Netware Lans: Performance and Troubleshooting (Data Communications and Networks Series) - Softcover

Theakston, Ian

Softcover

ISBN 10: 020163175X ISBN 13: 9780201631753

Publisher: Addison-Wesley, 1995

Synopsis

This book is designed for the Novell NetWare LAN supervisor or manager who wants to provide a well-run, properly planned, high-performance system. A how-to book focusing on performance, a key issue in NetWare LANs, it covers maintenance and troubleshooting of network hardware and software.

About this title

About the Author

3. OTHER CONSIDERATIONS - Author

Formerly the director of strategy and technical monitor for Azlan, one of the largest and longest established UK distributors for Novell, Ian Theakston now runs his own network consultancy company. In addition to writing books on LAN performance and troubleshooting, he is known to have played the double-bass in a performance of Mahler's 2nd Symphony in Durham Cathedral.

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From the Back Cover

TO: All network managers, LAN supervisors, users of NetWare/286,
NetWare/386 and NetWare version 4.

RE: NetWare LANS: Performance and Troubleshooting

1. ISSUES:

* Is the reliability of your PC LAN important to your organization's efficiency?

* Would you like to know how to successfully maintain your PC LAN?

* Does it cost you and your organization valuable resources, like time and money, when your PC LAN has problems?

* Would you like to be able to troubleshoot, to take proactive corrective measures, to avoid 'firefighting?'

* Would you like to learn from past experiences?

2. RECOMMENDATION - The book, NetWare LANs: Performance and Troubleshooting, because it:

* Provides a logical and structured approach to LAN performance and troubleshooting with emphasis on ensuring reliability

* Explores how to monitor the network to identify potential problems

* Explains what actions should be taken before problems arise and why

* Provides techniques for ensuring that service to the user is provided

* Provides forms and database structures for implementing a fault-recording system so that the experiences of earlier troubleshooting can be easily accessed

3. OTHER CONSIDERATIONS - Author 020163175XB04062001

From the Inside Flap

This book has developed from experiences gathered over some ten years working with PC based LANs, and a further fourteen years working in the more traditional areas of computing with mainframes and minicomputers. In the past few years I have been something of an evangelist for the cause of PC LANs, while still recognizing that it was often difficult to ignore the charge that there was a lack of discipline in the way that many PC users and developers worked. This perception has probably slowed down the acceptance of the LAN as a serious business tool.

The trouble with evangelism is that it tends to polarize opinion. Opposing sides refuse to accept that there is any merit in the arguments of the other, and they spend much time and effort on dogma. This has been the case in the world of personal computing over the past few years. The PC gave a much needed freedom to computer users, and ultimately has made the manufacturers of larger computers recast their strategies (or in some cases not do this and fail). In the rush for freedom many of the strengths of earlier systems were ignored or discarded. Conversely, 'traditional' computing solutions were still applied where the newer technologies were patently more suitable. It seems that we are now approaching a maturity where the strengths and merits of the technology options are recognized and implemented. A great deal of effort is now directed at making systems work together rather than producing marketing pronouncements to cloud the issues.

The aim of this book is to show techniques and procedures that will make the LAN a valuable business tool. The emphasis is on providing an efficient, reliable system that will deliver maximum availability and performance. This is done by making best use of support resources, which requires a considered and planned approach. This is at some variance with the 'fire fighting' that characterizes many PC installations. Of course, such emergency work is inevitable from time to time in any installation; but I hope to show that this should be the exception rather than the rule.

A prime consideration is to establish a good relationship with user departments, so that the whole installation can work together to optimize the overall system. This makes fault reporting and investigation simpler, and by properly documenting problem solutions re-occurrences of errors can be rapidly cured. The problem investigation must be thorough, and this book shows techniques to achieve this.

Ian Theakston
York, March 1994

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Edition details

• Publisher: Addison-Wesley
• Publication date: 1995
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 020163175X
• ISBN 13: 9780201631753
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 400