It's just a wiring problem...

[redbeacon]

Fixing a company's "Wiring Problem"

(and it's not only the wires that is the source of the problem)

 

Here's another true-life account: This time, of a freelance I.T. network geek wanting to earn some cash being a 1 day Mr-fix-it-man.

 

The moral of the story is: sometimes, you can't really help people fix the problem unless you own everything that the person has; including everything over his stubborn or bo-chup attitude.

 

P.S.: Note that I've highlighted all the bad computing habits and practices in pink. Enjoy...

~Nelly

 

As a freelance web developer, Erik finds himself doing all sorts of odd jobs. Fixing up a Microsoft Access application here, installing a firewall there – he’ll gladly help his clients out with whatever they need, so long as they’re paying and he’s comfortable doing it.

 

His latest job, referred to him through a friend-of-a-friend, was at a small company that had a “simple wiring problem” with their computer network. Apparently, none of the local networking companies wanted to -- or were successful on fixing it, and for the poor shop, Erik was their last and greatest hope.

 

It was a rather high expectation for someone that had only set up and fixed one or two networks in his day, but Erik figured that he’d give it a shot. They were paying hourly, after all.

 

When Erik walked into his client’s store, the first thing that he noticed, ...

 

– and almost tripped over,...

 

were several gray network cables strewn across the floor. Although they had been “secured” down with masking-tape, then scotch-tape, and then more scotch-tape, the cables were coming loose. Not the safest thing for a retail store, no less a computer network.

 

“Oh, I better tape those down again,” said Steve, the owner and manager of the store, as he saw our hero "Erik" enter

 

"Hey, any idea what’s the best kind of tape? We tried duct, electrical – but nothing seems to stick.”

 

Erik shrugged his shoulders, seeming showing an "I dunno" physical expression and opted for a brief tour of the place.

 

The front-end of the store was fairly small, perhaps 400 square feet. It housed some display cases of their work and all sorts of various brochures of their offerings.

 

There were a few small tables with laptops set up that salespeople would discuss all the various options with their customers and a large front desk with a perky receptionist and a cash register.

 

Everything had network, power, and phone cables going to and fro, taped down to the linoleum-tiled floor.

 

“So the problem we’re having,” Steve explained as they walked to the back room, “is that our Internet goes down several times a day. It doesn’t happen on all computers, and it doesn’t happen all the time, but it’s a big pain. Our pretty gals on their laptops need to research and check with vendors, so when the ‘net goes dow....”

 

As soon as Erik got a glimpse of the back-end of the store, he just stopped listening.

 

He was shocked. Never in his life had he witnessed such an “office” layout. The whole store was so very big – perhaps 1500 square feet – and was divided into a warehouse/storage area and cubicles.

 

The warehouse area was pretty standard, but the office area was two stories. Someone, presumably Steve, had build a loft out of plywood and 4x4's with about as much "slap-the-wood-here", "knock-it-there", "secure-it-tight" quality and professionalism as the clumsy taped-down cables. In fact, keeping with the terrible motif, cables were taped and stapled to a 4x4 wooden posts that rises up so that the cables that are secured to it can reach the cubicles on the second floor.

 

“Pretty cool, eh,” Steve said, when he noticed Erik staring at the area with his mouth open. "Talk about a good way to maximize floor space! Just, uhh, don’t tell good 'ol boss of mine. Heh, heh.”

 

Erik had to think for a moment exactly what the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, would object about the most. Extension cables plugged into extension cables, carelessly laid across the floor? The searing heat from their windowless, airconditioning-less office? The DIY squeaky staircase/ladder used to access the second floor? The second floor itself?

 

“But anyway,” Steve continued, “without the ‘net, we can’t even process our credit card transactions. Speaking of which, maybe you can help with that too. Our credit card server is such a piece of junk. Actually, let’s go look at that first.”

 

Steve led Erik to the credit card processing server. It was actually an old Dell desktop computer running Windows ME that recently was moved to the front desk.

 

“Placing the Dell on the front desk is more convenient this way,” as Steve explained, “because we have to restart it at least ten times per day.”

 

After dusting off the keyboard, Erik took a quick look: the Dell “server” was completely overrun with spyware, viruses, and several instances of BonziBUDDY.

 

Erik told him that he could fix it, but recommended that the boss spend some money on a new server or, at the very least, to reformat the whole Dell computer.

 

“Ugh,” Steve responded disappointedly, “I figured as much. Maybe we can do that later, then. Oh, maybe you can help with our backup server now, too?”

 

Expecting to find some ancient Packard Bell or IBM computer acting as a backup server, Erik was pleasantly surprised to find an actual server.A seven year-old server, but an actual server.

 

The fix was incredibly easy: the server was not plugged in to the network. Steve knew how to handle this: he walked to the nearest workstation / computer haphazardly-placed somewhere, and yanked its network cable to be used for the server instead.

 

As for the “real problem” – i.e., the "intermittently failing" Internet – Erik had no idea where to begin. Cables were strewn all across the place and was constantly walked over and run over with store trolleys.

 

"A professional cable installer would have to come in and rewire the whole place," suggested our hero Erik.

 

“They’re just damn cables lah...” Steve spoke sharply at Erik’s recommendation, “it’s been like this for years without a problem. I’m telling you, the problem might be the router or switch.”

 

Erik explained that he had no expertise in diagnosing intermittently-failing network equipment, and suggested yet again to rewire the place and fix the credit card server. Steve just shook his head and pushed Erik to work fixing up the Dell "server."

 

As Erik uninstalled, rebooted, registry-hacked, and tried everything he knew to bring the computer to a more stable state, he noticed yet another disturbing activity transpiring after the store closed:

 

Steve grabbed from the closet a large bucket of water and a mop and sloshed it around all across the floor. It is the same floor with the network cables, the phone cables, and, dangerously-enough, the power-cables that were left lying around.

 

“Yah, it’s a dirty job,” Steve remarked as Erik stood eyes-wide-open at the electrical hazard, “but someone’s gotta do it!”

Steve took the mop in the back and proceeded to mop that floor as well, soaking it and all of the network and electrical cables strewn across it.

 

Erik quickly finished up patching back together the “server” and carefully stepped across the floor towards the exit.

 

This was one odd job he won’t pick up again.

[Ajimey]

Wow... Dats crazy... Not good 4 e business in e long term...

[jiasheng]

i'm suprised that the coy still can work...elevated floor boards also not so ex ma... loss of productivity also $$$

[kmax]

haahha.... i should hack their credit card server...

[kmax]

http://photos.friendster.com/photos/41/03/4873014/1_756466197l.jpg

 

had to trace one cable from there

[WildCard]

http://photos.friendster.com/photos/41/03/4873014/1_756466197l.jpg

 

had to trace one cable from there

 

Ah!

The ever present DataCentre.

The smell of hot circuitry, the noise of the huge cooling compressors and individual cooling fans in a huge 'whirrrr...' noise, the never-changing bright-white color of the flourescent lamps, the creaky raised floorboards and the cold. The never-ending cold.

 

I miss working in a DataCentre. But neither am I ever gonna go back into one.