CompuServe Messages

Glad to share the experience(s) – Wish I had had similar knowledge to draw on when I started – ended up doing a lot of research which did pay off. I've been taking out our old coax lines. As Ken said, the UTP cabling is easier to work with. Most of my network problems in the past stemmed from crunched BNC connections. You can combine the two cabling types using the coax as a backbone but we opted against that because of maintenance – you just don't need as many tools. We went with the wiring closet arrangement in order to isolate the power – each room has it's own power panel along with an APC SmartUPS for each server. In the past, instructors attempting to locate a breaker have dumped our servers (onto the UPS). Didn't want to take a chance. We run workstation and network modems. Typically a secretary will want a modem for file transfers to/from the board office so we put in a local modem. I use a 19200 Norcom(?) network modem which sits in the base of my telephone. Anybody on the network can access this unit if they have the authorization and my machine is on. The software is Modem Protocall out of Toronto – you can support quite a number of modems on the net as well. Hope this helps John