft SQL Server database. When choosing which of these two platforms to deploy on, bear the following considerations in mind:

• Although you do not require your own copy of Microsoft Access to use an Access 2000 format database with TimeTiger, you do require your own Microsoft SQL Server to use a SQL Server format database.
• Databases in both formats require some administration. An Access 2000 database must be regularly compacted to preserve performance and data integrity. A SQL Server should be managed by a qualified database administrator to ensure the security, safety, and performance of your application.
• There is no hard user limit imposed on either database format. Performance and reliability are the chief considerations in deciding to go with SQL Server, especially for installations of over 150 users.
• You can always change your mind. TimeTiger can seamlessly convert your data from Access 2000 to SQL Server format, or vice-versa.

Wi-Fi Network

Wi-Fi the trade name for the popular wireless technology used in home networks, mobile phones, video games and other electronic devices that require some form of wireless networking capability. In particular, it covers the various IEEE 802.11 technologies (including 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11n).

Wi-Fi technologies are supported by nearly every modern personal computer operating system, most advanced game consels and laptops, and many printers and other periphirals.

Purpose

The purpose of Wi-Fi is to provide wireless access to digital content. This content may include applications, audio and visual media, Internet connectivity, or other data. Wi-Fi generally makes access to information easier, as it can eliminate some of the physical restraints of wiring; this can be especially true for mobile devices.

Uses

A Wi-Fi enabled device such as a PC, game console, mobile phone, MP3 player or PDA can connect to the Internet when within range of a wireless network connected to the Internet. The coverage of one or more interconnected access printers — called a hotspot — can comprise an area as small as a single room with wireless-opaque walls or as large as many square miles covered by overlapping access points. Wi-Fi technology has served to set up mesh networks, for example, in London.Both architectures can operate in community networks.

In addition to restricted use in homes and offices, Wi-Fi can make access publicly available at Wi-Fi hotspots provided either free of charge or to subscribers to various providers. Organizations and businesses such as airports, hotels and restaurants often provide free hotspots to attract or assist clients. Enthusiasts or authorities who wish to provide services or even to promote business in a given area sometimes provide free Wi-Fi access. Metropolitan-wide Wi-Fi has more than 300 projects in process.There were 879 Wi-Fi based Wireless Internet Service Provider in the Czech Republic as of May 2008.

Wi-Fi also allows connectivity in peer to peer mode, which enables devices to connect directly with each other. This connectivity mode can prove useful in consumer electronics and gaming applications.

Advantages

Wi-Fi allows local area networks(LANs) to be deployed without cabling for client devices, typically reducing the costs of network deployment and expansion. Spaces where cables cannot be run, such as outdoor areas and historical buildings, can host wireless LANs.

Wireless network adapters are now built into most laptops. The price of chipsets for Wi-Fi continues to drop, making it an economical networking option included in even more devices. Wi-Fi has become widespread in corporate infrastructures.

Different competitive brands of access points and client network interfaces are inter-operable at a basic level of service. Products designated as "Wi-Fi Certified" by the Wi-Fi Alliance are backwards compatible. Wi-Fi is a global set of standards. Unlike mobile telephones, any standard Wi-Fi device will work anywhere in the world.

Wi-Fi is widely available in more than 220,000 public hotspots and tens of millions of homes and corporate and university campuses worldwide. WPA is not easily cracked if strong passwords are used and WPA2 encryption has no known weaknesses. New protocols for Quality of Service (WMM) make Wi-Fi more suitable for latency-sensitive applications (such as voice and video), and power saving mechanisms (WMM Power Save) improve battery operation.

Limitations

Spectrum assignments and operational limitations are not consistent worldwide. Most of Europe allows for an additional 2 channels beyond those permitted in the U.S. for the 2.4 GHz band. (1–13 vs. 1–11); Japan has one more on top of that (1–14). Europe, as of 2007, was essentially homogeneous in this respect. A very confusing aspect is the fact that a Wi-Fi signal actually occupies five channels in the 2.4 GHz band resulting in only three non-overlapped channels in the U.S.: 1, 6, 11, and three or four in Europe: 1, 5, 9, 13 can be used if all the equipment on a specific area can be guaranteed not to use 802.11b at all, even as fallback or beacon.