Help on a small company network

[Raziel_LOK]

Hi guys. I just started my work on a small a school.

We don't have any network infrastructure. The computers are 10 decades old. So I want to try to do the better and cheapest, so we can have a minimal structure for the computers and the upcoming ERP system. The thing is, because the school is inside a monastery, I can't just pass cables to everywhere.

I have some experience with network structure, but I just can't compare a building with 7 floors and 80+ computers. With a school with 2 floors and 30-40 computers. Do you guys think a wi-fi network with a good placed repeaters would work well? And what about servers and computers? I think a AD server, firewall, db server and some others I can't remember right now are mandatory in this case.

Can you guys give some directions for reading material and/or books that can help me with it.

Thank you.

 

[VirtualLarry]

A Monastery? As in, stone walls? Good luck with wireless in that case. Consider powerline, if wired for 120V AC.

 

[Raziel_LOK]

I mean a convent, but the walls are pretty large if that's what you mean. The actual wi-fi spots, can't be seen by devices from side rooms. But the ideia is to have a powerfull router on the corridor and one repeater at the door of each room that can't pass a cable.

 

[EvaCarey]

Wi-Fi networks have a range that's limited by the transmission power, antenna type, the location they're used in, and the environment. You can use a long range Wi-Fi. It is available in low cost.

 

[Raziel_LOK]

Thank you so far for the help guys, anything else will be welcome.

 

[drebo]

"Repeaters" are a terrible idea. Don't ever use them.

Wireless is fine, but you're going to have to run cables to every location where you want an access point. Look at a commercial managed wireless soltuion, such as Ruckus. Don't try to build this with a bunch of shitty $50 wireless routers you bought off Newegg.

 

[Raziel_LOK]

Thank you for advising.

 

[Compman55]

Enterprise wifi is a must, the cheapo stuff is not applicable to this. There are consultants that will come on site and test out wireless signals to determine how many APs are needed, and if wireless is usable. There are certain buildings that wireless is not applicable due to the building structure. There are other building that wireless is applicable but to do so would require 4x the amount of AP you would think.

 

[gsaldivar]

I would re-evaluate and try very hard to do at least a single cable run to each room. If you can make cable work, you will save yourself a huge wireless headache and ensure that the network is reliable and protected against reception issues.

You don't always have to drill holes through walls for Ethernet. Be sure to consider all the options you have available to you... Cable raceways affixed to interior hallways, direct burial cable running underground along the exterior of the building, flat ethernet cable running under carpets or step panels, etc...

http://www.cableorganizer.com/surface-raceways/

http://www.amazon.com/Ethernet-Water...s=outdoor+cat6

 

[VirtualLarry]

I was going to suggest drop-ceilings.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Repeaters suck.

I would mention that even expensive WAPs will tend to cap the number of devices that can connect to them at once. (~50 for the expensive Cisco WAPs at my last job, as few as twelve for some of the older WAPs I've seen.) So in this BYOD/OLPC world, one AP per classroom is pretty much necessary to accommodate any future growth, and those HAVE to be wired back to a closet, no question.

Plan on a worse-case scenario of two devices per student. My last school gig was in a HS with ~2k students and ~200 staff. I would occasionally run ping sweeps and find >1500 devices active, and that was before we did iPads-for-all.

You're going to need servers.

I was in an old monastery-turned-private-school once that had been built from stone. The networking was all in conduit running along corners and the edges of ceilings, painted grey to match the stone. It was actually alright.

Another ~150-year-old building I worked in used cable trays suspended from the ceilings down the main hallways.

Adding drop-ceilings is probably a bit much if there aren't some there already, but it sounds like you need a licensed wiring contractor for a consult. There are building codes involved; this isn't something you can just dump on your helpdesk/website guy. (Which is what it sounds like is happening.)

 

[Raziel_LOK]

We already have a certain structure here, nothing very good or operating as it should, but it has cables that reach certain rooms and floors. My idea is to suggest an improvement since the school will have to get a new ERP that is more integrated with other sectors beyond the financial and coordination.

Already figured wirelless for desktops would be a problem but it never hurts to consider the solution. About the consulting, it's been less than a month I started working here. So I'm awaiting contact with the company that implemented the current system and that probably accounts for the existing structure.

But my intention is to offer at least a acceptable service, documentation of IT services that addresses the constraints of construction, and that's better coworkers and students.

The computer lab is not working and has cables and switches everywhere, I do not think it has the minimum structure to receive students here.

I'll take some pictures if I can.

Thank you very much for the advises guys. Anything else just throw at me.