Network setup for Transwater KES

I have been appointed as the IT Executive for Transwater KES JV. I started working there from 2nd of July 2008. The company is a construction firm.

My main responsibilities include; managing and troubleshooting the windows 2003 server and other windows XP based client computers. As soon as I started working there I was gone through the server and client computers and understood that there are many problems in the network.

First thing I realized was that even the company used many computers (17) at the head office and several other computers at regional offices and sites; they are still processing data in a manual system. The computer proficiency of the most workers is very poor.

Then I investigated the server that is running windows 2003. Soon I discovered many errors in the configurations and strategies. The physical network structure itself is a badly implemented. The backup strategy is just wasting time and resources, but nothing does to take a real backup. Soon I understood that the whole IT strategy is just a waste of money and resourced as well as time and effort of human personals.

Within my first week of this company, I was submitted a proposal to implement the network. I outlined mainly rearranging the physical network design, change of strategy and training of users.

My goal was developing a trouble less network that really deliver the functionalities of having a network in an organization. To do this I wanted to go with Linux technologies. I planed to install a Fedora Linux server and Windows XP clients on the network.

The process became more complex than forecasted. The network is heavily affected with viruses and the MacAfee virus guard was out of date for months. Also viruses altered the MacAfee scanning also making it worse to clean even update.

So I decided to format all computers one by one, but that is also became very hard work because employees are using computers. So the work also has to carry out as regularly. With some supporting peoples I was managed to format and clean some computers and keep it alone without connecting to the network.

Today I installed Fedora 7 on a separate computer and linked the formatted computers through another switch to fedora server. Now there are two networks running parallel. The windows network is difficult to pull-out because they are using it as a file server for an accounting system. So that system will keep running at least for few more weeks.

I will implement other stages on the fedora system and finally pull-out the windows server from the network.