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Managing Computing Equipment of SOHO
I want to share you with my experience with something which may look
off topic, but I believe that may be very useful for many of this
list, especially people who manage home networks or small networks
of small businesses (or in short - SOHO - Small Office Home Office):
Network Cabinets. From any unknown reason, it is believed that only
big companies need it, but the opposite is true: Only small offices
or houses with limited space and no infrastructure in the walls,
need it. (at least I hope that this issue is more on-topic than the
previous - the Israeli encryption laws...).
As one who develops for many UNIX platforms, connected to the Net
through a frame-relay line, and also uses the usual equipment
(printer, scanner, etc.), I had zillion of boxes at home, and many
of them were not useful because there was nowhere to put them. So I
ordered a tall (40U) 19" cabinet (from "Solomon & Sasbon", Or-Akiva,
if you are really curious... But there are competitors too, like
Bynet Yissum, though a little more expensive), and received it
yesterday. Instead of ordering a ready cabinet, I asked to get it in
parts, and I composed them according to the sizes of my equipment.
Now most of my equipment fits into it ("most" means 3 of 4
computers, a hub, a Cisco router, a frame relay DTU, a screen, 2
keyboards, 2 mouses, a lazer printer, 2 switch-boxes, a scanner,
external disks, a UPS, etc.). Of course, I chose shelves according
to the equipment; For example, the scanner is placed on a moving
shelf (sorry, don't know the exact English word), so it takes only
10 cm in height, and when I need to scan anything, I pull it and
open it to it full height (48 cm; Amazing, isn't it?).
The price was looked very expensive from first look. But many parts
are not important (for example, there is no reason to buy doors,
side walls, etc.). After I removed them, the price became more
rational. Then came a price cut (after all, it is a computing
equipment...) and 10% additional discount is given for cash payments
(including checks). After I already decided to buy it, they were so
generous (and frayers...) to give me yet another discount, and the
final price reached $400 (instead of $1000-$2000, before all the
discounts). Much less than the monthly communication costs (frame-
relay alone - Bezeq+ISP - is $300-$400, add cellular/phone/ISDN/etc.
to it, and you end up with a lot of money...).
Since it is a real magic for me, and I am very happy with it, I am
curious to know: Why isn't it popular? Why did I hear about it
only recently? I'm sure that many of you (yes, especially
Linuxers!) face similar problems (too much equipment, too less
space); Do you have other ways to compete with them (except for
contributing your equipment to poor people)?
--
Eli Marmor
marmor@elmar.co.il
El-Mar Software Ltd.
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