Dear all,
A few of us (I, Jwalanta, Ankur, Tushar) have been working in the FOSS
Research and Training Center (FRTC) at BVS for some days now. The
reason being that only 10 computers out of a total of 24 were fully
functional during LinuxGyan *nixbies course held last week. We have
fixed the problems and brought the lab to a state where all 24
computers can be utilized now. But a few things remain to be done and
some measures should be taken to prevent some foreseeable problems.
* Problems
----------------
1. Many computers weren't connected to the network.
2. Many computers don't have power supply.
3. The arrangement of chairs, computers and peripherals was very haphazard.
4. The network-wiring was very unsystematic.
5. There aren't lesser number chairs than computers.
6. Some systems didn't have any OS installed.
7. Some systems had faults in Ethernet Card, VGA card etc
8. There weren't enough switch/routers to connect all the computers.
9. There weren't enough network cable pieces to connect the network.
* What have we done?
------------------------------
1. All computers have now been connected to the network.
2. Nothing yet. We will have to purchase extensible power-cords soon.
3. Peripherals like mouse, keyboards, monitors have been connected to
their respected CPUs, and faulty mice have been replaced (from the
store). Wires and cables have been re-arranged.
4. Labeled all the network wires.
5. Nothing.
6. Installed OS- 1 such system
7. It was found that Ethernet was disabled from BIOS settings - 1 such system.
The VGA ports were faulty. Replaced the box (from the store) - 1 such system
8. Added one switch- 8-port DLink (from the store)
9. Networked all the computers that were previously not
connected(cable retrieved from store).
* Issues that need immediate attention
-----------------------------------------------------
1. A maintainer for the lab has to be appointed.
2. Additionally, an authoring body/committee for the lab involving all
the parties need to be formed. It was found that there's no single
person or body that can be reached in times of help and/or complaint.
There's no answerable authority and no regulation.
2. Code-of-conduct for everyone supposed to use the lab facilities
need to be prepared and publishes. Strict adherence to the code should
be ensured. The code of conduct should have a mention of (but not
limited to) all the points mentioned here.
3. A record/log of all the tools and activities needs to me
maintained. Care should be taken to prevent loss of goods and assets
from the lab. In case of loss, such a log will help identify the party
that needs to be penalized for the loss. Likewise, it will also be
useful when goods need to be replaced or added to the lab.
4. A documentation of the lab's arrangement and systems needs to be maintained.
5. It was found that normal users of all the systems have unrestricted
sudo privileges and administrative rights. This has resulted in
incoherent system, network and problematic configurations. There is no
single OS, network configuration and softwares/systems in all the
computers of the lab. There are some unidentified users, big files and
such stuffs which are neither documented nor explained with purpose.
6. It should be checked to make sure that the network wires,
peripheral devices etc aren't connected, disconnected, rearranged or
replaced without prior information to the lab's caretaker/maintainer.
I will include the map describing the lab's current network and
power-supply map in a later mail.
If possible, I would like to hear from someone on why the problems
mentioned above came to being in the first place. Who's answerable to
them? And who's responsible to prevent such problems in the future.
There was no documentation or record of configuration and works done
with the lab. That created a lot of problems during our work- and took
3-4 whole days for us to get things right. I would like to request
everybody involved to take these points seriously and seek answers
from parties/people involved.
Thanking you,
Bibek Paudel.
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