 | Randy Johnston
has been involved in computing for over 25 years. In addition to being a top-rated and entertaining speaker presenting technology seminars worldwide for K2 Enterprises (www.k2e.com), he is also Executive Vice-President and Co-owner of Network Management Group, Inc., a full-service computer networking and service company. Randy recently published Technology Best Practices for Wiley Publishing. You may contact Randy by e-mail at randyj@nmgi.com, or by phone at (620) 664-6000. |
Computers & Software
2002-02-01 16:35:00
Computer networking
Question: We have always been a small office of about 10 people. Over the next year, we will be increasing in size to around 20 people. We have done all of the office layouts, but I was wondering if our present MS system of networking will work or whether we need to be looking at something else. We are already experiencing a bit of delay in getting our e-mails and connecting to the Internet. Is there something made for offices like ours?
Answer: The lack of speed of your network could have several causes. First, your small network probably uses peer-to-peer networking technology. Peer-to-peer lets you share resources such as disk and printers between all users, but the sharing (also called serving) takes resources away from your normal processing or applications. This technology works acceptably on small Local Area Networks, but begins to show noticeable slowdown above 12 users, and often for more than just 5 users. Since you are noticing operational slow downs with 10 users, you will probably have to change from peer-to-peer to a file server based system. A file server system has one or more computers that only share resources like files or printers. You will definitely see a performance improvement by switching to file server technology.Peer-to-peer networking capability has been built in Microsoft desktop operating systems since April 1992. However, it has never been a fast solution for larger networks. Microsoft's current file server operating system is Windows 2000 Server, which comes in three different editions (Server, Advanced Server and Datacenter Server). Based on your size of 25 users, you will be best served by the Windows 2000 Server version. There has been a small business edition of the Windows Server system for up to 25 users with additional mail, fax and other capabilities, but Microsoft has discontinued this product, so we do not recommend it.Other competitive file server operating systems are offered by Novell and several different Linux companies such as Red Hat. Novell has just released a new version of their product, Version 6, which is working very well, and is very fast and reliable for your application. Many pundits in the industry claim that NetWare will not survive, but we are very comfortable recommending this product as an alternative to a Microsoft Server solution. NetWare has been shipping in different versions since 1982. You may be a candidate for a server running Linux, but your applications may not be compatible. We are pretty comfortable knowing that the common applications you are currently running will be supported by both NetWare and Windows 2000 server.The file server hardware required for your size business has dropped radically in price in the last three years. You can get a very good server for $1500-4500. You should make sure to have at least 512MB of RAM in your server, but 1GB is probably better. You should have at least 2 disk drives that duplicate each other (mirrored), but a RAID (Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks) would be a better choice. We encourage clients to select file servers made by larger, reputable vendors like Compaq, IBM, HP or Dell.Another potential speed issue is your connection device. There are two primary types of connection devices: hubs and switches. It is likely that your connection device is a hub, which you may have selected because it was significantly cheaper than a switch. Switches today are only marginally more expensive than a hub, and certainly worth the price from a performance perspective. Substituting a switch for a hub might yield 2 to 4 and as much as 16 times greater performance depending on how your connection devices are configured.Another issue that may affect your speed is the network cards and cabling that you are using. If you are running Ethernet, you should be using 10/100 cards, and these cards should be running at the 100Mbps speed. Sometimes your cabling can cause your system to run slow as well. When you move to your new building, make sure that you have your cabling system professionally installed, certified, and documented. You may want to consider wireless technologies if you are forced with replacing many of your desktops.Finally, the configuration of your desktop computers might be causing part of your speed problems. You may have too little memory (256MB is our common recommended minimum) or your applications may have increased in size and complexity to the point that you need to consider upgrading some of your desktop hardware to get more speed.You did not mention how you were currently getting your email or Internet access, but we would hope you have some sort of shared access today, and that you have graduated from using dial-up access to a higher speed technology like DSL or Cable modem. If not, choosing to use either of these communications technologies will radically improve your Internet connection speed. The typical home cost is $30-50/month, and the typical business cost is $50-200/month. You should make sure that you have an appliance hardware firewall, some of which include switch technology.In summary, when you make your move, check the following: 1) new, certified cable system, 2) all network cards are running at 100Mbps, 3) switches are used as the connection device, 4) run a new file server, 5) choose a high speed internet service behind a hardware firewall.
